In this blog, Sarah Dyer and Lauren Starr describes a recent workshop held as part of Project Shift. Project Shift is a co-design project where the Humanities eLearning team are working with academics and professional services colleagues to create the support that will be offered in the move to using Canvas as our Central Learning Environment (CLE). 

What did we do? 

In amongst the busyness of Welcome Week, five Humanities academics spent a couple of hours in a computer lab in Humanities Bridgeford Street with members of the eLearning team. We were testing one possible approach that could be used to support staff when they begin using Canvas as our Central Learning Environment. We asked the academics to imagine they were sat alone at their desks and handed them a mock-up of a ‘scenario card’ which led them through the steps to set up a welcome page for a Canvas course.  

In a Canvas sandpit, each had a go at using this scenario card with someone from the eLearning team sat next to them and observing what they did: Which bits of the card did they read, and which did they skip over? Which steps were unproblematic, and where did they need to pause or re-read the instructions? Was there anything they couldn’t do? After participants had completed the task, they talked the observer through the experience. We then came together and discussed the experience as a group. It was a chance to test the concept of scenario cards, and the assumptions the project team had made in designing the cards. 

The idea that scenario cards might provide this support was co-developed from insights gained through interviews with Humanities staff about their prior experiences of technology change in the University. In these interviews, a clear narrative emerged about the need to present training from the user’s perspective. Where training is rolled out without attention to what people need to use systems for, not only is it less effective, but it inadvertently communicates that people and their time don’t matter. It’s frustrating, demotivating, and wastes time. When we presented this insight to colleagues at our co-creation event in July 2024, one of the proposed approaches was to structure training around scenarios and to have scenario cards which people could work through by themselves before seeking other help if they needed it. 

Why did we do it this way? 

Early testing mock-ups of possible scenario cards with people proved really useful, before we committed more time to developing them. I have often advocated for the need for such testing but was still stunned by how much I learnt from sitting next to someone as they worked their way through the card. One learning point for me was that a mock-up can both be really rough and evocative. In the session we wanted to recreate the experience of using such cards as closely as possible without help or additional information. We printed cards out and gave users the A4 sheets – although about halfway through the session I realised that folding the paper to create A5 ‘cards’ with information front and back brought the experience of using the cards to life – a simple change, which had a big impact on the experience. 

How did it go? 

We learnt a lot. There was broad consensus that we’re on the right track with this approach. We discussed the difference between ‘tasks’ (add a video, create a discussion board) and ‘scenarios’ (create a welcome landing page, create an assessment section), with all agreeing that there was a need for both at different points in the year. We also discussed the need for an additional step which sets out the ‘big picture’ of how the system worked as a whole. We are working this idea up as a possible ‘pull out’ map of Canvas.  

Participants in the workshop also felt like they would benefit from accessing examples of good practice. Again, this is something else we will be mocking up and getting feedback on. We will be experimenting with different voices and perspectives – learning from peers was a strong theme that emerged in our initial interviews with staff: so, on good practice do people get more out of peer perspectives or students? 

We discussed what felt similar and different about the user interface based on experience using Blackboard. This left me intrigued as to whether we could use posters to familiarise people with the visual language of the Canvas interface. We spent time discussing the detail of the cards, including level of detail and format. We will be taking participants feedback, working it up, and asking for further feedback from other users. Finally, we explored which scenarios participants felt should be included in our cards. 

What next? 

The experience of testing early mock-ups worked really well, and we will continue to test more of our ideas. If you are based in the Humanities and reading this, we would love for you to come to our November workshop, to help shape how we support the move to Canvas.  

Sarah Dyer, Manchester Institute of Education 
linkedin.com/in/sarah-dyer-69a0034  

Lauren Starr, Humanities eLearning 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lestarr/ 

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