In this post, I\u2019ll be looking over our Virtual learning Environment, Canvas, and how it weighs up to our old platform Study Direct. Now this wont be a \u201cbring back Study Direct\u201d campaign, because we all know its not coming back (they\u2019ve stopped making the software), but I will discuss what was great about it alongside our new system Canvas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to content, I\u2019d say the module information pages on Canvas are equivalent to Study Direct. On both platforms you could find a break down of each week, containing the reading resources for that week, an overview of the week and something that is on Canvas and not Study Direct, a file-sharing forum \u2013 where you can share any documents between your peers. Where the two platforms differ is the formatting of the sites, and this I believe is where most people\u2019s disdain for Canvas stems from. Study direct appeared to be a bit more organised so the things you needed were easier to find as a whole. I\u2019d say Study Direct was a bit more user friendly, but obviously I am also completely biased, having used it for 3 years already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d say I mostly use Canvas for finding out what readings I need to do for the week, and finding out what I need to prepare before my seminars. As a third year student a lot of the work I need to be doing is independent research so I rarely need to access canvas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although you are able to access lecture recordings from Canvas, one aspect from Study Direct I would like to have seen embedded in this new platform is the lecture recordings within the weekly break downs. It just feels quite unnecessary to have to navigate away from all the content found in that week for your module, just to find a list of lecture recordings, that aren\u2019t always in order. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The calendar feature on Canvas is really useful for looking at when all your assignments are due, and you can also add tasks to complete within it too. What would be great is if your timetable was actually embedded into Canvas also so you had everything you needed all in one platform. Currently, in order to access your timetable you have to log back into Sussex Direct, which feels a bit unnecessary when it was there for you in Study direct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n