Instructure’s platform replaces a patchwork of legacy systems for more than 28,000 students and staff
Imperial College London has moved its digital teaching and learning onto a single virtual learning environment (VLE), adopting Instructure’s Canvas platform across the whole institution and retiring the various separate systems that had previously been used by different parts of the university.
Canvas launched on 14 September, in time for the start of the new academic year. It now serves as the central hub for course materials, teaching and collaboration for more than 24,000 students and around 4,000 staff.
Getting there took roughly 10 months. Alongside migrating existing courses onto the new platform, the university ran a wide-ranging change management programme and put in place a data strategy designed to make it easier for staff to access their existing teaching materials and redesign them for the new environment.
Consistency is the main goal of the switch. Imperial says the move is designed to provide a more consistent digital experience across departments, while retaining the flexibility required by its diverse disciplines and programmes. According to the university, Canvas will also make it easier for staff and students to navigate, teach, learn and collaborate, and support greater efficiency, insight and resilience across the institution.
Accessibility is central to the new environment. Canvas includes built-in features such as screen reader compatibility, alternative text and customisable settings, which are designed to enable every student to engage fully and equitably.
Professor Alan Spivey, Vice Provost (Education and Student Experience) at Imperial, said:
“At Imperial, we are continually investing in the learning experiences we provide our students. Our move to Canvas marks an important step in strengthening the digital foundations that support world-class teaching across the university.
“As a global leader in science, engineering, medicine and business, we require a learning platform that is intuitive, reliable and capable of supporting innovative teaching at scale. This transition is about ensuring that our learning environment reflects Imperial’s ambition to equip students with the knowledge, skills and opportunities they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”
Instructure sees the project as part of a wider pattern in the sector.
Henry Clifford-Jones, the company’s Managing Director of EMEA, said:
“Imperial’s decision reflects a broader shift we are seeing across higher education; institutions are looking beyond individual digital tools and thinking about how technology can create a more connected and consistent learning experience.
“We are proud to support Imperial as they consolidate multiple legacy systems and nearly 100 integrations into a single Canvas ecosystem, streamlining internal workflows and staff training while retaining the flexibility to support the unique needs of different faculties.”
The rollout has been delivered through Imperial’s Digital Education Platform Project (DEPP), a centrally run programme that brought together teams from across the institution to get Canvas ready for its university-wide launch. The project’s longer-term goal is to make a single VLE the foundation of an improved, user-centred digital education service.
Instructure, which also owns Mastery and Parchment, says its products are used by schools, universities and employers in more than 100 countries.
Feature image by SellStock from Adobe Stock
