EXCECTIVE SUMMARY 1

ESU Composition Program: Restructuring Canvas for GTAs

Problem

The Department of English, Modern Languages, and Journalism Composition Program at

Emporia has an outdated Canvas shell hub that has been offering new GTAs who will be

teaching Composition 1 and 2 resources, lesson plans, etc. to help answer questions they might

have about teaching, Canvas, curriculum, etc. However, the current Canvas hub is currently

organized by semesters (Fall 2012 for example) rather than topic or class (Composition 1 or 2).

The department would like a new Canvas hub to be developed and organized into a more

efficient fashion and by topic rather than semester with updated materials and resources.

Analysis

Through the analyze stage, I developed a needs assessment to help identify the issues and

the outdated material in the Department of English, Modern Languages, and Journalism

Composition Program’s Canvas hub that they use for the new GTAs. I then designed a new

organizational plan for the new Canvas class with specific modules, organized by sections as

opposed to semesters. I evaluated the current sections and collaborates with the provided

instructor from the department to develop each modules’ contents. The objective for the project

is as follows: after consulting and reviewing the new Canvas hub for new GTAs for the

department, they will have access to effective and up to date curriculum, teaching advice, and

educational resources to help them begin building a foundation for teaching Composition 1 and 2

for the Department of English, Modern Languages, and Journalism Composition Program at

Emporia.

Design and Development

EXCECTIVE SUMMARY 2

During the design and development stage, the new Canvas hub was organized by topic,

rather than time frame, in four sections: Getting Started (How to maneuver through Canvas,

syllabus templates, etc.), Composition 1, Composition 2, and Teaching Resources. Because the

department does have a wealth of information from the old hub, the designer with help from an

instructor in the department went through, reorganized, and updated everything in a clear and

uniform style. Also, being included is materials that department instructors have sent in (what

they use in class) for each section, which the designer with help from an instructor in the

department went through, reorganized, and arranged in a clear and uniform style.

Implementation

The pilot implementation of this project was fairly simple, because it only consisted of

two members: the instructor who aided the designer throughout this project and the Interim

Composition Director. They met with the designer once a week during the project, evaluating the

current progress on the new Canvas hub weekly on Thursdays. They made suggestions on areas

that needed more detail and modification, style issues, and usability problems. This allowed the

designer time to modify the content and design of the project as they move through project time

frame (not waiting until the end to make changes).

Evaluation

During the evaluation stage, the Interim Composition director and the instructor who

aided the designer were the primary participants within the pilot study; the evaluation results

from the weekly meetings were usually positive, and effective suggestions were made to the

designer for content and stylistic changes for the Canvas hub for the new GTAs coming to the

department. Overall, their suggestions were small and effective, only requiring minor changes to

the content, formatting, or usability of the new Canvas hub.