Module 1.5 - What is a Learning Management System?

Canvas LMS Banner  

Tarleton's official LMS is Canvas, a software application in which students and teachers can engage virtually with online content and each other.  At Tarleton, we leverage Canvas for face-to-face, hybrid, and fully online courses, so it's a good idea to become familiar with the features and functions it offers you as a graduate student.

Teaching/Learning Functions

Canvas offers tools like:

  • announcements
  • assignments
  • assessments (test, quizzes, self-assessments)
  • content area folders (for organizing syllabi, lessons, resources, and files)
  • learning modules (for sequential delivery of content)
  • grade book
  • rubrics
  • course mail
  • course calendar
  • group management functions

To truly understand Canvas as an LMS, think about each of these tools from both a student's and an instructor's perspective in terms of how they're used. For example, for an instructor, creating an assignment means typing instructions, setting availability, due dates and settings, testing from a student view, and then grading and providing feedback for each assignment that is submitted. The student views instructions, completes the assignment, and likely uploads the finished product to submit the assignment. Then she/he awaits feedback from the instructor, who might complete the feedback in a rubric that's tied to the gradebook.

There's a great app for Canvas, too! Visit your app store and download it to have Canvas in the palm of your hand.