Analogies are a natural and creative way to see new possibilities in challenging circumstances. In our Canvas implementation, we thought that the experience of moving from one LMS to another was analogous to moving from one house to another. We used this analogy to thematically apply it to our adoption strategy. With any major change, it is important to first consider the people affected by the change. One way we personally connected with our faculty and reinforced our “moving” theme, was to create moving box care packages. The idea was to let them know that we empathized with them during this transition. You might be wondering what was included in the Canvas moving box and why? Each package included:
- Pens & Post-It Notes (for new ideas)
- Coffee (to give a boost of energy)
- Tea (to calm down)
- M&Ms (chocolate chill pills)
- Tylenol/Advil (to take away any pain)
- Bubble Wrap (to relieve stress)
- Snacks (for those late nights)
- Tissues (for those happy tears)
- The Getting Started with Canvas in 10 Steps (for the checklist lover)
As a personal touch, we hand-delivered the packages to each academic department. We also sent personalized care packages to our Canvas Ambassadors, which included a handwritten personal note from members of the Canvas implementation team. cdelaney @andy_starr
