Canisius Uses ANGEL for One More Year
I am happy to announce that Fall 2013 marks the start of the transition to Desire2Learn (D2L), our new campus Learning Management System!
Both ANGEL and D2L will be available during the 2013-2014 academic year: The one year overlap with ANGEL will allow all instructors the option to transition right away, teaching courses in D2L in Fall 2013, or to move courses to D2L in Spring 2014. Beginning with the Summer 2014 sessions, all courses will be migrated to D2L.
The decision process and our rationale for choosing D2L: During the Fall 2012 semester, an ad hoc committee of the Academic Computing Advisory Committee tested several alternatives to ANGEL. They found each offered many advantages over ANGEL. However, D2L received the most favorable comments and was most cost-effective, making it a clear choice. Moving to Desire2Learn will provide us with the same features we are used to plus added important capabilities – mobile access capability, accessibility features, multiple methods for feedback to students, robust grade book and many more.
Be assured that the FacTS Center staff and CTE will be available to help all faculty with this transition. Whether or not you choose to use D2L this fall or next Spring, you will have credentials to login to D2L and begin to familiarize yourself with the platform. We are currently planning multiple workshop and training opportunities throughout the academic year to help all faculty members learn to navigate and to build their courses in the new system. Content from ANGEL courses can be migrated to Desire2Learn.
Two sets of 3-day workshops are scheduled for August. Each set will provide both instruction and hands-on course development in the D2L environment. Attendees will be able to build a course in D2L with assistance from the FacTS Center Staff.
August 13-15, 9:00-12:00 noon
August 20-22, 9:00-12 noon
To register for one of these workshops, login to the portal (http://my.canisius.edu) and click on Email, ANGEL and Services. The link to ITS Workshops is in the middle Campus Services column. All sessions will be held in the Library Instruction Room. Please bring your laptop and course materials with you.
Please contact Estelle Siener at siener@canisius.edu for questions or more information.
Submitted by: Estelle Siner, director of academic computing, ITS
