Susan Gjoslmesli, director of the Resource Center at Bellevue College, noticed that some of the most compelling students she met happened to be autistic and wanted to help tailor an educational experience that met their needs. One of the main challenges for autistic students- both in and out of school- can be communication, but with Canvas, autistic students at Bellevue participate in highly interactive coursework, communicating with teachers and each other via video, audio, and text posts. It’s the full college experience, minus the hazing.
Bellevue College needed a platform for their Autism Spectrum Navigators Program, which helps autistic students in their transition to college life. It needed to be easy to set up and easy to use. It also needed to facilitate communication- via discussion boards as well as video and audio posts- among students for whom communication can be a genuine obstacle. And, if you ask Sara Gardner, the program’s manager, it needed to be Canvas.
“Canvas is designed to be everything their competitors aren't - easy to use, flexible, and modern.”- Scott Allen, Utah Education Network
“While the other applications were the next version, Canvas was the next generation.“- Steve Leask, New Mexico State University
