Situation
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) is home to a diverse pool of 33,000 students. The institution caters to this varied population through its “Mixed Classroom” model, which encourages students to learn from different perspectives and experiences. To support this model, digital learning environments must be intuitive, inclusive and consistent, enabling every student to focus on learning rather than navigation.
Canvas LMS has always played a central role in the student experience at VU Amsterdam. However, the way courses were structured and presented in Canvas LMS varied widely between educators, leading to a risk of growing confusion and disengagement across VU’s eclectic student base.
Insights
Charlotte Meijer, Educational Advisor, Project Leader and former student at VU Amsterdam, spotted the issue early on, and initiated the “Canvas Student Friendly” initiative. The goal was to help educators design Canvas courses that are intuitive and accessible, so students can focus on learning rather than searching. However, scaling this initiative with a teaching team of over 3,000 staff proved difficult. That’s where Impact, a core product in the Instructure ecosystem, came into the picture.
Solution
Charlotte identified Impact as the best solution for encouraging behavioural change among educators, without increasing the burden on the learning administrators. Together with the Instructure implementation team, VU Amsterdam designed a visual in-app walkthrough that appeared directly on the homepage of teachers’ Canvas courses.
Each step in the walkthrough shared clear tips to help educators design Canvas courses that are intuitive, accessible, and aligned with VU Amsterdam best practice; a help option was also included for educators who wanted direct support from an expert.
Timing was central to the campaign’s success: notifications and support were delivered at key points in the academic calendar, such as just before a new teaching term or at the start of the academic year, when users were most likely to need them and act.
With Impact, we finally had a way to reach thousands of teachers directly inside Canvas LMS at those critical moments in their course development. That changed what was possible for both educators, and the learning outcomes that they were able to achieve.
Charlotte Meijer
Educational Advisor, Project Leader and former student at VU Amsterdam
Outcome
VU Amsterdam’s work with Impact demonstrated the power of targeted and timely support when striving to drive behavioural change and better course creation.
The “Canvas Student Friendly” campaign reached nearly 2,200 teachers, a level of reach that had never been possible through workshops or email communications alone.
The walkthrough content proved to be highly effective, with 134 teachers completing every step, compared with traditional workshops that typically reach about 15 teachers per session.
Feedback showed that teachers appreciated the practical guidance and the university’s visible commitment to improving the student experience.
By using Impact to deliver guidance to teachers, VU Amsterdam improved the structure and clarity of hundreds of Canvas courses, helping students find key learning resources and assessments more easily.
VU Amsterdam’s “Student Friendly” Campaign was recognised as a “Transformative Program” in Instructure’s 2025 Academic Excellence Awards. Finalists were selected based on the overall influence on educational outcomes.
Seeing so many teachers not only start the walkthrough but complete it was a real moment of pride. It showed us that well-timed, in-context support can genuinely change behaviour.
Charlotte Meijer
Educational Advisor, Project Leader and former student at VU Amsterdam
Today, Impact is an important part of VU Amsterdam’s strategy to continuously improve the digital learning experience. By embedding support directly into Canvas, the university is better equipped to turn its commitment to diversity, clarity, and student-centred learning into everyday practice, at scale.