With our strong track record of designing and developing websites for higher education, it probably comes as no surprise that Materiell strives to keep up with the latest in education-focused technology. The Canvas learning management system (LMS) is one of the tools we integrate into WordPress multi-sites for clients with an eye toward educational content and site administration. In fact, Materiell has partnered with Canvas precisely to aid educational institutions in developing their sites, as well as organizing a vast amount of academic content in a way that is easy to access and edit, as necessary.
Launched by parent company Instructure in 2011, Canvas is used by over 1,600 universities, school districts, and institutions world-wide, including Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University. It is a dependable LMS that saves time, provides easy mobile access, and ultimately makes the jobs of teachers, school administrators, and associated IT professionals simpler by virtue of its straightforward customizability. Every year, new Canvas features are revealed at InstructureCon, a conference dedicated to making Canvas an even better product and keeping on top of changes in complimenting technologies.
Last year, three members of Materiell’s core design and development team attended InstructureCon in Park City, Utah to learn about and demo Canvas’ latest features, as well as to meet with other vendors associated with this education-focused LMS. As a partnered vendor, we often have the opportunity to work closely with the Canvas team and educational institutions in need of a site that incorporates Canvas as its LMS. This can involve developing and designing a WordPress site that is compatible with Canvas. In other instances, it includes migrating currently existing content from a school’s old site and ensuring its compatibility with the new one.
While it is certainly possible to learn about Canvas remotely, Materiell views events like InstructureCon as hands-on opportunities to interact with the people behind the product, as well as to educate our own team members on-site. To us, website design and development does not exist in a vacuum; it involves not just sitting in front of a computer to build websites but getting to know the clients themselves and the larger goals of their organizations as a whole. This approach allows Materiell a more well-rounded means by which to design and develop a high quality site that most closely matches the needs of our clients. Knowing more about these needs and our clients’ aspirational goals with respect to their envisioned website design and structuring ensures we are ultimately better able to meet and exceed them.
Based in Arlington, VA, Materiell is a web and creative agency not only committed to providing our clients with customized, unparalleled services but also to educating ourselves on ever-evolving WordPress technologies so they can be implemented in the most effective ways into our clients’ websites. This includes incorporating the Canvas LMS for clients with a focus on education. Materiell has won multiple awards for our WordPress multi-site web design and development for universities, businesses, local government agencies, and non-profits in the Washington, D.C. area and throughout the United States since our founding in 2009. Contact us today for more information about how we can help your college or university.
