Brett Maciech
The WyoCourses user interface has been recently upgraded to allow for greater flexibility and easier access for both students and faculty.
Canvas, developer of WyoCourses software, introduced its newest version of the user interface (UI) at the same time when the WyoCourses steering committee was looking into further implementing updates to the current system. The main focus of this particular update was to allow for better ease of access for users across campus.
Christi Boggs, the instructional designer for outreach and a part of steering committee in charge of the WyoCourses changes, said she was happy about the recent change-over implemented by Canvas.
“Everything’s really clean,” Boggs said. “And that’s a thing I think is a strength of the system and that is that they are very mindful of accessibility issues, which is hugely important so that they code and design with accessibility considerations as a forefront.”
Meg Van Baalen-Wood, UW coordinator of instructional design and technology and a fellow member of the steering committee, added that the helpful universal cosmetic design also helps on the technical side.
“It makes everything more clear and more straightforward,” Van Baalen-Wood said, “and it prevents faculty who get real excited about having wild colors, for example, all over their page from doing that and that’s actually really helpful for everybody on the whole.”
The older version of the UI leaned heavily upon school branding, but after feedback from faculty and students, the steering committee determined that it was far more preferable to roll back the greater sense of school spirit in favor of this new accessibility option, Van Baalen-Wood said.
Jennifer Chavez, the director of application and database service for IT, said even though the core component of WyoCourses has not changed, her team and the steering committee are still dedicated to helping everyone at UW better understand how to use WyoCourses.
“We have really focused on outreach efforts to faculty,” Chavez said, “to teach them how to use the tool and how to effectively enhance the learning experience for students within the tool, ensuring how students are consuming is at the highest quality possible.”
Chavez went on to say the new tile effect is more in-line with what people are used to with current technology, being able to delve into the information rather than navigating through lists and drop-down menus.
Jennifer Mayer, UW associate librarian, expressed her support for the help she has received.
“It’s more visual,” Mayer said, “and I’m very visually-oriented so I really like the new look, but I’m a huge fan of WyoCourses. I use it for the class I teach even though it’s a face-to-face class. It’s a little more streamlined and so my experience with it has been very positive so far.”
A student orientation guide and a beginner’s video are available through the course listings section on WyoCourses. Help sessions for understanding how to navigate the newest version of WyoCourses, called TOUCH sessions, are being held regularly throughout the semester and times can be found on the front page post of students’ hub.
