After over a year of consideration, Pepperdine is switching from Sakai’s Courses to Canvas Learning Management System starting in fall 2025.
On Jan. 27, Provost Jay Brewster announced via email that the University would be switching to Canvas as the university’s new learning management system (LMS).
“This decision comes after careful consideration, a comprehensive LMS study and a successful pilot program,” Brewster said in an email to the university.
Pepperdine had students and faculty use the new system as a trial run for some fall 2024 classes before deciding to adopt Canvas for the whole university.
Testing out the System
Jonathan See, Pepperdine’s Chief Information Officer, said Pepperdine conducts an LMS survey every five years to understand how people feel about the current system and its functions.
After realizing much of the community felt Courses was no longer best suited to serve their needs, the university’s Technology and Learning Faculty Steering Committee began considering other LMS vendors to replace Courses in 2023.they began considering in 2023 or wanted to replace courses in 2023? -ah” class=” collapsed”>
“We wanted an LMS platform that is also highly robust and innovative in terms of really enhancing teaching and learning,” See said. “And that is where we landed off in Canvas.”
Canvas is the leading LMS platform with its market share increasing as more universities and colleges nationwide have begun to adopt the system, See said.
Pepperdine launched a pilot program for the system in the fall of 2024. Around 20 faculty members and around 300 students from the university’s five schools participated in the program.
Religion Professor Christopher Heard was one of the faculty members to participate in the pilot program.
“I was one of many people that received a notice that this pilot was coming, and there was a way to apply, you know, to be part of it,” Heard said. “So I just filled out the form and was delighted to be accepted.”
Transitioning from Courses to Canvas
As students and staff tested out the system, many of them appreciated the simplicity and ease of Canvas.
“I think Canvas is just easier on the eyes,” said junior IMC major Ryan Song. “In my opinion, the way the navigation process is very similar to Google Classroom, so when you open up the homepage, you see your classes in that square bubble, and then it’s just easy to navigate.”
The simplicity also makes it easier for professors to use.
“It saves me time,” Heard said. “It saves me headaches and I appreciate it.”
Canvas also meets a special request Pepperdine students have had for years.
“The biggest difference is that Canvas comes with a mobile app,” See said. “Many of our students have been asking for mobile access to our LMS.”
While Canvas offers some new features, it could take some time for users to adjust to the switch, See said. However, Pepperdine is working to help ease this transition.
“There’s going to be a lot of lifting, shifting and migration in the next few weeks and months leading into [the change,]” See said. “Of course, there will be town hall sessions [and] training opportunities for faculty.”
Although using Canvas will be an adjustment, Song believes its user-friendly structure will make this a smooth transition.
“I think it’s easily adaptable too, so for the students here at Pepperdine I don’t think it will be like a hassle for anyone,” Song said.
Opinions on the Switch
In a Jan. 27 email to the University, Brewster wrote that after running the pilot program, 79% of participants supported the switch to Canvas.
“There are functions in courses that I’m going to miss,” Heard said. “But overall, I think Canvas is an improvement, and we will find it to be easier to use.”
Some professors, including Heard, requested to use Canvas in all of their classes this semester because they enjoyed the system during the pilot phase.
“I think it’s a wise decision,” Song said.
This switch to Canvas may just be the beginning of a new era for Pepperdine’s online learning tools.
“I think it increases our institution’s opportunity to introduce more learning tools that can be easily integrated within Canvas,” See said. “We are just beginning to realize these opportunities by making a decision towards moving to Canvas.”
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Email Rochelle Williams: rochelle.williams@pepperdine.edu
