Instructure Takes on Education Reform with Free Online Courses

SALT LAKE CITY, March 9, 2015 — Instructure, the software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that created the Canvas learning management system (LMS) and Canvas Network, today announced the release of new education reform courses in partnership with the Foundation for Excellence in Education. The massive open online course (MOOC) series, titled “EdPolicy Leaders Online,” is aimed at policymakers and will be offered for free on Canvas Network.

The series will launch with three timely courses offering policymakers the opportunity to learn about the relevant education reform issues in the news today. Course topics include data privacy, national security and communications. The “EdPolicy Leaders Online” series also features nearly 40 experts and leaders across the education landscape from superintendents, teachers, parents and community leaders, to senators, policymakers, technology experts and CEOs.

“Since the company was founded, Instructure has been passionate about improving education,” said Melissa Loble, senior director of Canvas Network at Instructure. “We want to fuel the conversation around education reform from both ends of the political spectrum, and these free courses from the Foundation for Excellence in Education are designed specifically for that very purpose.”

“EdPolicy Leaders Online” is focused on providing in-depth knowledge, tools and key resources needed to advance and effectively implement trending reforms. The course structure will offer participants convenient, self-paced modules, as well as official certificates of course completion that can be displayed on a resume and social networks, such as LinkedIn.

“Online learning is expanding access to education opportunities for students.  We’re now leveraging that model to expand new professional learning opportunities for policymakers and their staff around the country,” said John Bailey, VP of Policy at the Foundation for Excellence in Education. “We’re thrilled Instructure has joined us in our quest to improve the education system in America, and we think Canvas is the perfect place for us to launch this new initiative.”

Canvas Network offers open, online courses taught by educators everywhere. Powered by the Canvas LMS, Canvas Network provides a place and platform where teachers, students and institutions worldwide can connect and chart their own course for personal growth, professional development and academic inquiry.

Since its launch in 2013, Canvas Network has offered more than 400 open, online courses designed and delivered by over 150 educational institutions and organizations throughout the world. Canvas Network is developed and supported by Instructure, the technology company that makes smart software that makes people smarter.

The education reform courses are open for enrollment now and the courses are set to begin March 23. Each course includes five to six individual, self-paced modules that require no more than an hour of time each. There are no restrictions on who can register or on the number of course participants. For more information or to enroll, visit excelined.org.

About Instructure
Instructure, Inc. is the software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology company that makes smart software that makes people smarter. Its cloud-based Canvas learning management system (LMS) now connects more than 18 million teachers and learners at over 1,200 higher ed and K-12 institutions throughout the world. Because learning doesn’t end after graduation, Instructure also offers Bridge, the modern learning and engagement platform that enables organizations of every kind to engage with employees by measuring and improving employee sentiment, alignment and knowledge in real time. Learn more at www.Instructure.com.

About ExcelinEd:
The Foundation for Excellence in Education is igniting a movement of reform, state by state, to transform education for the 21st century economy by working with lawmakers, policymakers, educators and parents to advance education reform across America. Learn more at ExcelinEd.org.

About SXSWedu
The SXSWedu Conference & Festival fosters innovation in learning by hosting a diverse and energetic community of stakeholders across a variety of backgrounds in education. The four-day event affords registrants open access to engaging sessions, interactive workshops, hands on learning experiences, film screenings, early stage startups and a host of networking opportunities. By providing a platform for collaboration, SXSWedu works to promote creativity and social change.

SXSWedu is a component of the South by Southwest family of conference and festivals that includes SXSW Music, Film and Interactive; SXSW Eco and SXSW V2V. Internationally recognized as the convergence gathering for the creative arts, SXSWedu extends SXSW’s support for the art of engagement beyond musicians, filmmakers and new media innovators to include society’s true rock stars: educators.

Join the passionate and innovative community at SXSWedu, March 9-12, 2015 in Austin, Texas. For more information, please visit: http://sxswedu.com.