STRATEGIC PLAN
Upgrading the Student Experience BY WILLONA SLOAN
“TO TWEAK A COMMON ADAGE, IF STUDENTS AREN’T HAPPY, no one is happy,” says Elizabeth Ewert, senior associate dean for administrative affairs. “That’s why streamlining the student experience is so important. Our goal is to create happy students and make their law school journey as smooth as possible.”
Creating a student-centric experience is one of the six pillars of GW Law’s newly adopted five-year strategic plan. To that end, the law school recently implemented a major technology upgrade by introducing a new learning management system that will save students time, help them stay organized, and reduce stress. GW Law students are also benefitting from enhanced physical spaces where they can gather, study, and connect outside of the classroom. 32
GW LAW | SPRING 2023
Tech Upgrades Improve Learning Experience THE LAW SCHOOL BEGAN a phased implementation of Canvas by Instructure, a web-based new learning management system that will help students manage their course content in one place. “Canvas is the system of choice for an educational institution. It is the premier platform,” says Scott Pagel, associate dean for information services. Most top 25 law schools use this learning management system. With Canvas, faculty can upload texts, videos, and other resources for each class session, and share learning goals and assignments, allowing students to easily access the content for each class and look ahead at the requirements for the semester. Students can communicate with each other and with their professors, and use the discussion boards for group work, questions, and collaboration. With the mobile app, which has already proven popular, they can access Canvas on the go. “One of the most exciting things about Canvas is that it offers a really streamlined experience for students,” says Iselin M. Gambert, interim director of the Fundamentals of Lawyering Program. Canvas makes the need for students to log into two different content management systems to access