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Continuing education byCambridge.Create an engaging onlinelearner experienceCase Study Cambridge Universitydrieam.com 31 40 30 46 346info@drieam.com
Challenges Create an online learning platformfor lifelong learners and offer anoutstanding learning experience Retain the DNA of a Cambridgeeducational experience includinghigh-quality contact and lowstudent-to-tutor ratios Launch the first online courseswithin a yearNeed One scalable solution with courseadministration, storefront(Eduframe) and LMS (Canvas) Custom LTI Apps for social learningand collaboration Continuous and consistentlearning experience through onbrand course templatesResults A future-proof end-to-end solutionfor continuing education A seamless learning experience forevery student, from first web visitto the (digital) classroom Cambridge Advance Online is athriving center for lifelong learningStarted using Canvas & Eduframe in2021
The Challenge“Learning is about growth and change, and change can be hard.”Cambridge University as an institution has always been focused on educational quality,and historically has been involved in residential, in-person delivery. They are though awareof the huge advantage of entering the online education realm in order to provide what isnow in demand from professional learners. They wanted to create a new course serieswhich supports continuing education for professionals by providing an engaging onlinelearner experience. It was clear that this new series of courses under the name of‘Cambridge Advance Online’ needed to meet a high bar in terms of the expectations thatprofessional learners have for online learning.At the same time, it was also important that the courses - even though in a very differentformat to that of a traditional degree – still retain some of the DNA of a Cambridgeeducational experience. Specifically, that meant incorporating things such as high-qualitycontact time with Cambridge academics, low student-to-tutor ratios and personalisedfeedback. It also meant ensuring that opportunities for social learning, collaboration andthe exchange of ideas, not just from teachers to learners, but also between learners werepresent throughout the learning journey. Looking back, Michael Cresswell, Director ofDesign and Online Learning at Cambridge Online Education, recalls:“We have done quite a lot of customisation on the front end,but all of those decisions have been guided by Drieam’sexperience of what is feasible and what is likely to break,the next time Canvas updates the platform. We didn’t justwant a platform that is easy for learners to use, we wantedit to be easy for our team to manage too. Particularly givenour experience of working with other learningmanagement systems where sometimes you have to workso hard just to keep things working properly.Michael Cresswell”- Director of Design and Online Learning at Cambridge Online Education
“It is hard to believe that it’s only a year since we firststarted talking to Drieam, but I think it is testament tothe level of speed and agility that they have deliveredas partners. Because we were coming in to this spacelater than many of our competitors in global highereducation, we knew that we needed a partner whowould help us to get up to speed quickly and avoidhaving to learn everything from scratch.Michael Cresswell”- Director of Design and Online Learning at Cambridge Online EducationThe choice of partnerAs well as being able to offer a complete solution covering all defined requirements,and being a certified partner of Instructure (Canvas LMS), Cambridge saw the value ofDrieam as a partner in improving their digital programs in the future. Although this wastheir first major foray into online learning in terms of setting up their own LMS instance,the team at Cambridge Advance Online were actually quite experienced when it cameto agile platform development. Drieam has added value as a partner with their agileplatform implementation process and project management. Working this way hashelped Cambridge to make rapid progress and launch three courses on Cambridge’sbespoke instance of Canvas in under a year.“Another important reason to partner up with Drieam was their track record ofdeveloping Canvas LTIs that weren’t just drop-shipped to a single customer, but of asufficiently high quality that they could be turned in to products in their own right. Inaddition, Drieam not only supported the course development and helped to get thefirst set of courses built, but also showed the team at Cambridge how to work withCanvas generally to achieve the best outcomes. A lot of that learning was the result ofworking together day-to-day, but Drieam has also provided a set of training resources,including the creation of Canvas-based courses for Cambridge’s in-house design anddevelopment teams, and for Cambridge course tutors. Furthermore, they have helpedto build out their student onboarding experience.”
The SolutionUniversities and business schools already have the experts and the content, alarge alumni network, and world’s #1 LMS: CanvasA large part of the reason why Cambridge chose to work with Canvas was itsmodern, intuitive platform that is regularly updated and improved to ensure that itcontinues to keep pace with user expectations. Moreover, because Canvas is an openplatform, Cambridge was able to make use of best-of-breed LTI apps developed bytheir Canvas learning platform partner, Drieam. This way, Cambridge Advance Onlinecould achieve their high ambitions and was able to push the Canvas platform to anend-to-end solution for continuing education.A major part of this project has been developing the website and eCommercefunctionality and connecting these ‘behind the scenes’ aspects with their SalesforceCRM to make it as easy and intuitive as possible for a customer to sign up for acourse and get enrolled into Canvas. Drieam added the core of the eCommercestorefront and student information system- Eduframe - to Canvas, which isseamlessly integrated in the university’s website to market and manage their highlevel courses & programs. Eduframe supports modular and personalized programs(online, blended and face-to-face) and is therefore perfect for cohort-based learning.It also allows for extensive reporting options and supports resource planningincluding teachers, rooms, and materials for an automated administration process.Cambridge developed in-house integrations and e-commerce extensions in additionto Eduframe, using its open API. Having the technology in place is one thing, using itto the best of its advantages is another. To fully exploit Canvas potential, an effectivetechnical, functional, and didactical implementation was a must. Therefore, Drieamprovided in-depth training to the team at Cambridge Advance Online on how towork with Canvas to achieve the best outcomes. By integrating LTI’s like Miro, Peerconnect and Qualtrics, Cambridge Advance Online is able to offer the student a moresocial learning experience and document student feedback and experiencethroughout the course.“I’m sure it goes without saying that one of the most important things tolook for in a Canvas partner is a really in-depth knowledge of the platform,and in that regard Drieam has consistently delivered above and beyond.They know the platform inside-out and that enabled us to really push thelimits with respect not just to the solution design, but also to the UX/UI.Michael Cresswell- Director of Design and Online Learning at Cambridge Online Education”
The Results!Future-proofImplementing and adopting software is quite an undertaking. Working togetherwith Drieam day-to-day has helped Cambridge to use and manage Canvas to thebest of its ability. With the scalable foundation of Eduframe and Canvas,Cambridge implemented an off-the-shelf solution which was still customisable totheir specific needs through the use of LTI applications. By combining the world'sfastest-growing Learning Management Platform with implementation, adoptionand state-of-the-art software solutions, Cambridge Advance Online is taking greatstrides towards their global competitors.An end-to-end solutionQualtrics LTI for Canvas enables Cambridge to use the extensive functionality ofQualtrics integrated within their Canvas environment. Being fully embeddedwithin the LMS, Qualtrics surveys become part of the learning experience atCambridge Advance Online, which therefore increases response rates andimproves overall user experience. Cambridge also chose to integrate tools likePronto and PeerConnect into Canvas to break down communication barriers.By seamlessly integrating the online collaborative whiteboard platform, Miro, intoCanvas, students will be brought together to share an engaging, in-personexperience either in real-time or asynchronous. The App helps to fostercollaboration and draw learners together around a piece of content or an activitywith expert facilitation provided by Cambridge tutors.A seamless learner experienceBy implementing Canvas Course Templates, the Canvas front-end is on-brandand visually appealing which makes teaching easier and provides a betterlearning experience for students. With recognizable elements and recurringnavigation, Cambridge supports a consistent and coherent learning experiencefor all students.
LearningsWhen it comes to the implementation of an end-to-end solution, MichaelCresswell is happy to give other educational institutions insight into his ownlearnings:Have a clear vision on what continuing education meansfor your institution. Where do you see yourself in Xyears?Try to avoid an ‘all in one’ solution as it will limit futuregrowth and is not adaptable to our fast changingenvironment.Bring in a knowledgeable and trustworthy partner thatassists with technical, functional and and didacticalconsultancy and change management.Want to know more?Do you want to create engaging learner experiences too? Do you havequestions about Canvas or are you curious about the possibilities within your(educational) institute? We would be happy to help!Get in touch drieam.com 31 40 30 46 346info@drieam.com
Qualtrics LTI for Canvas enables Cambridge to use the extensive functionality of Qualtrics integrated within their Canvas environment. Being fully embedded within the LMS, Qualtrics surveys become part of the learning experience at Cambridge Advance Online, which therefore increases response rates and improves overall user experience.
