Los Medanos College has made the leap from learning management system Desire2Learn to Canvas… well, almost. This is the transitional year, so while some students have made the change to the newer platform, there are still students and instructors using D2L. Students will have access to the older system until June 2017, which gives the LMC community plenty of time to adjust.

The Canvas interface is less confusing and more aesthetically pleasing than the old system, and — unlike D2L — has a 24-7 support system. Accessing the site is simpler as well because it’s linked to your Contra Costa Community College District Insite page. There is also an easy-to-access guide on the school’s site where you can find all the information you need to know to work the new system, including how the chat and quiz aspects work. Pretty nifty, right?

On the computer sources webpage on the LMC website, there are still tutorials and contact information for those who want to reminisce about the D2L glory days, but Canvas is the way of the future.

Before we had Desire2Learn, we had Blackboard — and even that was less frustrating to use. D2L is messy and disorganized compared to the newer system, and while it worked well for a lot of people, there were still a lot of glitches to be worked out. The e-mail system was especially tricky, and half the time, instructors were alternating between using their LMC e-emails and their D2L emails out of convenience, confusing both themselves and their pupils.

Despite its flaws, D2L more or less served its purpose. But Canvas is a sleeker, friendlier program, and once you make the switch, you’ll soon forget all about the ol’ D2L.