1. Introduction: Adapting to the changing needs of lifelong learners
The Higher education landscape is rapidly evolving, with universities worldwide recognizing the need to adapt to changing market demands and technological advancements. Traditional degree programs are complemented by short courses designed to cater to lifelong learners: professionals seeking to learn new skills & individuals aiming for personal development. These short courses offer lifelong learners the flexibility, immediate applicability, and the opportunity to stay relevant in a fast-paced world.
Recognizing these trends, in 2023 the University of St Andrews embarked on a journey to expand its educational offerings by integrating online short courses into their educational portfolio. They sought a platform to manage non-traditional learner enrollments separately from the traditional ones, while also providing non-traditional learners with a learning management system.
“From a technological point of view, our traditional student record system and learning management system are deeply interconnected. Any changes made to a student’s record system cascade across multiple systems across the university. It’s like trying to unravel 650 years of St Andrews’ unique processes embedded in our systems, which would be a logistical nightmare. Therefore, the decision was made to manage non-traditional learners separately.”
– Andrew Wilson, Enterprise Architect at the University of St. Andrews
The University of St Andrews chose Canvas Learning Management System in combination with Eduframe, the Continuing Education Storefront & Student Information System (SIS) purpose-built for Canvas LMS to manage and deliver its short course offerings. Canvas in combination with Eduframe creates a seamless learning experience for every non-traditional learner from the first web visit to the online classroom. This integration meets the University of St Andrews’ key requirement of having a separate SIS and LMS for non-traditional learners, distinct from the systems used for traditional students.
2. Meet the University of St. Andrews
The University of St Andrews was founded in the Scottish town of St Andrews in 1413 and is the oldest university in Scotland and is one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Known for its rich history and academic excellence, The University of St Andrews has traditionally focused on in-person education. To meet the changing needs of learners and to expand upon their in-person teaching, they launched their online short courses.
Team Members
Sarah Franke
Head of Digital Strategic Initiatives
With a strong background in educational technology and strategic planning, Sarah has been instrumental in guiding the university’s digital transformation efforts. Sarah works closely together with the Vice Principal for Digital Education, Research, and Environment. Sarah has been involved in the launch of Eduframe and Canvas LMS to facilitate St Andrew’s online short courses, which are now instrumental for the success of the university’s expanded educational offerings.
Andrew Wilson
Enterprise Architect
Andrew is responsible for ensuring that the University of St Andrews IT infrastructure supports its strategic goals. His role involves designing and implementing technology solutions that align with the university’s vision of expanding digital education. Andrew’s expertise in integrating new systems with existing solutions has been vital in the seamless deployment of Eduframe and Canvas.
3. Challenge: Launching online short courses while retaining the unique DNA of academic excellence
When launching their online short course programs for non-traditional learners, the University of St Andrews was looking for a platform that would meet 6 key requirements:
Enrollment management
The University of St Andrews sought an SIS that could manage non-traditional learner enrollments separately from their matriculated students.
Seamless integrations
The platform needed to integrate with Canvas LMS and other existing IT applications, including the WPM payment provider.
Excellent learner experience
The University of St Andrews found it crucial to retain some of the DNA of its on-campus offerings in the digital environment. The course storefront had to deliver exceptional user experience as well as match the desired brand look and feel.
Adaptive learning pathways element
The University of St Andrews sought a platform that would personalise and tailor digital learning to individual experiences.
Serving global learning base
The University of St Andrews was keen on offering their online programs to learners around the globe, so the platform should allow learners to register and participate in courses from the comfort of their own homes.
Automate digital badges and certificates
The University of St Andrews needed a platform that would automate the process of issuing badges and certificates, and reduce administrative work.
4. The Solution: Canvas and Eduframe – One scalable solution for enrollment management, storefront, and LMS
In 2023, after thorough market research and considering multiple different solutions, The University of St Andrews opted for Canvas as their LMS and Eduframe as their SIS & eCommerce platform. The choice was driven by Eduframe’s scalability and seamless integration with Canvas LMS, which together proved to be a comprehensive solution tailored to the needs of non-traditional learners.
The Canvas LMS focuses on delivering a high-quality learning experience, while Eduframe manages the administrative and eCommerce aspects. Eduframe is purpose-built for Canvas LMS, which allows The University of St Andrews to benefit and leverage the strengths of both platforms.
Canvas and Eduframe integration syncs courses, student & teacher enrollment, and calendar meetings. Upon completion of a course, grades are synced from Canvas to Eduframe, automatically marking the course as a pass based on Canvas module progress. This seamless integration provides a solution that addresses both the educational and operational needs of the university.
“What The University of St Andrews really liked was that Eduframe & Canvas has been a complete package. Eduframe seamlessly integrates with Canvas LMS. We can manage all the non-traditional learner records in Eduframe while using Canvas as our learning management system.”
– Andrew Wilson, Enterprise Architect at the University of St. Andrews
End-to-end solution
Eduframe, purpose-built for continuing education, offers several key features that meet St. Andrews’ requirements. The Canvas LMS was selected for its robust capabilities in delivering a high-quality learning experience and its seamless integration with Eduframe. Together, Eduframe and Canvas provide an end-to-end solution for the St Andrews online short courses offering:
eCommerce functionality & customizable storefront
Eduframe provides the flexibility to the University of St Andrews’ digital course storefront to match the university’s desired look and feel, ensuring the university’s brand consistency and an exceptional learner experience. This makes it easy and intuitive for potential learners to sign up for a course. Consequently, the digital presence mirrors the high standards of their on-campus offerings.
Automation of certificates & digital badges
Eduframe provides The University of St Andrews with the ability to automate processes such as issuing digital badges and certificates, helping reduce administrative workload, and enabling the staff to focus more on enhancing the learning experience.
Seamless learner journey
Canvas provides a user-friendly interface that ensures a smooth and coherent digital experience for learners. This integration was critical for delivering a consistent and high-quality online learning environment, from the moment learners register for courses in Eduframe to the moment they enrol into their Canvas digital learning environment.
Scalability
Both Eduframe and Canvas are designed to support the expansion of course offerings, making it possible for the University of St Andrews to grow their portfolio of online short courses. Canvas accommodates increasing user demand while maintaining optimal performance and delivering an exceptional learner journey. While Eduframe accommodates increasing enrolment without the corresponding overhead and administrative tasks, allowing the University of St Andrews to scale in a sustainable way.
Eduframe and Canvas have been able to support the University of St Andrews’s expansion into online short course offerings as well as accommodate future growth plans. By choosing Eduframe, the University of St Andrews has been able to achieve their high ambitions for their lifelong learning offerings while maintaining the university’s prestigious standards and using the Canvas platform for delivering their online short courses.
5. Results
Phase 1: Implementation & Weekly Check-ins
During the implementation phase, Sarah and Andrew emphasised the importance of continuous support and collaboration in their partnership with Eduframe and Canvas. Regular support meetings, including weekly check-ins, were established to ensure continuous support, prompt resolution of any issues, and the sharing of best practices. This ongoing collaboration was vital for maintaining smooth operations and addressing any challenges that arose.
“What has been really pleasant is that Drieam never waited for any issues to arise before reaching out and would provide check-in moments to see if they can help us with anything. We had weekly check-in meetings which have been set up in a professional and helpful way.”
– Sarah Franke, Head of Digital Strategic Initiatives at University of St. Andrews
Phase 2: Launch and Community Upskilling
In September 2023, the University of St Andrews launched the first 3 online short courses. They had their first set of enrollments and the courses functioned as a mini-pilot. With the learnings from the first short course launch, St Andrew has grown to having 12 online short courses and is expecting to launch around 40 online short courses in the 2025 academic year, fitting with the ambitions of the university and allowing them to maintain their unique DNA.
Andrew shares that one of the biggest successes since the launch of online short courses has been the ability to help the local community to upskill people. The University of St Andrews has been collaborating with local government and businesses to launch an initiative with the goal of upskilling people in their digital skills through online short courses. In 2024, the University of St Andrews piloted a couple of online short courses where non-traditional learners were able to enrol in the online short courses free of charge.
6. Future direction
“In a digital environment, we can utilise different ways of presenting content to meet the needs of learners who have different needs in terms of neurodiversity. We are able to use Canvas to pilot our short courses before we potentially roll it out university-wide.”
– Sarah Franke, Head of Digital Strategic Initiatives at University of St. Andrews
