Mary Maturo
reporter
Three student organizations, two games and one presentation on the new online learning platform Canvas were the highlights of the Finals Fun Game Night April 28.
The game night was part of a district-wide week of virtual events to help students take a breather from finals preparations, but this event also served to help students prepare for the Canvas transition.
“That is one good thing about being online: all the different campuses are able to be more connected than ever,” TR student Kaitlyn Moore said.
The short and informational session on Canvas allowed students to ask questions, view screenshots and see what the new system has to offer.
TR student Saja Namah attended the event specifically to learn more about Canvas.
“Ever since I heard about the transition I was curious and wanted to be prepared for the change,” Namah said.
Moore is the Student Government Association Historian and Sigma Kappa Delta Officer, and she said she hoped the event would help her to better understand what the Canvas transition would look like.
After completing the presentation, TR director of Student Development Carter Bedford opened the floor for questions from all in attendance. Students and staff alike flooded the chat with their concerns, and most answers promised an easy transition ahead.
“I do feel a little more prepared for it hearing that all of the resources in Blackboard will still be there,” Saja Namah said.
Although she and Moore both agreed that a video tutorial would be helpful as the transition approaches, which are available to students on the TCC website to view as they wish.
Most features from Blackboard will carry over to Canvas, such as Student Organization pages links to TCC resources and Tutor 24/7, according to the presentation narrated by Bedford.
He described the new layout as clean and easier to navigate with a homepage providing quick access to classes, organizations and tools such as the due-date calendar.
Bedford also mentioned that Canvas, unlike Blackboard, has a fully operational mobile app.
Despite the information-heavy start to the night, the organizers said the event’s goal was to provide a break from studying, so TR Campus student organizations Sigma Kappa Delta, Phi Theta Kappa, and TR Student Government Association lead the virtual games “Among Us” and “Jackbox.”
Attendees were sorted into breakout rooms. Both games reached capacity fairly quickly, but many attendees were content to cheer on their friends from the sidelines.
Student Emily Niestroy, SGA Parliamentarian and Phi Theta Kappa officer, said she felt it was a good way to end her last semester at TCC.
“Definitely surprised by how many people showed up,” Niestroy said. “I’m really glad we were all able to stay connected by playing games.”
For students like Namah though, the most important thing the event did was provide a break.
“These sessions make it easier for students to forget about their stress from their assignments and just enjoy some good times,” Namah said.
