Dr Ashley Mattheis receives Canvas Excellence Student Award for Digital Proficiency

07 Aug 2026

Dr Ashley A. Mattheis, Lecturer in Digital Media and Culture, has received a Canvas Excellence Student Award for Digital Proficiency in recognition of the innovative design and delivery of her first-year Digital Activism course unit.

The Canvas Excellence Student Awards recognise outstanding practice in the use of Canvas to enhance teaching, learning and the student experience. Launched by the Faculty of Humanities eLearning team, the awards are student-nominated, celebrating course units that demonstrate excellence in digital learning. The awards recognise achievement across four categories: Structure and Design, Digital Proficiency, Student Development, and Best Canvas Course.

Dr Mattheis received the Digital Proficiency award for her first-year course unit, DIGI10062 Digital Activism. The category recognises colleagues who make effective use of Canvas and digital technologies to support learning while creating opportunities for students to develop practical digital skills.

The selection committee praised the course for its innovative assessment design, highlighting how students not only develop a critical understanding of digital spaces but also build practical digital skills by creating a social media campaign. The committee also commended the thoughtful integration of digital tools and interactive learning activities that connect online and in-person learning while encouraging active participation throughout the course.

Commenting on the award, Dr Mattheis said:

"These awards are very useful because, as a new system, it can be difficult to feel confident that a Canvas course is supporting learning in the way you intend. It was lovely to be nominated by a student for this award and very validating to receive feedback from the selection committee recognising exactly what I was trying to achieve through the use of Canvas and digital tools in the Digital Activism course unit.

"I also think it is really helpful that the Teaching and Learning team will be sharing the Canvas set-ups from the winning course units, giving colleagues an opportunity to explore new ideas and approaches for developing Canvas across other course units."

The award recognises Dr Mattheis' commitment to creating engaging digital learning experiences and highlights the Department's continued innovation in teaching and learning. It also reflects the important role that student feedback plays in recognising excellence in education.

Read more: Canvas Excellence Student Awards celebrate innovative teaching across the University (University of Manchester StaffNet).