Kinesio University Scales Global Education with Canvas LMS

Kinesio Group, a renowned organization comprising Kinesio University, KHC, KTAI, and Cre-Med, has pioneered the elastic therapeutic taping industry. Founded by Dr. Kenzo Kase in the 1970s, the group has a rich legacy of developing and promoting kinesio tape, which is now widely used globally for therapeutic and rehabilitative purposes. Kinesio University is dedicated to training practitioners worldwide, ensuring that instructors and certified Kinesio Taping Practitioners (CKTP) are well-equipped to utilize and teach this innovative method.

As a global organization with instructors and learners spread over 100 countries, Kinesio University faced challenges delivering consistent, up-to-date education and maintaining a strong sense of community. Instructors relied on PowerPoint presentations and physical workbooks, making it challenging to ensure everyone had access to the most up-to-date materials. This manual approach often resulted in discrepancies and inefficiencies, as there was no centralized system to track and update course materials or maintain ongoing relationships with students post-training. Additionally, maintaining engagement and fostering ongoing relationships with students post-training posed significant difficulties without a centralized system in place.

After evaluating several options, Kinesio University chose Canvas as its learning management system (LMS). Canvas stood out for its intuitive interface, visual appeal, language support, and features like quizzes, announcements, and course templates. The sandbox environment allowed instructors to experiment and build courses collaboratively. Comprehensive training resources, including video tutorials, were created to ease the transition for less tech-savvy instructors.

One of the major challenges Kinesio University previously faced was ensuring all instructors were teaching from the latest, approved educational materials and methods. With instructors relying on PowerPoint presentations and workbooks, it was difficult to control version consistency.

By centralizing their curricula on the Canvas LMS, Kinesio can now easily update course materials in one place, providing instant access to the newest versions across all regions. "Once we changed [the education], we wouldn't have to remember to make sure everybody got it. It was something that was automatically done,” explained Danielle Sanchez, Kinesio University Lead/Project Coordinator.

The templates and tools within Canvas also allow their education team to build highly structured, visual, and interactive courses that go beyond static presentations. "Canvas is very visual," noted Mona Angel, Director of Business Operations. "That was one of the things we liked - it was kind of intuitive how you move around."

Features like integrated quizzing enable Kinesio University to incorporate comprehension checks and assessments into the courses directly. This promotes an active, engaging learning experience and ensures students grasp core taping concepts before moving on.

With learners and instructors across over 100 countries, delivering a consistent, multilingual experience was crucial. Canvas' robust language translation capabilities, allowing materials and navigation in different languages, were a major factor in their selection. The centralized nature of Canvas also allows instructors worldwide to easily share resources and learn from each other's techniques. This cross-pollination supports Kinesio University's mission of advancing therapeutic taping methods globally.

Looking ahead, Kinesio University plans to leverage Canvas's capabilities to offer educational pathways, instructor training, and even potential degree programs. The platform's global reach provides a strong foundation to take their training to the next level worldwide. The vision is to create regional "Kinesio Global Campuses" where students experience a fully localized platform in their native tongue.

The implementation of Canvas at Kinesio University has been transformative. It addressed critical content management and distribution challenges, enhanced the quality and consistency of education, and expanded the university's global reach. By centralizing educational resources and fostering ongoing relationships with students, Canvas has positioned Kinesio University to continue its legacy of innovation and global health improvement well into the future.