Canva, the world’s leading visual communication platform, continues to experience significant growth in its global K-12 and higher education user base, adding 40 million users in the past year alone. With 70 million teachers and students now onboard, comprising nearly half of Canva’s total users, this growth is driven by AI integration and visual communication adoption across prominent institutions like the University of California, New York City Public Schools, and the New South Wales Department of Education. Canva introduces its highly requested Teacher Certification course designed to upskill teachers for the visual economy.
“AI is fueling both our growth within education and the urgency to build skills for tomorrow’s workforce,” said Jason Wilmot, Head of Education at Canva. “Schools and teachers are on the front lines of creating a safe learning environment for students as well as preparing them with skills needed to compete in a global economy with AI as a colleague. As partners in this work, we’re answering the demand for teachers to continue upskilling their use of Canva through the new certification. Prepared teachers are better positioned to help students thrive.”
In response to global demand from educators, Canva has launched its free Teacher Certification course to enhance the skills of its 30 million teachers for the visual economy amid the growing importance of digital literacy in classrooms worldwide. This 60-minute course equips teachers with the skills to harness the full potential of Canva’s education tools, transforming their lesson planning, design, and delivery through visual communication. Teachers can engage with video tutorials and hands-on activities at their own pace, exploring practical uses of Canva to create dynamic lesson plans and student projects that elevate classroom engagement. Upon completion, educators receive an official certification, equipping them to foster creativity, communication, and digital literacy among students.
With a presence in over 640,000 schools worldwide, Canva is leading the charge in education – its education community created over 1 billion designs in the last year alone. In October last year, Canva introduced a suite of education products, making it the first company to introduce AI-powered educational tools at scale, adding 20 million users since. These tools, prioritizing privacy and safety, have surged in demand, with a 50% increase in usage by teachers and a 107% increase by students over the past year.
At Poway Unified School District in San Diego, educators are leveraging Canva’s AI tools to streamline lesson planning, manage daily tasks, and significantly enrich the learning experience for students. “Those things all take time to do, but they’re the right thing to do,” Poway middle school teacher Danielle Reyes recently told ABC News San Diego. “So for AI to do those things for me, as long as I read through it and approve it and push it out to students, it’s making me a better teacher.”
A recent Canva survey of 1,000 K-12 teachers in the US investigated the causes of teacher burnout, its impact on their work, and the potential relief AI technology offers. The findings reveal that 92% of teachers find AI beneficial for addressing workplace challenges, with many open to exploring AI further.
Canva recently acquired the professional design software platform, Affinity, which is now available for free to educators and nonprofit organizations. Trusted by over 3 million creative professionals worldwide, Affinity’s award-winning professional design suite supports tasks from photo editing to intricate graphic and vector design.
Traditional professional design tools are often expensive, creating barriers for aspiring designers and design educators. Canva’s commitment to providing Affinity to teachers and students at no cost is a significant step towards democratizing design education, making it more accessible and inclusive than ever before.
Source: Businesswire
