Visual Literacy in the Lived Experiences of BSED Students in Utilizing Canva

In the 21st century education, the advent of highly developed technology resulted in integrating technological innovations such as software and applications that promote efficiency and productivity. An exemplification of this is the utilization of the graphic design platform Canva as a medium of instruction in the academe. This qualitative study aims to formulate a theory on understanding students' lived experiences of using Canva and its ability to improve visual literacy. The research uses a triadic coding procedure: open, axial, and selective coding and theory generation based on a grounded theory to uncover the significant impact of Canva on the student's visual literacy. After a thorough analysis of the lived experiences of the students on using the graphic design platform, four essential themes emerged under the core category, namely: (1) Assessing college students' familiarity with Canva; (2) Investigating the effectiveness of Canva as a visual communication tool; (3) The influence of visual design on learning outcomes; (4) Visual communication and its significance in the digital age. With further refinement of the essential themes, the study concludes with the emergence of Ritoca's Theory which explains the general influence of Canva. Ritoca's Theory can be divided into three parts: Familiarity, Efficiency, and Creativity, which follow a sequential pattern from being familiar with the graphic design platform to unveiling its efficiency and, lastly, discovering the ability to be creative.   Received: 6 March 2024 / Accepted: 30 June 2024 / Published: 5 July 2024