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Canvas

Score8.1 out of 10

289 Reviews and Ratings

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What is Canvas?

Instructure is an educational software company based in Sandy, Utah. It is the developer of the Canvas learning management system, which is a comprehensive software package that competes with such systems as Blackboard Learning System, SumTotal and Saba.

Categories & Use Cases

Key Features

Learn about the best (and worst!) features Canvas has to offer, as determined by TrustRadius' reviewers.
Based on 289 ratings of Canvas's features
View all features

Top Performing Features

  • Course authoring

    Users can develop and assemble online learning content.

    Category average: 7.8

  • Mobile friendly

    Students or employees can access content from mobile devices. Course authors can develop responsive learning content.

    Category average: 7.1

  • Assignments

    Users can assign courses/curricula to individuals or groups, with due dates.

    Category average: 7.9

Areas for Improvement

  • Social learning

    Includes features for collaboration and knowledge sharing among peers.

    Category average: 7.6

  • Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning

    Utilizes SSO technology to ease the login process for users.

    Category average: 8.4

  • Gamification

    Presents course material in a game-like format to increase engagement and enjoyment.

    Category average: 6.6

Reviews

What users are saying about Canvas.
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Canvas is for Differentiated Instruction

Incentivized
Verified User
Administrator (501-1000 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Canvas is an amazing LMS platform for all education spaces from elementary to higher education. It's seamless and easy to use. It also can be applied to all learner types - from those who are read/write, auditory, kinesthetic, etc.

Pros

  • videos
  • simulations
  • course tracking

Cons

  • Can't think of any

Return on Investment

  • Efficiency
  • Timeliness
  • ROI
  • Student satisfaction
  • Faculty satisfaction

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Blackboard Assessment & Accreditation Solution

Instructure Canvas - 4 Years of Experience

Incentivized
Kevin ReeveView profile
Director - Teaching and Learning Technology at Utah State University (1001-5000 employees employees)

Pros

  • Canvas is a SaaS cloud application. Instructure pushes new features and bug fixes every 3 weeks, which keeps it current, and evolving. These new features are released in such a way that they are not disruptive to instructors or students, and we can choose when we make those new features available to our customers.
  • The mobile app for grading assignments (Speed Grader) has reduced the time it takes for me to grade assignments by 30 - 50%. Allows instructors to grade while waiting for meetings, on the bus, and anytime they have a few minutes.
  • A WYSIWYG editor appears in about every tool. It has a file and tool manager that allows you to provide direct links to any connect you have in your course with a simple click. You can provide these in content pages, discussions, announcements, and other places. Makes referring students to content a breeze.
  • Students can create their own groups for course project purposes, and can play "what if" scenarios with their grades. For example, a student can see how a particular grade on a final exam will affect their final grade in the class.
  • Instructors and students can choose their own notification paths, and how often they receive them. For example if an instructor posts an announcement, students could choose to receive it via email, sms, or other method, and choose if they want them immediately or in a daily or weekly digest.
  • LTI integration is the best of any of the Higher Education LMS software packaged. It is easy for a campus admin, or even a instructor to add LTI tools to their course and choose them from a catalog of LTI tools. Everything from integrating full rich text books, open content, youtube, and social media integrators, and publisher content and tools.

Cons

  • Outcomes - needs to be easier to create, adopt, and assign outcomes.
  • Gradebook. It works, but some efficiencies could be added, and certain functions streamlined. I am told the grade book is getting a overhaul and will be released in 2016.
  • SIS grade push. - Needs some additional functionality to allow instructors to choose which students grades to push to the SIS.

Return on Investment

  • LMS adoption has grown among instructors and departments.
  • More degree programs are offered fully online reaching more students.
  • SaaS/Cloud has reduced the amount of staff that are needed as we do not host the system.
  • Migration to any new LMS takes time and your innovation and creativity take a hit during the migration process. Canvas has provided us more opportunities for innovation and creativity through LTI than any other system we have used in the past.
  • Large enrollment courses are now being offered fully online adding additional options to students.

Usability

Canvas Makes Learning Effective

Incentivized
Nicolas HanhanView profile
Distance Education Instructional Coordinator in Information Technology at Arizona Western College (201-500 employees employees)

Pros

  • Creating different course sections with effective course design.
  • Creating assessments and learning measures tools.

Cons

  • Work on third-party application integration especially browsers compatibility.
  • Make more cost affordable for schools and Universities especially for those interested to switch from higher-cost LMS

Return on Investment

  • Cost-effective LMS will eventually lower cost for students and increase enrollment.
  • A stable LMS with less technical issues will lower cost of technology and increase ROI,

Alternatives Considered

Blackboard Learn and Moodle

Other Software Used

Blackboard Learn, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat DC

Canvas: A students evaluation

Incentivized
William HazevoetsView profile
Student at Thomas More (10,001+ employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I am a student so I use it all the time. Teachers use it to post announcements, [assignments], theory, slides, Zoom Meetings[,] and more. It is very handy to have a quick overview of what you're supposed to do with the agenda. It can also be used to give out points and feedback. It has Feedpulse integration so students can leave the result of their feedback in an input field with the date of the day of the feedback. The Teachers then have the option to give it points.

Pros

  • Being a means of giving feedback and points to assignments[.]
  • Being [the] main hub for students where they can find all their stuff for school (assignments, points, slides, feedback)
  • [Assignments] are dated and the agenda gives a quick daily/weekly/monthly overview for the deadlines across all courses[.]
  • It has Zoom integration and can be used to schedule and store them[.]

Cons

  • It has [its] own video [platforms] like Microsoft Teams and Zoom, but it isn't that great (it doesn't like being used on Firefox for example). It has disconnection issues and the mic and camera sometimes [have] issues[.]
  • When looking at points in the [assignment] overviews it only shows the total amount of points on the [assignment] but it doesn't show the given amount, you have to go to the [assignment] page to see these points[.]
  • When an announcement is posted it takes a bit too many clicks to get there. The amount of announcements doesn't always update right. I could have already read an announcement but Canvas will still show it as being unread until I go to the page again.

Most Important Features

  • Calender
  • Feedpulse integration
  • It's point and assignment system
  • Announcements

Return on Investment

  • Easy communications between teachers/students[.]
  • A good way to see deadlines[.]
  • It has an option to plan meetings (which also shows in the calendar).

Alternatives Considered

Google Classroom

Other Software Used

Google Classroom

Canvas, a great way to help teachers plan there tasks

Jarne Horemans
Student at Thomas More Mechelen (1001-5000 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use it to [communicate] and plan most of the things in terms of tasks and deadlines. The only problems we stumble across are human errors. Canvas itself has almost no problems in my [experience]. Canvas has a lot of [possibility] you can use it for, [besides] that you can implement a lot of external things to make canvas even more [useful].

Pros

  • Hardly no bugs or problems[.]
  • Easy navigation on desktop[.]
  • Clean design[.]

Cons

  • The navigation is very easy and clear[.]
  • Many possibility's to implement third party features[.]
  • Great design[.]

Most Important Features

  • Calendar
  • Upload zone
  • Study coach

Return on Investment

  • Planning became way easier[.]
  • There are hard and soft deadlines which makes it nicer when you need to choose what deadline to finish first[.]
  • Canvas made the online [exams] easier to setup[.]

Other Software Used

LinkedIn Learning (Lynda.com), Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator CC

Usability

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