Canvas vs. PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Canvas
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
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.N/A
PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
The PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform is a talent management platform designed for Higher Education and Government organizations, now from PowerSchool (acquired August, 2018). Modules include analytics, applicant tracking, position management, onboarding, records management, and performance management.N/A
Pricing
CanvasPeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
CanvasPeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsMust contact vendor for pricing information.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
CanvasPeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
Features
CanvasPeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
Learning Management
Comparison of Learning Management features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
9.8
41 Ratings
18% above category average
PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
-
Ratings
Course authoring9.941 Ratings00 Ratings
Course catalog or library9.838 Ratings00 Ratings
Player/Portal9.832 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning content9.834 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile friendly9.940 Ratings00 Ratings
Progress tracking & certifications9.837 Ratings00 Ratings
Assignments9.941 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance management9.832 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning administration9.836 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning reporting & analytics9.838 Ratings00 Ratings
Social learning9.833 Ratings00 Ratings
Gamification9.52 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning9.82 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
-
Ratings
PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
7.7
8 Ratings
6% above category average
New hire portal00 Ratings9.07 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings7.07 Ratings
Compliance tracking and reporting00 Ratings7.07 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
-
Ratings
PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
5.8
3 Ratings
23% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Subordinate goal setting00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings6.03 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings2.03 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
-
Ratings
PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
2.7
3 Ratings
87% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings4.02 Ratings
Plan weighting00 Ratings2.02 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings2.02 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
Rater nomination workflow00 Ratings2.02 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings4.02 Ratings
Workflow restrictions00 Ratings1.02 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings4.02 Ratings
Reporting00 Ratings1.03 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
-
Ratings
PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
7.3
4 Ratings
7% above category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings6.33 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings7.04 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Canvas
-
Ratings
PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
7.3
3 Ratings
3% above category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings7.22 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.12 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings8.12 Ratings
Customized Application Form00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Resume Management00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings2.72 Ratings
Candidate Search00 Ratings7.92 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Collaboration00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Task Creation and Delegation00 Ratings7.12 Ratings
Email Templates00 Ratings7.82 Ratings
User Permissions00 Ratings8.42 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Reporting00 Ratings8.62 Ratings
Best Alternatives
CanvasPeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
Small Businesses
iSpring LMS
iSpring LMS
Score 9.5 out of 10
Paycor
Paycor
Score 7.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Schoology Learning
Schoology Learning
Score 8.0 out of 10
Engagedly
Engagedly
Score 8.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Schoology Learning
Schoology Learning
Score 8.0 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 10.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
CanvasPeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
Likelihood to Recommend
9.4
(83 ratings)
8.0
(20 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.3
(5 ratings)
7.0
(12 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(9 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(11 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
CanvasPeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
Likelihood to Recommend
Instructure
It is really well suited for school situations like knowing what [assignments] need to be done when, getting feedback, getting points, finding the slides that the teacher used for explaining an [assignment] or theory. I think It would be less suited in business situations because it's [primarily] made to be a [one-way] communication tool for schools. Businesses need more control on individual levels I think[.]
Read full review
PowerSchool Group LLC
Organizations who have very few applications and/or very few positions posted are probably less likely to benefit as high from PeopleAdmin. Large organizations who have several positions and/or several applications/applicants can definitely benefit from this product. This product is not as well suited for performance management as I had hoped because there is not a lot of freedom to creating and designing different evaluations for different position types in the system when you have an organization that has thousands of different employees and types.
Read full review
Pros
Instructure
  • Creativity options for teachers to create a virtual space that still has fun graphics and accessibility options.
  • Canvas has versatility in viewing options for assignment due dates such as the calendar built in feature as well as the dashboard options to display upcoming and due assignments.
  • Allowing teachers to create community with each other and collaborate in each-other's space.
  • Discussion platforms within classrooms for students to communicate with each-other and with their teachers.
  • Easy messaging portal within each virtual classroom.
Read full review
PowerSchool Group LLC
  • Applicant tracking was a good use of this tool for our department. I think it could use a few more customization features but overall it was a good tool to weed out applicants who were not qualified for the position.
  • The system has some canned reporting tools that also worked well for our department and management needs.
  • It was a great place to house our position descriptions and provided a readily accessible source for hiring managers to make requested updates and changes and for employees to see and have access to their position descriptions.
Read full review
Cons
Instructure
  • Their integration with Big Blue Button was a bust for distance learning. Would be great to see them collaborate with Zoom or Google Meets.
  • Their "feature request" process is slow and cumbersome at times because it relies on user "up votes" to get ideas addressed by the developers.
  • They seem to have a lot of turn-over with their staff. We get a new Customer Success Manager far more frequently than with other vendors.
Read full review
PowerSchool Group LLC
  • PeopleAdmin's internal report writer needs work. Currently, in version 7, reporting can only be done requisition number by requisition number. The report writer needs to be modified so it can create reports enterprise-wide.
  • PeopleAdmin's Data Mart product needs substantial modification. In version 5.8, on a monthly basis, PeopleAdmin provided us with an Microsoft Access database containing our historical data up to that period end. In version 7, the "Data Mart" contains our historical data. The Data Mart consists of over 300 files. These files are not database table downloads nor is it parts of a database data dump. Rather, the files appear to be scrapes from html pages. They contain html codes and other character data that needs to be cleaned before they can be uploaded. The files are not in a table-by-table format. Any one file can contain data from two or more tables. The format of the Data Mart makes it difficult to load the data into a database and format it in a table structure that is comparable to the Access database provided with version 5.8.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Instructure
The other LMS tools have fallen behind. One reason is they are not able to update their systems, features, toolsets in a timely manner. While other LMS providers release bug fixes and new features several times a year, schools struggle to install and implement them in a timely manner. It is not uncommon for a school to take 6 months to a year to fully install and implement new releases on other LMS platforms. With Canvas, those features are released every 3 weeks, and there is nothing for a school to do other than choose to turn them on once released. This has allowed Instructure to innovate faster, and get new features and tools to customers quicker. Other factors include great pricing, customer support, and the innovative way in which LTI is implemented in the tool.
Read full review
PowerSchool Group LLC
We are evaluating our options as it relates to PeopleAdmin. We are likely to renew as we can not find another product that gives us the functionality we have with PeopleAdmin 5.8 in the area of Position Description. Outside of that, we would likely be close to finding another product solution.
Read full review
Usability
Instructure
The functions in Canvas are well integrated and consistent across the application, and mostly intuitive. Overall navigation and setup is streamlined through integrated features and navigation. The feedback we've gotten from our program participants is that it is easy to learn to use. It also integrates well with third party software like Google Docs and Blackboard Collaborate web conferencing software
Read full review
PowerSchool Group LLC
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Instructure
I do not personally use Canvas support since we have a central office that helps us. However, our central office always has the answers we need and are always able to solve our issues - so I would assume that get great support from the Canvas team on their end. They also offer great training, which uses materials directly from Canvas
Read full review
PowerSchool Group LLC
No answers on this topic
In-Person Training
Instructure
The training sessions were broken down into several days as well as different levels depending upon the knowledge of the user
Read full review
PowerSchool Group LLC
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Instructure
The online tutorials and videos are very clear and addressed the issues/questions that I had about using the system.
Read full review
PowerSchool Group LLC
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Instructure
Once you purchase and sign the contract there is nothing to install or hardware to buy. You can almost immediately start using it and have courses up and going within weeks. We signed in December and had pilot courses online ready to go for the start of school in January
Read full review
PowerSchool Group LLC
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Instructure
Canvas is more secure, has a cleaner design, and has more features. For the features, they have in common canvas still stacks up against [Smart school] by going for the extra mile. Besidfor e that, [the] canvas looks a lot more [professional] than [Smart school]. I didn't make the decision myself to get canvas instead of [Smart school] but I'm happy they did.
Read full review
PowerSchool Group LLC
I've used both Target Recruit and HR Smart. When working with Target Recruit it quickly became apparent it was not the right solution for us. Another solution we examined prior to selection PeopleAdmin was iCIMS. iCIMS is a very social system but was not as familiar with the Higher Education recruitment processes as was PeopleAdmin.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Instructure
  • Canvas has helped us provide a more robust online component to our courses.
  • Canvas has helped us better adapt to a rapidly changing educational landscape.
  • Canvas has reduced the time that we have to spend training faculty on how to use our learning management system.
Read full review
PowerSchool Group LLC
  • We are now able to track our recruitment sources to determine our ROI on university paid subscriptions.
  • We have reduced our recruiting approval review times by 50%
  • We have identified areas for improvement substancially by having robust reporting available at our fingertips.
Read full review
ScreenShots