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.
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Webex App
Score 8.5 out of 10
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The Webex App brings together Webex Calling, Meetings, and Messaging into a single application, fostering collaboration and unlocking more productive ways to work.
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[.]
It can be useful for organizations which uses hybrid and work from home model. By using this application we can seamlessly connect with each and every person in the organization. Used to conduct meetings about progress of project and can be able to present our data to others by screensharing option.
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.
The online meeting within the internal team using Webex App is always a good experience as it helps well in sharing screen, and any content for that matter.
It helps in arranging online interviews and it is also very good experience using the web version of Webex App.
It also helps in arranging online training sessions and webinars which generally involve huge number of participants generally over 200+ participants and Webex App handles it very well.
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.
While Webex has strong adoption on the administrative side, the LTI tool for Webex is lacking some important support for teaching and learning. Therefore, faculty do not see much value in Webex and prefer to use other tools that are easier to access and more likely to benefit their students within the LMS. Webex has not been the easiest to work with for identifying pedagogical roadmap improvements, especially compared to competitors who work closely in the education space
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
Webex is quite usable, and it is, in fact very easy to use as well. You don't need a lot of documentation to learn how to use the app as it's mostly self-explanatory. The user interface is easy on the eyes, and people can see buttons without issues. Overall, WebEx's front-end design is great and I don't have much issue with it.
I would say every time I open it, it is there, there are times that our users have to sign out and back in to get it to work or even do a full exit as the app will disconnect from the controlling the desk phone, but some easy steps to sign-out or fully exit the app gets the user back up and running quickly.
On standalone it works fine, it used to consume a considerable amount of system resources in the past, but with updates and upgrades, this has improved quite a lot. As far as integrations with other systems, we have not come across any critical issues with the app.
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
Talking about Webex App technical support is talking about the quality because they are always attentive and willing to attend to our needs, and the response is immediate; every time we have needed help to solve a problem or find out a function, they have not responded quickly, Cisco has always been characterized by being efficient and deserving 10 points.
I am very satisfied with my experience with Webex App in online training. The creation of the event is very easy with the possibility of scheduling it in advance. The management of participants, organizers, and animators is complete. The invitations are automated and by simply using emails we can create all the schedules of the training session
I would rate the online training 8/10. It provided clear and well-structured content, making it easy to understand the core features of Webex. However, I believe it could have been more interactive, with practical exercises or real-life scenarios to enhance user engagement. More advanced topics or troubleshooting guides could also be helpful for deeper learning.
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
There was quite a bit of back and forth with TAC and Cisco Reps to get it fully up and running but we did get there. Some of which had to do with documentation was not fully understandable. But with Cisco TAC we were able to get fully up and running.
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.
Microsoft Teams, while being built for more file sharing, completely misses the mark. I prefer Webex App which focuses on being a great chat tool, rather than trying to become something it is not. Slack is preferred over Webex App, but just barely, and it is only because Slack has a slightly more intuitive group discussion function.
Once everything is in place on the back end getting Webex on a user's PC is now very easy and with single sign-on, users are able to sign in without having to remember another password. Just make sure you have all the user settings in CUCM, CUC set right, and that they have the needed licenses in Webex Control Hub.
Comfort in switching multiple OS platforms, when there is similar UI design.
HD video quality and HD screen share, make up presentations look more professional and standardized.
Less call/meeting drops as seen in other platforms applications.
Builds a level of trust, when we connect on Cisco's application platform with customers who are having their whole communication infrastructure shifted to Cisco Webex App.
