Canvas is Comprehensive and User Friendly
I have had the opportunity to use canvas as both a student and a professor, providing unique insight to its features and nuances. This …
Overview
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.
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Popular Features
- Assignments (41)9.090%
- Course authoring (41)8.989%
- Mobile friendly (40)8.585%
- Course catalog or library (38)7.171%
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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.
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- No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://www.instructure.com/contact-us
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- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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What is ProProfs LMS Software?
ProProfs LMS is a learning management system software that is designed to help instructors create and deliver online training courses. The LMS offers both businesses and educational institutions comprehensive training solutions by allowing them to create online courses, complemented by tests,…
Product Demos
Atomic Apps for Canvas LMS, Webinar recording from #CanvasLive August 2017
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Starting with BookWidgets in Canvas LMS - Demo for beginners
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DEMO: Tentacle Insights for Canvas LMS
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How to Use Video with Your LMS | Powtoon's Canvas LMS Integration
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Creating demo users in bulk for Canvas LMS
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Canvas Demo Slam
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What is Canvas?
Canvas by Instructure is a cloud-based learning management system for every stage and style of education. Available to institutions of all sizes and types, from individual K-12 classrooms to universities to companies with a blended or fully virtual environment.
As the hub of the digital learning environment, Canvas offers complete LMS functionality, including standards-based grade books, course content authoring, customizable student assessments, mobile communication, video learning, and digital badging.
Canvas LMS integrates with an institution's existing SIS and other teaching tools. With over two hundred different LTI tools educators can customize courses and monitor engagement with classes or individual students. Canvas also has mobile apps to keep everyone informed and connected, on the go, on any device.
Canvas Features
Learning Management Features
- Supported: Course authoring
- Supported: Course catalog or library
- Supported: Player/Portal
- Supported: Learning content
- Supported: Mobile friendly
- Supported: Progress tracking & certifications
- Supported: Assignments
- Supported: Compliance management
- Supported: Learning administration
- Supported: Learning reporting & analytics
- Supported: eLearning
- Supported: Assessments
- Supported: Live online learning
- Supported: In-person learning
- Supported: Micro-learning
- Supported: Video learning
- Supported: eCommerce
- Supported: SCORM-compliant
- Supported: Social learning
- Supported: Gamification
- Supported: GDPR Compliant Learning
- Supported: Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning
Canvas Video
Canvas 101
Canvas Competitors
Canvas Technical Details
| Deployment Types | Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Unspecified |
| Mobile Application | Apple iOS, Android, Mobile Web |
| Supported Countries | Global |
Canvas Downloadables
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Reviewers rate Assignments highest, with a score of 9.
The most common users of Canvas are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
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Canvas has proven to be an invaluable tool for various educational institutions and organizations. Users have praised Canvas for its user-friendly platform, effectiveness in managing distance courses, and seamless integration with other vendors. It has been widely adopted by universities, community colleges, and high schools as the primary learning management system due to its intuitive interface and ability to bridge the communication gap between instructors and students.
Canvas has been used for a multitude of purposes, including online degree programs, blended courses, and supplementing face-to-face classes in educational institutions. Human Resource services have utilized Canvas for assessing new employee skills and providing information to employees. Student Services have used it to promote clubs and other services, while the library has used Canvas as a platform to provide information about their services and obtain feedback.
Canvas has also been used by administration committees and faculty committees for discussions, dissemination, and data maintenance. It has served as the central hub for organizing assignments, sharing content, managing grades, and supporting hybrid distance learning models. Instructors have utilized Canvas to post announcements, assignments, theory slides, Zoom Meetings, as well as give points and feedback. Canvas has provided a dynamic and student-friendly interface that encourages interaction and engagement among students.
Furthermore, Canvas offers a mobile app that allows students and instructors to access course content on the go. This feature has greatly enhanced the flexibility and accessibility of online learning. Additionally, Canvas has been used by universities as a replacement for other learning management systems due to its frequent updates and robust features. Its versatility supports a variety of course types including online, hybrid, and face-to-face courses.
Overall, Canvas has been widely adopted across various educational institutions due to its ease of use, versatility, and ability to deliver content effectively. It has become an essential tool in delivering quality education regardless of location and promoting student engagement through its range of features such as discussion forums, assignments, embedding Google docs, sharing files, speed grader for assessments process, integrated rubrics, and more.
Frequent updates and evolution: Users have expressed their appreciation for the frequent updates and evolution of Canvas. Some reviewers have mentioned that these regular updates demonstrate the platform's commitment to continuously improving the user experience over time. The consistent release of new features and bug fixes every three weeks ensures that Canvas stays current and addresses user needs.
Efficient mobile grading with Speed Grader: Many users have praised the mobile app for grading assignments, Speed Grader, for its efficiency in reducing grading time by 30-50%. Reviewers find this feature convenient as it allows instructors to grade assignments on the go, making use of any available time. By providing a way to grade assignments while waiting for meetings or commuting, Speed Grader saves users valuable time.
Intuitive WYSIWYG editor: The WYSIWYG editor in Canvas is highly valued by users as it simplifies the process of creating and editing content. This intuitive editor appears in almost every tool within Canvas, allowing users to easily create engaging and visually appealing course materials. Its presence enhances the overall learning experience for students.
Difficulty in navigation: Several users have expressed frustration with the navigation within Canvas, stating that it can be confusing and not user-friendly. They have mentioned difficulty in finding desired features and having to click through multiple options before reaching the required functionality. Some users also find the linear structure of Canvas makes it difficult for students to differentiate between lessons.
Lack of customization options: Many reviewers have mentioned a lack of customization options in Canvas. Users have stated that there is a limited ability to customize colors, profiles, and class pages, making it difficult to personalize their experience. Some users have suggested including more basic color options for personalization and providing more freedom for designing a visually enhanced environment.
Challenges with customer support: A number of users have experienced challenges with customer support in the past. They have mentioned issues such as unanswered complaints via email or phone calls, delayed response times, and a lack of availability. While some users acknowledge that customer support may have improved over time, others still express dissatisfaction with the level of service provided by Canvas.
Note: These three cons were selected based on their frequency of mention throughout the context provided.
Users of Canvas have provided several recommendations based on their experience with the platform. The most common recommendations include: getting familiar with Canvas before submitting assignments, taking the time to navigate and figure out the features of Canvas before the semester starts, using Canvas for collaborative work, considering Canvas for higher education settings, appreciating its user-friendly interface, and valuing its seamless experience. Overall, users express that Canvas is a simple yet full-featured solution for online learning, which they find more user-friendly than Google Classroom.
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October 29, 2015
What Instructors and Students Can Learn Using Canvas
Canvas is in use across the whole organization.
We use Canvas as a LMS for several online programs and it is additionally being used as an internal training platform. The solution offers an engaging online environment and meets the intuitive design, navigation, and interaction expectations of our users.
September 30, 2015
Canvas review
Canvas is used by the entire organization. It allows a common area for documentation and utilizes the functionality for all to access and review important information in a single location. Additionally, it provides functionality to the faculty and staff to create and execute courses within the same framework. This works well as users are familiar with the structure and allows for leveraging the product to various ends.
September 26, 2015
Good as it gets right now
Canvas is the learning management system used by Bucks County Community College to offer online courses. It provides a virtual environment to teach classes.
September 25, 2015
Canvas LMS offers flexible and customizable course design options
We use Canvas as our global LMS solution. Specifically for online courses, but our face to face and broadcast courses use Canvas as a content repository.
September 25, 2015
Canvas - making life easier for instructors, students, and support staff
Canvas is the Learning Management System in use across our entire campus. Our university transitioned to Canvas 3 years ago, after many years of using Blackboard. Initial use was primarily for online courses, but use has grown over the past couple of years as instructors have become more comfortable with the product and aware of its potential.
September 24, 2015
Canvasing for Canvas?!?
Canvas is in use across the whole organization. It serves as our academic LMS. We moved from Blackboard Learn to Canvas. I was one of the early proponents of Canvas. I was the only instructor to use it in the pre-pilot and then one of few that used it in the formal pilot. I contributed to the decision to go with Canvas over Blackboard. I also wrote a technology grant to fund its implementation and developed training that helped with the successful transition.
September 23, 2015
Canvas is Awesome!
Canvas is being used university-wide. The system is our official online learning platform for branding web courses.
September 23, 2015
Canvas! Because it is the best out there!
Canvas is an easy to use, user friendly Learning Management System (LMS) that lends itself to a variety of course types. While the vast majority of courses I design are online and hybrid, I have found countless opportunities to use Canvas as both course structure and resource, for face to face courses.
The Learning Management System comes with a variety of tools that promote online learning, collaboration and interaction. It is also very easy to design learning opportunities for different types of learners in Canvas. Just to name a few useful tools that Canvas offers: Speed Grader, Peer Reviews, Integrated Rubrics, Discussion Boards, Groups etc.
The Learning Management System comes with a variety of tools that promote online learning, collaboration and interaction. It is also very easy to design learning opportunities for different types of learners in Canvas. Just to name a few useful tools that Canvas offers: Speed Grader, Peer Reviews, Integrated Rubrics, Discussion Boards, Groups etc.
September 23, 2015
Successfully Navigating the Digital Space with the Canvas LMS
We are currently in our fourth year of using the Canvas LMS across our entire school (a 7-12 grade independent day school), in which over 200 faculty serve almost 1600 students. Our faculty uses Canvas as our digital "Hub" to store resources, collect student work, create digital discussions, and more. Now that our school has a 1:1 laptop program for all students, Canvas has helped us to consolidate the large variety of digital resources students use. It has made it much easier for our students to access their work, whether on campus or not, while also enabling them to easily share their work with teachers and other students. Given the ease of using Canvas and its flexible architecture, we have begun to use Canvas for other school purposes, including hosting club web pages and faculty professional development materials. Generally, we have been very pleased with the versatility of the Canvas LMS and the support of Instructure.
September 23, 2015
The LMS for Student-centered learning
We use Canvas as the Learning Management System for our university. It is used to deliver online and hybrid courses, and to support classroom teachers who are using various pedagogies, including flipping the classroom. We are also piloting the integrated Outcomes tools to gather assessment data on our core curriculum for accreditation purposes. We are investigating the use of Outcomes and ePortfolio tools to address accreditation requirements for specific programs, as well.
September 22, 2015
Canvas is for Students
I previously used Canvas to help me facilitate a BYU undergrad course designed to train pre-service, high school teachers how to effectively implement new technologies in their classrooms. I chose Canvas as a learning platform—over Blackboard and Learning Suite (BYU's proprietary LMS)—because I felt Canvas helped me and my students meet our course objectives better than the alternatives. I set up separate Canvas "courses" for each section I teach. I utilized many Canvas features:
While Canvas is a popular tool amongst many faculty and students in my Instructional Psychology and Technology Department, I feel like we are relatively "early adopters" of the product amongst other colleges and departments at our university.
Canvas was a better than Blackboard, for me, primarily because it's a free, open-source software. I prefer it to my school's private LMS because the user interface and some of the features are less intuitive and still a little buggy. Not to mention, Canvas's headquarters is 20 miles up the road from us. (Supporting a local, but booming, business.)
- broadcasted and email announcements
- hosted multi-media content
- facilitated outside-of-class discussions
- allowed students to submit work
- gave feedback on assignments
- posted events on the calendar
- kept an updated gradebook
While Canvas is a popular tool amongst many faculty and students in my Instructional Psychology and Technology Department, I feel like we are relatively "early adopters" of the product amongst other colleges and departments at our university.
Canvas was a better than Blackboard, for me, primarily because it's a free, open-source software. I prefer it to my school's private LMS because the user interface and some of the features are less intuitive and still a little buggy. Not to mention, Canvas's headquarters is 20 miles up the road from us. (Supporting a local, but booming, business.)
Canvas serves as the platform for asynchronous learning for the online graduate level certificate program our organization partners with two other organizations to create and implement. We have program participants from all over the US and a few other countries who use Canvas as their learning and communication hub for the program. They use a broad range of features in the software - discussion forums, assignments, editing wiki pages, embedding Google docs and other docs, sharing files, surveys, embedded media, and links to other applications like Blackboard Collaborate web conferencing. Our participants are also utilizing the mobile app version of the software.
September 21, 2015
Canvas - the LMS developers can appreciate
Canvas is used by Centralia College as the learning management system for our students and faculty in several ways. We have taken advantage of the quick and easy nature to create courses to support students in both their academic course management as well as clubs, events, seminars, and other student activities. In my job, I have taken advantage of the robust and reliable Canvas API to create some great applications for the institution using the data provided from Canvas. Using Canvas helps get the information to the students quickly and reliably. This means success for our students.
September 19, 2015
Instructure Canvas - 4 Years of Experience
Canvas was adopted by Utah State University in January, 2011 for use throughout the entire university system, as part of a state wide contract. All Utah System of Higher Education schools use Canvas. Utah State University uses it to offer fully online degree programs and classes, and is also used for blended courses and to supplement face to face courses.
September 18, 2015
Canvas was the right choice for us!
Canvas is the Learning Management System at our university. All online courses are taught on Canvas, and campus courses can also utilize Canvas, as decided upon by the instructor.
September 18, 2015
With Canvas, interconnection between users has never been easier .
I used Canvas when I worked at FGCU. Canvas replaced an LMS that we had that was currently outdated (ANGEL). Canvas is being used all across Florida Gulf Coast University by teachers, students, e-learning support team, and more. Canvas allowed for a seamless connection between teachers and students to have work done on time and help students have a better understanding of what is expected from them.
September 18, 2015
Attractive and user-friendly. Allows new users to hit the ground running without much of a learning curve!
Ex'pression College uses Canvas to give our students online access to syllabi, assignments, grades, and other course information. It is used for every course we offer. It allows faculty to communicate important course information, class time changes, and answer student questions remotely, reducing the need for mass emails & restricted on-site office hours.
September 18, 2015
What will you create on your Canvas?
Canvas is our college's primary learning management system. It is used to deliver online and hybrid courses, as well as supplemental support for face-to-face courses. Every division at the college uses Canvas. It plays an integral part of instructors' pedagogical approaches, and it is an important catalyst for students' learning and engagement.
September 18, 2015
My thoughts on Canvas
Canvas is used to provide a learning management system for a community college district consisting of multiple campuses over a large geographical area. In addition, Canvas is being used with a state-wide licensing with more than 90% of learning institutions using it in the state of Washington. It's use provides a consistent and reliable interface for students.
September 18, 2015
Canvas has it covered!
Canvas is not implemented across my entire organization but is currently being reviewed for a system wide alternative. At my previous institution I oversaw the review time for changing LMS providers and became deeply involved with Canvas and the Canvas community. Several of the faculty there still use Canvas as their LMS of choice due to its ease of use for both professors and students.
September 18, 2015
Canvas is great for us!!!
We use Canvas for our college courses. Canvas is our online learning management system. We use it for content delivery in our physical classes, as well as assessment items (quizzes, exams, discussion boards, projects) and grades. It is extremely useful for helping instructors to maintain organized and effective content delivery and allow prompt and easy communication between students and instructors. Students are always aware of what is due and when those items are due. Students can also view their current grades in real time, so they should be aware of their current progress throughout their semester. Canvas allows for a lot of interaction online and is great for engaging students in and out of the classroom.
September 17, 2015
Canvas LMS learning of the future now!
We use Canvas LMS for participants of our postgraduate degree online program. We deliver course materials such as readings and videos. Also, students submit assignments. There are two types of assignments: individual assignments and group assignments. This is the main tool for our faculty to deliver feedback of students' work. Canvas is being used across the whole organization. Canvas is helping our students to focus on learning.
September 15, 2015
Canvas! Learning for the 21st century!
At Montclair State University we replaced Blackboard with Canvas as our LMS of choice in the Fall of 2014. It is used to support our online classes, hybrid classes as well as normal in person classes. Many of our campus communities also used Canvas for their groups. Canvas is a great LMS compared to Blackboard which I personally despised for various reasons. The faculty and students seem to pick up on how to use Canvas fairly quickly and our implementation has gone much smoother than we had anticipated.
September 15, 2015
Give it a try! It's worth it.
The entire company is using Canvas. We use it for our online and on-ground courses. It is now mandatory for all faculty to utilize it to the best of their ability.