CANVAS Reviews

With the rise of Coronavirus and online options for college classes, Canvas has been a staple tool for students taking online classes and even with online assignments. Canvas, similar to Google Classroom, is a program that allows teachers to assign work through the web instead of wasting time printing and wasting paper. It allows students to be notified of when assignments are due and even allows them to take quizzes and test online. With most of the world being forced to do everything digitally Canvas allows access to Zoom through ConferNow which allows for teachers to schedule lectures and meetings. Canvas also allows you to message other students if needed. Without Canvas, school online would be incredibly difficult, and although Google Classroom is a solid option for courses in elementary school through high school, Canvas has more features such as users being able to directly embed LTIs such as Flipgrid.

Although Canvas is better than Google Classroom in terms of the number of features, Google Classroom's interface is simpler and easier to understand than Canvas's. Google Classroom, being a Google program, also makes it slightly easier to turn in assignments using Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc. Canvas's user system can also use some work as well. Canvas may have the ability to allow you to see other students but it's obscure. There's no way to search for other people unless they're in your class and most people don't even know of the profile feature. Personally, I don't believe there are many problems with Canvas except that they should redo its design because to me it seems a bit bland and that they should make its interface a bit more simpler since it can be confusing to navigate through.

Learning & Teaching: Various useful features, e.g., upload/download files, page creation, announcement and discussion and valuable apps containing ubiquitous tools, like MS Team meetings, Panopto, Vimeo, YouTube, Dropbox etc.

Assessment: Huge variety of Quizzes, secured quizzes, quizzes SWOT statistics, lockdown browser, Assignments, anti-Plagiarism tools, Moderation, Marker Allocation, Grades,

Research: Conferences, collaborations, Canvas digital forum support.

Assessment of students: sorting may not be sync'd with local university database. i.e., downloaded grades and university's marksheet contains names of students starting differently. Imaging if you have 300+ names! this causes sorting issues while assessing online.

Quizzes are great but cannot create duplicate questions, some time academic need this feature. Also because quiz question can be an Essay therefore, this type of assessment must include anti-plagiarism tool (i.e., Turnitin etc), not available in Quizzes but only in Assignments.

Reference Manager and Library tools are not available but can be added, e.g., Talis, StudyNet etc. These features are necessary for cognitive learning and cresting your own Library does help. I need to use either Endnotes or Mendeley as an external app on my desktop or on cloud.

Its good to use integrated Email tool but its not linked to outlook or other email app. I cannot send email to other people outside my module, i.e., cannot do cc to manager, examiner etc but I need to permanently add in the list of people.
Also cannot add images etc in text but can attach files. Also cannot format the text but just plaintext is allowed. You cannot add http link to a text.

Canvas is simple and streamlined, making navigating courses and course pages easy for all levels of tech users. I like that canvas reminds you of due dates and keeps material well organized.

Notifications of graded work are not immediate and rather come in an hour after the item is graded. I don’t like that some instructors can see what pages you have opened and when.

It's a pretty simple system for creating an online class, uploading files, etc. The grading platform is useful and convenient as well -- you can input grades and comments directly without downloading student work. The notification system really helped send reminders to students when deadlines are approaching.

The uploading process, while simple, has some tedious steps that requires some getting-used-to. It is also very easy to forget to make changes to linked pages when you edit one of the pages (i.e. take down an old file and upload a new one). I with there was a way to automatically update all linked pages when something is changed on one of the pages.

It is a super tool, with many options when creating or designing, whether it is a project, a presentation, for a resume, advertising, there are so many options that it allows us to just let our creativity fly and make it a reality with CANVAS.

I have no cons about this Platform, on the contrary I enjoy all its tools and without any inconvenience. Good so far.

Canvas is useful because I can see all of my coursework on one platform that is simple to use. I can organize my courses on the home page as I like, and when I click on the course, I can see modules, assignments, and tests attached to the course. Documents load very easily on Canvas, and I like being able to "preview" documents posted before downloading them.

I have two complaints about the Canvas software. First of all, the mobile version does not work well. I never downloaded the Canvas app, but did try to go on the website on my phone. The text was so small and the menus on the left side of the screen did not load well, so I could never use my phone to get on Canvas without the app. My other complaint with the software is that whenever anything was graded for a course, even if it was an older assignment, I'd get a notification. Perhaps this is just the settings set by the instructor and not Canvas itself, however.

One thing I love is that unlike Brightspace/D2L, Canvas has continued to develop and gain new features as long as I've used it. I also like how easy it is to transfer course materials from one course to another so that classes I teach each semester, or every other semester, can be easily copied over.

Some of the more advanced/useful features aren't always easy to use, and there isn't great documentation from Canvas. In fact, most of the documentation I've found has been from other university's websites.

Canvas is a software that I have been using for multiple years now, having used it originally in school, and now in college at Georgetown University while also making use of the software's organizational benefits as an Intern at EY. There are a few aspects of this program that stand out to me as being significantly beneficial. Firstly, Canvas, as a platform, is used for connecting users in an organization (class, work project, team, etc.) under one platform. The administrator (boss, professor, team leader) can then publish documents, quizzes, links, and other files so that its users can all view them, without the need for the administrator to send these files to each user individually. Perhaps the largest pro of a software like Canvas is that, on the same platform where files are published and shared with others, users can also engage in blog posts, discussions, Zoom conferences, and more features; all of which allow them to communicate with and learn from each other while also becoming familiar with any material posted by their boss, team leader, or professor. This synergy is what makes canvas special and unique; it is a one-stop-shop for individuals in an organization to parttake in multiple means of learning, all in the same location.

Despite being a phenomenal software platform, perhaps one of its downfalls is that, when using CANVAS in school or in college, the dashboard can get relatively messy. When enrolled in many different classes across different semesters, older classes tend to stay on your dashboard and this can make it difficult to keep your new classes a priority at first glance. While this is easy to edit in your Canvas settings, I personally believe this should be something that the user can edit from the homepage. In addition, it would be a large plus to the aspect of organization if users could customize the menu bar on the left side of the website, to only show the tabs they want to see for each class or project (files, modules, pages, discussions, announcements, grades, etc.)

1) Easy to use as a teacher. Once you get the schema of how the software works and accept its ways and limitations, then you can really use it to your advantage within that framework.
2) Integration with other softwares. Canvas integrates with many other LTI providers, but everyone is slightly different, so you need to be willing to pay the price to learn how to integrate things carefully.
3) Speedgrader is nice. I've seen better ones in other LMSs, but Canvas Spreedgrader is pretty good.
4) Training and support. You can find, if you search carefully, tons of training resources for Canvas.

1) It's easy to create things that clutter your course, system almost without knowing.
2) The assessment engine is quite limited. The new quiz engine is still too buggy to use and has been way overdue.
3) I hate that there is not an autosave feature, specially when building quizzes. More than once, I accidentally save the quiz without saving the individual question and loose a ton of work.
4) It's almost impossible to find your grades across multiple courses. You have to go to each course individually and click several places at that.

When Canvas became our LMS for e-learning I was delighted. Having a secure, self-contained platform was a game-changer for teachers and students. Using SSO (single sign on) enabled users to access their classes easily and without fail. The course customization and integration with other tools (OneNote, Google, Flipgrid, Formative, etc.) made advanced users look like wizards of course design. The calendar feature which allows students to track and plan for assignments empowers learners.

Canvas was ahead of the curve when it comes to individual feedback. Their voice or video comment feature has been personalizing the virtual classroom for years. Canvas is great for Professional Develpment especially with the discussion feature. Learners can respond to and interact with one another asynchronously and this authentic interaction benefits students and teachers alike.

There were times when the customization features were not enough in Canvas. The platform itself is not visually appealing at first. The user has to carefully desing the course, beginning with the end in mind, to make it visually appearing and navigable for the learner.

Additionally, it may just have been our district instance but the integration with PowerSchool gradebook was both a plus and a minus. Teachers loved that interaction as it saved so much time grading. When that interaction had glitches it was a nightmare and sometimes difficult to solve or to find the root cause. This was often the fault of browser updates or software bugs, not Canvas.

The intuitive design features and ease of use are great! You can create a great course in a short amount of time and you can share courses with colleagues for this purpose, too! If you're new to online course design, Canvas is definitely the platform to use. It also has design features for more advanced users that let you customize your content even further. There's definitely something for everyone here - whether your a new online content creator or well-versed.

If I had to pick one thing it would be the actual process of integration of external software. While I love that I can integrate external software, the process is multi-step and counterintuitive. You have to secure permissions (product key or registration number externally) and separately add/activate the software in the settings feature for the course (for EACH course), and a few other steps when you actually want to use the external program in Canvas for an assignment. It does require a bit of setup and patience. The good thing is that once you do it, you're set for the term.

As an educator, I am always on the lookout for innovative and effective tools to enhance my teaching and make the learning experience more engaging for my students. I recently started using Canvas by Instructure, and I am thrilled to say that it has exceeded my expectations in every way.One of the things that has impressed me the most about Canvas is its user-friendly interface. Navigating through the platform is a breeze, and the intuitive design makes it easy for both teachers and students to find what they need quickly. The dashboard provides a comprehensive overview of all my courses, assignments, and announcements, allowing me to manage my classes efficiently and stay organized.The customization options in Canvas are outstanding. I can easily create and customize course modules, assignments, and quizzes to suit the unique needs of my students. The platform also offers a wide range of multimedia options, allowing me to incorporate videos, images, and interactive content into my lessons to make them more engaging and dynamic.The communication features in Canvas are top-notch. I can send announcements, messages, and notifications to my students, facilitating seamless communication and keeping them informed about important updates and deadlines. The discussion boards are also a fantastic tool for fostering collaborative learning and facilitating peer-to-peer interactions.

While Canvas is known for its user-friendly interface, some users, especially those who are less tech-savvy, may find it challenging to learn initially. It may take some time and effort to familiarize oneself with all the features and functionalities of the platform, especially for those who are new to learning management systems (LMS). Although Canvas has a mobile app, some users may find that the mobile version has limitations compared to the desktop version. Certain features, such as complex grading or content creation, may be more challenging or limited on mobile devices, which could impact the ability to manage courses effectively on the go.

I truly loved Canvas since overseeing programming, both on a PC and phone was a simple. Seeing my grades and remaining focused of my tasks was simple.

Despite the fact that Canvas offers specific capacities for joint effort, it can't replace the one-on-one connection that happens in a regular study hall. It can affect inspiration and commitment when I feel far or alone from my understudies' teachers and individual students.While Material can connect for certain projects, it doesn't with each of the projects that understudies concentrating on computer programming use. Accordingly, the work process might become wasteful on the grounds that understudies might need to change between a few stages to take care of their responsibilities

Canvas is a great organizing tool. Some pros include the following: a calendar with due dates, to-do list, easy to use, tabs that is very easy to locate, the what if feature, easy to communicate with teachers, pleasing to the eye, has a mobile app, coming up assignment features, viewing files without downloading them, break down of your grade, and very simple. With this system, I did not have the need to buy a planner to write down all my assignments.

There is not too much I dislike about the system. Though the system is very organized, if the instructor does not put the files in an organized manner it can be hard to seek the desired files. In addition, there are some times where canvas can be very difficult to use as you have to click different features to get to the desired file. In addition, for the discussion page, it would be super helpful if the reply comments could be in a file with the original comment of the discussion board. In one class, we have weekly discussions and the students of that subjects has to write a powerpoint to explain a character that defines it and the student who did not create that has to write comments for it. At first it was not much but later became very hard to locate the different power point comments due to the immense amount of reply comments.

Canvas is a remarkable online learning management system that facilitates collaboration and communication among students, which is crucial in any online learning environment. The collaboration and communication features are the most impactful, allowing students to share ideas and work on group projects seamlessly. The mobile access feature is also helpful, making it easier to stay connected and engaged with the course content. The assessment and grading tools are user-friendly and customizable, allowing instructors to create a variety of assessment types, saving them a lot of time and effort. The product is easy to use and very customizable, with an intuitive and straightforward interface. Finally, the integration with Microsoft Teams is seamless, making it easy to incorporate Canvas into existing business processes.

As a user of Canvas, I have found the platform to be a comprehensive and intuitive online learning management system. While I do not feel that there are any significant missing features or areas that need improvement, one aspect where I think Canvas could do better is by making the mobile app available offline. This would enable students to access course materials and assignments even when they are not connected to the internet, which would be particularly useful for those who have limited connectivity.