Canvas LMS Review

PROS: I think Canvas is the greatest system for handling LMS projects, because it can handle all sorts of uploaded information-documents in different formats (multimedia too!). I like the fact that students qualify it as a good program, and they say it is an easy way to access and use information. As I already said, the same counts for teachers and institutions in general. The overall quality is improved by the presence of GUI drag-and-drop options for adding files, or copying contents from stored Canvas content and third sources, which means that API integrations are pretty admirable.

CONS: The setup is not simple at all, and the best chance you have is to hire an expert to help you go through it properly (preferably a developer familiar with CMS, ruby, html, python, and bash). Have in mind that you will need a least 32 GB available RAM and a quardcore processor (i5, i7, or Xeon), because proper installation for 50 users will drain all of your resources.

PROS: I work for Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN), one of the pioneer users of this cloud-based LMS system. We used to host it ourselves, but running it on cloud makes almost no difference. I can't think of a single failure, or even a bug worth to remember. We are very pleased with the quality and cost of interconnectivity and enhancements, and our users approve it too. At the beginning, I thought it was our BlackBoard disappointment that influenced this attitude, but I know other companies that are using it, and they are overwhelmed too.

CONS: Canvas is just perfect, I don't have anything to complain about. I admire their dev team, those guys did an excellent job.

PROS: Canvas is an entirely new level of flexibility and efficiency! Being hosted in cloud, it offers maximal reliability and minimal risk of systematic failure. I like it because of the surprisingly simple structure that allows even older teachers to become proficient in online learning. Overall, the system is lightyears ahead of all other LMSs that I know.

CONS: I expected more from their inbox, but it seems that nothing has changed, and we're still communicating with email accounts. Other times, transfering content from one course to another becomes so bad that I can't even change dates properly. But that's all!

PROS: Former LMS users will appreciate its features, I think it really covers every aspect a good LMS should cover. The platform is flawlessly integrated with every teaching app, Digital Badges, for instance. Being a teacher, you'll appreciate the multiple courses you can create and the instruction roles you could assume, but there is an entertaining side to the process too: you'll be able to organize interesting quizzes, and to grade in an interactive way.

CONS: The features are there, the problem is how to find them. The workflow for creating courses is not intuitive at all, and it will happen to you too to neglect important features Canvas has to offer. What annoys me the most is that simple things are made complicated, inserting tables, for instance. The Help team doesn't seem to understand this, they are always surprised by my 'simple' questions.

PROS: When it comes to new software, my decisions usually depend on diversity. Saying this is somehow enough to explain why I'm recommending Canvas, at least for those with a similar mindset. See, the magic of Canvas is that it provides new ways to perform old tasks, due to unlimited customization that takes part in every process. I loved being able to customize interaction, for instance, or to set up working groups. It surpassed my integration expectations, and I was pleased to discover I could use it with Turnitin (plagiarism will not be an issue even this time). Finally, I love the software my students love, and this one rates quite well in that aspect! I've seen my students collaborate productively even when they are miles away, and I wouldn't change it even if it had failed to meet my administrative needs.

CONS: It is hard to imagine flexibility as a bad thing, but that's not impossible. I take this school as an example: I adjust navigation to make it simpler for students, but this becomes a problem as soon as I try communicating colleagues whose approach is different. The mismatch is too time-consuming, but I am still not sure whether I'd give up on my customization freedom in order to avoid it.

PROS: You can search as much as you want, I assure you this is the best LMS software market has ever seen! It brings analytics and content creation in a single basket, basically, it is a single system for all education needs! The flexibility reminds me of Moodle, but the feature suite is significantly richer, and the way how their simple homepage transforms into an advanced LMS is just incredible. I mean, if you didn't know the program, you wouldn't guess what it could do for you! At the same time, it includes a rich library of plugins which enable you to share personal and foreign content that could be useful for your students.

CONS: Too much is too little sometimes, you know. I have the feeling that everything is available, but nothing is good enough. Let me give you an example: you can modify all courses according to your need, but you can't make them suit the needs of a particular student. The change will simply apply to everybody. Another example are tests-if you give one student extra ten minutes, that time will apply to everybody again. Still, this is just a trifle, and it is not enough to discourage someone from using the software.

PROS: Mentioning all things I like about Canvas would make a long list, so I'm just going to stick to the main ones: First and foremost, robustness. The program has everything I need, especially well-planned formats used to develop quality courses with time efficiency. I also like the possibility to upload large files, the HTML modifications enabled on every page, the analytical suite of quizzes and surveys, and obviously-easiness. Full package, for real!

CONS: I don’t have my own test database, where I would note a question whenever such comes to my mind. Then, I'd pull few out by chance, instead of planning tests with copy-pasting from large word files. The quiz option is very basic too, I don’t think it was made with Universities in mind.

PROS: My first encounter with the platform was when I was a student, and I am using it as a TA too. As far as I am concerned, Canvas is absolutely unbeatable when it comes to streamlined communication, and I think every student, professor and administrator can confirm that! Students use it to upload and send assignments on the web, and they are being graded the same way. Everybody is notified timely, because there is an awesome mobile app that connects them wherever they are.

CONS: The system stores all messages in a single inbox, so it is kind of difficult to distinguish between courses. Polling is also missing, meaning that you cannot schedule extracurricular classes or TA hours. Finally, you can't attach SurveyMonkey links at once, you have to do it separately.

PROS: Let's start from a student's perspective: They find it very easy to follow dates, because they have a separate calendar for every module. All of the information relevant to them is stored in one place, and they use their mobile apps to access it wherever they are. Teachers, on the other hand, fancy online grading with crocodoc, creating paper rubrics and reusing old materials, linking respondus, and reapplying old questions for convetional and online exams. With all statistics available, they appoint dates for every course section separately. I am not surprised that the popularity of the product is growing so fast.

CONS: Online grading is an exceptional feature, but our teachers are not very satisifed with the Gradebook. According to them, it is very difficult to keep grades unaffected by column modifications, and absence is calculated automatically. They would like to see modules filled with different colors, instead of the small clouds that students don't even notice (they believe it is the main reason why stundents miss on some of their announcements).

PROS: The most convenient function is definitely announcement, it is great to be immediately notified each time a professor posts new materials on Canvas. As you can guess, I keep track easily, and I am never late with my assignments. Online grading was a powerful idea too, since it enables me to calculate grade levels and averages even before the final grades are out. I think I'm discovering an entirely new way of learning, and it is one that I really like.

CONS: There is nothing I dislike-dislike, but I would like to see some functions improved. The discussion board, for instance, was not made alike forums and social networks, and the fact that some discussions are compulsory makes the problem even worse. I do get notified on recent posts, but I have to log in and to open the conversation in order to participate. Messenger: Not available!

PROS: The program looks like a real blessing in disguise, so many features, yet so easy and simple to use! This is the first system that did't pile inquiries on my desk, something I didn't expected from teachers that didn't undergo any training. Still, I am here to assist them in any way I can, and I've attached some online information in case they need support after my working hours. Another thing that adds value to this system is flexibility and customization-My overall experience of working with teachers tells me that this profession really appreciates freedom of choosing methods. We let them use the features they like (some of them are just posting Syllabus or materials, while other go creative and make extraordinary quizzes and presentations). I honestly enjoy this diversity, and I think it is good for students too.

CONS: I am pleased to know I have a strong team behind, taking care of quick updates and awesome new features, but I have a problem following this development. A further concern is that innovation takes its toll on quality, and I'm not that sure if newcomings are tested throughly. As a consequence, a lot of bugs appear, but the bright side is that the same team is always there to solve them.