Canvas LMS Review: A Comprehensive Guide to the Best Online Course Platform
What is Canvas
Canvas by Instructure is a cloud-based learning management system designed for all levels and types of education. Institutions of different sizes and types can use it, from individual K-12 classes to universities to businesses with a blended or virtual environment.
As the hub of your digital learning environment, Canvas provides full LMS capability, such as standards-based grade books, course material production, customizable student assessments, mobile communication, video learning, and digital badging, to name a few features.
Canvas LMS works with your school's existing SIS and other teaching tools. Educators can customize courses and track participation with classes or individual students using over 200 distinct LTI tools. Gartner reports that Canvas LMS has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 in higher education learning management systems
Features of Canvas
Some of the critical features of Canvas
- User Experience: Canvas LMS is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, with a clean and modern interface
- Customization: Teachers can customize their courses to suit their specific needs, including adding their branding and logos
- Communication Tools: Canvas LMS offers a range of tools to facilitate communication, such as messaging, audio and video communication, and discussion boards
- SpeedGrader: SpeedGrader is a unique feature of Canvas LMS that allows teachers to grade assignments quickly and easily.
- Free Trial: Canvas LMS offers a free trial for new users, which allows them to test out the platform before committing to a subscription
- Free Teacher Plan: Canvas LMS offers a free teacher plan besides the free trial. This plan includes many of the same features as the paid plans but is limited to one course and 50 users
- Mobile Apps: Canvas LMS also offers mobile apps for iOS and Android devices, which allow students to access their courses on the go
- Canvas Workspace: Canvas Workspace is a feature that allows teachers to collaborate with other educators and share resources
- Canvas Course Badges: Canvas Course Badges is a feature that allows teachers to create badges for their courses, which can be used to recognize student achievements and provide motivation
Pros and Cons of Canvas
Pros
- Canvas integrates well with Crocodoc for online paper commenting.
- Canvas is very user-friendly and easy to use. It has a modern design and a clean UI/UX (User interface/User Experience)
- Canvas has excellent integrations with other systems, making adding content and resources from other sources easy.
- Canvas is customizable, open, assured security, scalable, pedagogically flexible, reliable support, low risk, high uptime, and high speed
- Canvas is compatible with all kinds of devices
Cons
- Canvas’s interface is dated, and the navigation is clunky.
- Canvas is needlessly time-consuming to navigate
- Canvas’s high-tech interactivity with other software, like ArcGIS or RSA Archer, can be better. It is not as quickly compatible with them.
- Canvas has an automatic eraser of assignments when the due date is not set at midnight.
Canvas Teaching and Learning Processes
Canvas LMS is a web-based software that provides a comprehensive suite of tools for managing digital learning. It is designed to make teaching and learning easier for everyone, from the littlest learners to college faculty to business leaders. Canvas LMS includes various built-in course construction and management tools that can be customized to create unique and accessible teaching and learning experiences. Instructional designers and instructors create and share course content using Assignments, Discussions, Modules, Quizzes, and Pages. Canvas LMS is an open and reliable software that allows educators to create and present online learning materials and assess student learning, and students to engage in courses and receive feedback about skill development and learning achievement
Canvas is built to provide equitable access and instructional continuity to every student, everywhere, every day, all in a simple, intuitive interface. Canvas LMS is also extensible, with intelligent, intuitive features that help take learning to the next level. In one centralized learning hub, it integrates with all your favorite apps and tools, including G Suite, Microsoft Teams, Adobe, and hundreds more.
Canvas Competitors
Several other Learning Management Systems (LMS) in the market offer similar features and functionalities to Canvas. Here are some of the top Canvas LMS competitors:
- Blackboard Learn: A scalable and reliable LMS that enables online learning, increases engagement, and optimizes learning outcomes. Blackboard Learn offers a variety of features, such as course creation, content management, and assessment tools that can be customized to meet the needs of educators and learners.
- Schoology: A robust LMS that ensures the virtual classroom is as robust as, or more than, traditional learning environments.
- Nearpod: An LMS that provides real-time formative assessment data and engages students with dynamic media, like video and virtual reality. Nearpod offers a range of features, such as interactive lessons, quizzes, and polls, that can be used to create engaging and interactive learning experiences.
- Google Classroom: A free web service developed by Google for schools that aims to simplify creating, distributing, and grading assignments in a paperless way.
Other Canvas LMS alternatives include LinkedIn Learning, Moodle, GoReact, and more.
Canvas and Certopus Integration
Certopus is a robust, reliable solution for designing and delivering verifiable digital certificates and badges. Certopus lets you quickly issue digital credentials to your learners and track their performance and engagement. Certopus also integrates with various learning management systems and applications, including Canvas.
You can now easily integrate Certopus directly with Canvas LMS if you use it to offer your online courses and programs. Using it lets you quickly and easily issue digital certifications and badges.
Here are some of the benefits of integrating Certopus and Canvas :
- Augment Brand Image and Credibility: Bolster your brand's image and credibility by issuing verifiable digital certificates and badges. These credentials reflect your organization's authority and can be tailored using Certopus design templates or personalized through the Certopus design engine.
- Efficiency and Resource Savings: Utilizing Certopus streamlines the certificate issuance process, eliminating the need for manual certificate creation, generation, and distribution. This translates to significant time and resource savings.
- Elevate Learner Engagement and Retention: Elevate learner engagement and retention by incentivizing them with digital certificates and badges. These credentials can be proudly shared on social media or added to their resumes and portfolios, fostering a sense of accomplishment.
Conclusion
Canvas LMS is a versatile platform with various features to enhance the teaching and learning experience. While it has its pros and cons, it remains a strong contender in online education. Moreover, when integrated with Certopus, institutions can further enhance their brand image, streamline certificate issuance, and boost learner engagement, ultimately creating a more efficient and rewarding educational environment.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the pricing structure for Canvas LMS?
Canvas LMS offers a free plan for teachers and parents that includes course-level features such as assignments, grades, discussions, and announcements, 500 MB of storage per course, and 50 MB of storage per user or group, among other features. Canvas LMS also has a paid account that includes advanced features such as Canvas-enabled external tools, Slack notifications, multiple grading periods, and administrative tools. The pricing structure for the paid account is not publicly available
Can Canvas LMS be used for corporate training?
Yes, Canvas is suitable for corporate training and can be customized to meet the specific needs of businesses and organizations.
How does Canvas LMS handle updates and maintenance?
Canvas LMS is cloud-based, which means updates and maintenance are typically handled by Instructure, reducing the burden on institutions for system upkeep.
Need More Information?
Schedule a demo to learn more about Certopus for your business use case, or if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us. We would be delighted to assist you. Finally, if you're on social media, follow us to remain informed about our latest developments and learn more about digital credentials like certificates, badges, and micro-credentials.
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