What are KU Early Adopters saying about Canvas?
"I am still on a huge learning curve with Canvas, but I have a sense I can master this and take advantage of tools I am not yet using. I've worked with Blackboard for almost 20 years and have never liked it or felt like I could figure it out. Canvas also feels more creative in how I lay out the course. I love the calendar feature and upcoming events and showing me what needs to be graded. SpeedGrader is pretty cool too."
Canvas is easy to use
Participants in the pilot overwhelmingly found Canvas to be easy to use. All instructors who completed the mid-semester survey either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement that “Canvas is easy to use.” In addition, 84% of students who completed the survey strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that “Canvas is easy to use.” These findings were supported by qualitative responses on the survey. Examples of responses to the open-ended question “What did you like about Canvas this spring” include:
“Everything! Set up is so easy and fast. I can’t think of any specifics at the moment, but there are things it would take 7-ish clicks to do in Blackboard that take one click in Canvas. In some cases, you can set up multiple assignments or quizzes with only a couple of clicks that you would have had to do individually in Blackboard. It’s such a time saver and the clarity of navigation is so much better. I can’t say enough good things!”
Canvas Pilot Instructor
“It sounds trivial, but it just is more aesthetically pleasing and user friendly. It is much more intuitive than Blackboard and does everything I need it to do in ways that are logical to me.”
Canvas Pilot Instructor
“It is extremely user friendly and organized. It's easy to find what I need to do, and allows instructors to create their own modules, which is also very helpful.”
Canvas Pilot Student
“I liked the ease of finding all of the weekly module information. Loading papers are easy, and commenting is easy.”
Canvas Pilot Student
"I like that it is much easier to navigate than Blackboard."
Satisfaction with Canvas
In the end-of-semester survey, both students and instructors were asked how satisfied they were with Canvas after a full semester using the platform for teaching or learning. A majority of instructors indicated they were satisfied with Canvas, with 10 of the 12 indicating they were extremely satisfied with Canvas. Students also indicated satisfaction with Canvas overall, with almost 80% of students indicating that they were extremely or somewhat satisfied with Canvas for their learning.
Participants in the end-of-semester pilot generally preferred Canvas to Blackboard. The instructors who participated indicated that they prefer Canvas to Blackboard based on their experience, with 11 of 12 instructors somewhat or strongly preferring Canvas. Overall, students also indicated that they also preferred Canvas. Nearly 59% of student participants indicated a score for somewhat or strongly preferring Canvas.
"It's easy to use the mobile app, and lets me do almost as much as I could on the browser version."
Students like the Mobile App
The mid-semester survey also asked if the students had used the Canvas mobile app. Of the 138 participating students, 47 had reported that they had used the app. Students who reported using the app were asked an open-ended question: “What did you like or didn't like about using the app? Please describe your experience using the app.” Overall, the responses to this question suggest that students had a good experience with the app. The most significant themes identified included responses that reported having a good experience with the app (36% of responses), that they found the app easy to use (28%) or that the app was an improvement to the app provided by Blackboard (19%).
"Just know that Canvas is much easier to use for instructors and students once you get used to it, this is definitely a move in a more user-friendly direction."
Advice for Instructors New to Canvas
Both instructors and students were asked “If you were talking to an instructor who is new to using Canvas, what would be the first advice you would give about using the system.” Here is important advice provided by our pilot users.
Take the time to learn Canvas
The most prominent advice from pilot instructors was to take the time to learn Canvas. This theme was found in 50% of the written responses. These instructors highlighted the importance of learning how Canvas works, to gain an understanding how to structure the course and content and to get used to how it is different than Blackboard, as well as the fact that it takes time to do this and rebuild a course in Canvas.
This advice was also shared by students, with 22% of student responses containing this suggestion of taking time to learn Canvas. These students believed that their Canvas courses will run more smoothly if instructors spend some time learning about Canvas, or how specific features work in the LMS, such as grades, assignments, inbox, modules, discussion or Zoom.
“Take your time to explore this new system on top of all the other obligations that you have . . . your students will understand :)”
Canvas Pilot Student
"The professor I had this semester did a great job using Canvas and there was nothing that was set up strangely or inaccessible to me. I really liked how my professor had assignments broken out by week into separate 'modules.' It made it easy for me to see what was due each week and stay on top of my assignments."
Focus on organization
For the advice left by students for instructors, by far the most common theme was the advice for instructors to focus on organization in their courses. This theme was seen in 48% of the student responses. For these students, their comments advised instructors to focus on building organized courses, where it is clear and easy for students to find content and find where they need to turn in assignments.
Often students commented on the importance of building out structure and to make use of the modules area to organize course content and activities. Spending time to organize and structure a course was presented as a way to help reduce student confusion and help with keeping up with course work. Making use of due dates were also highlighted as useful advice, since these dates are added to the students’ calendars in Canvas and can help students keep track of what they need to do.
Help students with the new system
While our pilot users found Canvas to be easy to use, Canvas is still a new system for many and it takes a little time or assistance to learn how to use it. Student advice to instructors included that fact that instructors need to be aware of a student learning curve, or the fact students need to learn how to use Canvas as well. Other students suggested spending time in the course providing a background on Canvas or directing students to resources focused on getting started with Canvas. Students highlighted that clear communication is key. To do this, make use of the KU Template that provides students resources in Modules, or direct students to KU resources for Canvas.
"Canvas makes organizing a class super easy. The Module system within Canvas allows students to navigate and easily understand the when things are due within the class. If you spend time doing this well, then the class should be able to navigate Canvas 100 times better than Blackboard."
Learn More
If you are ready to get started with Canvas, log into the system or access KU resources at canvashelp.ku.edu. If you ever have any questions or issues with Canvas, feel free to reach out to KU IT Educational Technology at itedtech@ku.edu or at 785-864-2600.
Spring 2021 Canvas Pilot Survey Findings
The Canvas Pilot Surveys were both delivered through e-mail, and through Microsoft Teams (to instructors). For the mid-semester survey, 13 instructors completed the survey, resulting in a response rate of 30%, and 138 students completed the survey, for a response rate of 11%. For the end-of-semester survey, 12 instructors (27% response rate) and 191 students (15% response rate) completed the survey. Review full reports on the Canvas Pilot Mid-Semester and End-of-Semester surveys.