Canvas LMS Reviews

“Organized classes and collaboration”

Pros

Canvas keeps everything laid out in a way that makes sense to me. From the home page, I can quickly view all of my classes along with assignments and projects in order of priority which helps me stay on top of things. It also offers real-time communication with professors and classmates, making it really convenient to collaborate on assignments and group projects.

Cons

I don't have any real complaints. The platform is organized in a way that works well for me and is easy to understand so there's really nothing personal for me to criticize.

“Reliable course management tool”

Pros

Navigating this tool is not a problem and it does an excellent job of keeping courses organized while supporting clear communication between students and instructors. The assignments, grading features and collaboration tools all work dependably and make day-to-day course management much easier.

Cons

A few features seem buried in the menus and there are occasional bugs when updates roll out. Courses with a lot of users or content can also take a bit longer to load.

“Has powerful customization options”

Pros

Everything in this app is very well organized and simple to navigate. It also includes a wide range of features that make customization possible in lots of different ways.

Cons

The part I like least is that the price is pretty high. That said, the cost does reflect all of the customizable features it offers.

“fantastic course management platform”

Pros

Navigating and managing student courses in it is very easy and team collaboration is simple to handle. I haven't run into any bugs or issues while using it which has made the experience even better. The customer support is excellent and it really offers great value for the price. On top of that organizing courses and finding exactly what you need is incredibly simple.

Cons

Honestly I cannot point to anything I dislike. It's an awesome platform and very easy to use and even if something does get confusing, help is always available when you need it.

“class management tool for everyone”

Pros

One of the best parts is that admins, teachers, students and parents can all use this platform to keep up with classes and assignments in one place.

Cons

New freshmen can take a little time to get used to the software when they first start using it.

“organized and user friendly workflow”

Pros

It is user friendly and well organized and it makes handling assignments, grades and communication really simple.

Cons

This tool can be slow, the menus feel cluttered and the notifications can get overwhelming. I can get confused when putting projects together.

“Allows complete course management”

Pros

Working with Canvas at our school has been really convenient because it lets me manage multiple student courses in one place. Setting up a course shell and tailoring it for each class is also not a problem which saves a lot of time. The customer service team is also very responsive and helpful when supporting both teachers and parents.

Cons

The grading system is not the best as it can be difficult to navigate because there are so many grading options available. That tends to be confusing for parents. The symbols used for things like missing work or assignments that are still being graded also aren't very clear so parents often misunderstand what they mean.

“clean layout and helpful tools”

Pros

Using this tool throughout my entire college experience at two different schools, I always thought the platform looked polished, clean and very user-friendly. It made keeping up with coursework for each class simple and communicating with instructors was just as convenient. I never had to pay separately to use this tool so I assume that cost was built into the course fees. There were occasional bugs or minor issues here and there but they were usually fixed within a day or even sooner.

Cons

There were a few times when I needed to reach out to customer support to sort out an issue and that process wasn't always the easiest. Still, compared with support teams from other platforms, their support was less frustrating to deal with.

“easy access and helpful gradebook”

Pros

Whether I am on the website or checking things from my phone, I find it very accessible. The interface is also good and user friendly and I also like that schools can add their own logo to the sidebar so the platform feels branded for students. Another really useful feature is being able to enter scores for assignments in the gradebook and preview what my overall class grade would look like before the instructor has posted anything.

Cons

One thing that can be confusing is how it automatically labels assignments as late, even when the course never required an online submission in the first place. The instructor side could use better design here especially by prompting teachers to specify whether an assignment actually needs a submission so students know clearly if they are expected to turn something in or not.

“fantastic for assignments and grading”

Pros

Canvas has been an excellent fit for our school. I have been using it for more than eight years and it has been extremely useful for both students and teachers. Keeping track of assignments, scoring work, collaborating and handling grading are all standout features of this tool.

Cons

The issue comes up when students want to look back at feedback on an assignment. Depending on the device they're using, that feedback can sometimes be difficult to see.

“versatile hub for class content”

Pros

It works really well as a flexible platform for my classes especially since I can bring in my Google Docs and Slides without much hassle. It lets me link worksheets, videos and other materials quickly when I am putting together assignments.

Cons

One limitation is that a lot of the apps you can connect to it aren't always accessible, since availability often depends on having the right subscription.

“Helpful dashboard for classes”

Pros

This tool has been proven excellent for my classes. The to-do dashboard really helps me stay on top of assignments and I appreciate that each instructor can set up their course in their own way which makes every class feel a little different and unique.

Cons

Graded work doesn't appear on the dashboard even though it's due weekly within the modules. I wish there were a way to assign certain pages to specific days as a kind of remember this task reminder, even when it doesn't automatically treat it as an assignment.

“clean design and smart layout”

Pros

Compared with other learning management systems like Blackboard, this one looks much better and its ergonomic settings make it very comfortable to use.

Cons

After using this one for years, I'd still say the learning curve can feel pretty steep for newcomers.

“User friendly tools and navigation”

Pros

The platform has a very user friendly, digital-first design and the navigation is also natural. The built-in notifications are also customizable which is something I really like.

Cons

One thing that gets frustrating is how many notifications still come through. Even after setting it up to allow only certain alerts on specific devices during certain times, I still end up getting too many notifications for small, minor updates.

“Great for teaching”

Pros

Canvas is easy to use for both teachers and students. It offers many ways to share course content and keep people engaged. Moving courses from one year to the next or even between teachers is very convenient.

Cons

Setting everything up can take some work at the beginning. Building out modules and tailoring them for different teaching situations, like graduate versus undergraduate classes or online versus in-person formats, can be pretty time-consuming.

“helpful task list, annoying bugs”

Pros

One thing that's really useful about Canvas is that it shows an overall list of everything you still need to do, instead of forcing you to open each course one by one to check for assignments.

Cons

It runs into a lot of bugs. There are times when it doesn't register that an assignment was submitted which creates confusion for users and usually leads to a lot of unnecessary emails to the instructor.

“organized and reliable software”

Pros

I must say it has been excellent to use both in college and graduate school. The layout is well organized, everything is simple to access and it keeps assignments and grades across multiple classes clear and manageable.

Cons

The commenting and discussion board features work well enough but they could feel more collaborative. I have also run into upload issues with them before which can be frustrating.

“Provides everything in one space”

Pros

Having everything in one central place with Canvas really makes a difference. The dashboard and overall interface are laid out in a way that feels familiar and after using it as a student at several different organizations over the years, I appreciate that they all look and work pretty much the same. That consistency is incredibly convenient.

Cons

At times the administrators using it didn't seem to have enough training and that affected how polished or user-friendly the experience was for the people on the receiving end.

“flexible dashboard and tracking”

Pros

It runs really well on both my laptop and phone which makes it convenient to use anywhere. I also enjoy being able to customize my dashboard and the submission and scheduling tools work effectively and help me stay organized and on track.

Cons

I feel like the thing that could make it even better is adding a rewards-based system for younger students to help keep them engaged on the app.

“helpful for staying organized”

Pros

This software keeps my classes organized and helps me stay on top of my work. I have used it to complete assignments and create practice tests and it does both really well.

Cons

There are times when it feels a little tricky to navigate but overall I enjoy using it and it rarely causes any problems.