Canvas LMS Reviews

“All in one course hub”

Pros

Having everything centralized in Canvas makes student life much more organized. As a learner I can check assignments, announcements, grades and messages all in one place instead of switching between different tools. The interface also stays pretty consistent from one class to another which cuts down on confusion. From the instructor side, it's also a great platform for handling courses, content and communication in an academic environment. It keeps materials, assignments and messages together and works reliably for structured learning. Overall it is very user-friendly.

Cons

The downside is that it can start to feel cluttered depending on how each instructor builds their course. Notifications may also become a bit too much and when a class isn't organized clearly, it can be hard to tell where certain materials are located.

“Top platform for courses”

Pros

Using this tool is very easy whether I am taking courses or working as an instructor. The layout is simple to follow and it works really well as a platform for just about everyone.

Cons

At times the calendar can be a little confusing and I lose my place in it but most of the time the system is still easy to navigate and use in any situation.

“design is top class”

Pros

Canvas is a very user-friendly learning management system with a visual interface that's simple to navigate. Plus it brings different types of learning together well and the variety of templates makes it much easier for new users to build assignments, quizzes and discussion prompts.

Cons

The gradebook in it can feel somewhat complicated and even a little overwhelming for new instructors at first. Its HTML editor also isn't strong enough for designers who want more creative control.

“assignment setup was easy”

Pros

Updating and adding assignments is really easy. I am also able to link assignments directly to the home pages of the courses I teach without much effort. Uploading worksheets, whether they're PDFs or Word documents, into assignments is just as simple which makes managing course materials much more convenient.

Cons

Only thing that gets frustrating is when assignments need different open, due or close dates for separate course sections, because I have to set them up individually. It also makes me choose all three dates for every section, even in cases where the close date is exactly the same across all of them.

“well-structured and student-friendly”

Pros

Everything is organized and clearly laid out from a student's perspective. It's very well structured and checking grades is simple which is honestly one of the most important things for students.

Cons

Updates or system maintenance bring the entire app down for a few hours. Instructors usually understand when that happens but it can still be frustrating sometimes.

“versatile pages and reliable tracking”

Pros

Canvas works as a very flexible LMS especially when it comes to hosting and creating different kinds of files. The feature I appreciated most was being able to build pages that linked out to materials from multiple resources. As long as those links remained active, users could open and access them without trouble. Another big advantage was how much user activity it could track, including login times, session length and progress on required assignment items. It also kept up with scores which made record keeping really important and much more manageable.

Cons

One part that was less appealing was page creation, since getting pages to look exactly the way you wanted often required some coding knowledge. I was able to handle that because I have coding experience so I could set things up the way I wanted them to look and function. Still some of my colleagues struggled with this quite a bit. Without that technical background, they had a harder time creating the design they were aiming for.

“Offer great value”

Pros

Considering the value for money, Canvas has been outstanding. It's user-friendly, the customer support has been excellent and both student course management and overall course management work really well. I also haven't run into any bugs or issues, though I cannot really comment on the employee management side.

Cons

There isn't anything I can say I like less about this software. Even the mobile app is useful and works really well.

“Like to have my coursework in one place”

Pros

It does the best job of keeping all my schoolwork together in one place and letting me jump right back in where I stopped. As a college student, I rely on it a lot for my classes. The platform is also very simple to use and moving between courses while keeping everything organized in one spot is very easy too.

Cons

There have been a few glitches and bugs while using it. That said, I have never had to reach out to customer support for anything. Even with those issues, I still think it's better than a lot of other software out there.

“well organized classes and messaging now”

Pros

Getting comfortable with Canvas didn't take long at all. Within about thirty minutes, I had a good grasp of how everything was laid out. Being able to email instructors directly from the platform is really convenient since I don't have to open a separate tab for my email. I also appreciate that every course has its own link which keeps all my classes organized nicely.

Cons

Honestly there isn't anything that comes to mind that I dislike. My school used a different platform before and it is much easier to navigate by comparison. The old system also seemed to update too often and those updates would sometimes lock users out which was really frustrating.

“organized courses all in one place”

Pros

This tool is really easy to navigate and everything feels well organized. It keeps courses, assignments and communication together in one place which makes learning and collaboration feel simple and efficient.

Cons

At times the notifications can be overwhelming or just as easy to miss and some features like the grading and messaging tools can feel a little confusing at first.

“reliable course management platform”

Pros

Canvas has been an excellent platform for teaching courses. It helps students stay organized across multiple classes without much hassle. The customer support is strong and the video and audio tools are generally reliable and mostly free of bugs or technical problems.

Cons

One drawback is that it can be tricky to integrate it well with email accounts. That can create problems especially for university students.

“course organization with some friction”

Pros

Having everything centralized and organized by course is one of the better parts of the platform. It makes it simple to check grades, assignments and students for each class in one place. The built-in messaging system is also a helpful feature when you need to communicate internally.

Cons

It is a bit confusing at times especially when managing larger classes. Sometimes pages do not load properly so I end up refreshing and trying again. Creating new assignments can also be frustrating because everything has to be coded very precisely.

“helpful parent-school connection”

Pros

Canvas software is very easy to use, even as someone completely new to it. It's simple to use and I can check everything related to my son's school and see how he's doing in each class. It really feels like a collaboration tool that keeps teachers and parents connected.

Cons

The only thing I haven't figured out is how to contact customer service so that part is unclear to me.

“user friendly after the learning curve”

Pros

This tool became really user friendly once I got used to it. There was a bit of a learning curve at first but after I got into the rhythm, it was very easy to use.

Cons

Setting up my class took a little time in the beginning but after watching a couple of YouTube videos and getting familiar with the layout, it turned out to be really good.

“Reliable Learning Hub but Weak Search Function”

Pros

Canvas by Instructure did its main job really well which was to give students in the program one single, reliable platform to access all of their educational materials.

Cons

The search function in Canvas never gave me the results I was looking for. Some tasks also required inconvenient workarounds that felt unnecessary.

“Incredibly user-friendly for classes”

Pros

The platform is incredibly user-friendly and keeps all my classes organized in one spot. Jumping between courses to turn in assignments or watch lectures is a smooth process too.

Cons

Submitting assignments through the app can be glitchy as sometimes the document just would not upload and I'd have to start the whole process over, which got annoying.

“Our main hub for learning”

Pros

Our company relies on Canvas as the main hub for learning, using it to manage courses and make it easy to build in-house training and run blended learning sessions live.

Cons

The platform is not as customizable as some other options I have seen, though it is not a major problem for me since I do not use it very often.

“simple to manage for students”

Pros

This LMS is simple to manage and the course layout is simple for students to navigate. They can move between modules without trouble, check due dates and look over their assignments. The sync with our SIS, PowerSchool, works well with few glitches and the support team is helpful when we have an issue.

Cons

Setting up the grade passback feature to sync with our LMS involves too many steps for teachers. Plus it would be much better if this could be pushed out globally in a simpler way.

“Great for seeing class scores”

Pros

We could see how our exam or assignment score compared to the rest of the class. There was also a What if feature to calculate the grades you'd need on future work to achieve a specific final grade.

Cons

It was frustrating when the system would mark placeholder assignments that did not even carry any credit as late just because nothing was submitted by a certain date.

“clean and adaptable look”

Pros

My favorite thing about Canvas is its clean, uncluttered look combined with how adaptable the software is when you are using it.

Cons

The reporting tools are too complex and difficult to understand especially for someone who is new to the platform.