LMS Review | Frequently Asked Questions

The LMS review process resulted in overwhelming support from faculty, students, and deans for a change from Blackboard Learn to Canvas. This recommendation reflects faculty and student enthusiasm for key features including Canvas’s focus on accessibility, robust student performance analytics, options to automate notifications to students related to performance, user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, video feedback tool, enhanced assessment features, strong mobile app, and extensive array of third-party integration options that have the potential to greatly enhance the tools SLU faculty may use in their courses.

The University explored three industry-standard LMS tools: Blackboard Learn Ultra, Canvas (from Instructure), and Brightspace (from Desire2Learn). All three companies conducted demos and meetings in the fall of 2018, with sessions for faculty on both the Frost and the health sciences campuses, sessions for students, and sessions for faculty and staff leading the review process. Additionally, members of LTAC and the LMS Review Working Group were given access to “sandbox” environments so they could try out each product.

No. While the School of Medicine uses Canvas, that decision did not influence the LMS review process. The recommendation to move to Canvas was based solely on the features and functionality of the tool and on faculty and student feedback. While LMS Review Working Group and LTAC members saw it as a benefit to have all schools and colleges on the same LMS, it was not a determining factor for the recommendation. Only faculty members and students were allowed to vote on the recommendation, and faculty and students engaged in the review process overwhelmingly chose Canvas.

There will be initial costs involved in the change from Blackboard to Canvas. However, over time, the licensing costs for running Canvas are actually projected to decrease from current Blackboard costs. It’s important to note that cost was not a driving factor behind the review. Ultimately the University needs a robust, user-friendly LMS, and SLU faculty, students, deans, and senior administrators have expressed the need for a change in LMS.

In addition to a standard set of features for any LMS (for example, the ability to create and share content, to integrate grades with other University systems, and to engage students in online discussion and collaborative activities), LTAC prioritized a number of other features identified as important to the SLU community, including (but not limited to): increased accessibility features, ability to track outcomes in support of institutional assessment and accreditation, ease of use on mobile devices, enhanced multimedia features, integration with other systems, and general ease of use. LTAC also considered feedback collected via surveys and in-person discussions colleges/schools, with students, and with other relevant campus stakeholders.

The review was led by the Learning Technologies Advisory Committee, in conjunction with the Distance Education Committee, and was coordinated by an LMS Review Working Group. These groups are comprised primarily of faculty members representing their colleges/schools. LTAC also includes student representatives. Some ex-officio, non-voting members also serve on LTAC as support resources for the faculty and student representatives. It is important to note that the recommendation to move to Canvas was the result of votes by faculty and students only.