How did UBC choose Canvas?

UBC has selected Canvas to replace Connect as our primary learning management system. But how did the university make this decision?

Starting in July 2016, several committees were struck to determine how we could make the most of learning technology at UBC. Through surveys and focus groups conducted with students and faculty members across UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan, the wants and needs of the UBC community were compiled. (If you’re interested, you can read more about the findings from this outreach.) Instructors’ and students’ input was used to take a list of eleven vendors down to a final two—and one of those systems was Canvas.

Both systems were piloted in actual UBC classes to gather student and faculty feedback. Usability studies were also carried out on both campuses to determine how logical and user-friendly students found each system to be. After evaluating both systems, Canvas was found to best meet the needs of UBC students and faculty and was selected as the replacement for Connect.

UBC is in pretty good company with this decision. Canvas is used by more than 2,000 universities, school districts, and institutions worldwide, including many other large research universities. It’s designed to connect learners and instructors in a natural way, emphasising user experience, by using clean graphics, a simple layout, and logical language. This helps users focus on the content being delivered, rather than the system delivering it. It’s really an exciting time for learning tech at UBC!

– Kristen Morgan, UBCO Physics student

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