Over the last several months, many instructors on campus have come together to take a look at Blackboard and its competition. The decision was made by the faculty committee to conduct a pilot using Instructure Canvas, an open-source learning management system (LMS), which has experienced tremendous growth in the last couple of years. The faculty have recommended that the campus make the leap from Blackboard to Canvas. So, what do our students think?

As a part of that pilot, I decided to take the bull by the horns and try out the testing capabilities in Canvas. I had already given online assessments using Blackboard and Moodle at S&T and elsewhere. This spring, I provided assessments using Blackboard, Instructure Canvas, and Qualtrics, a survey tool available on campus.

At the end of the course, I surveyed my students and let’s just say that the numbers speak for themselves. Our students like Canvas as much as our instructors do!