Canvas Blackboard Comparison

Drag and drop functionality makes it easy to add or change due dates and event times. Assignment shells can be created from the calendar.  

Canvas allows users to record audio and video to embed in pages, posts, messages, and grade feedback.  

Instructure provides round-the-clock help to users via phone, email, and chat.  

The option to publish a course in Canvas is on its home page (not deep in customization settings).

Navigation Menu

Course Navigation

Canvas course navigation links are uniform across courses, so students always know exactly what to expect on each page.

Instructors lay out all course content in one place grouped by units or weeks with optional scheduled release or prerequisites to view later materials.

Pages are always versioned in Canvas and may be used as the course home page. Attachments are easily linked inline using Content Selector.  

Canvas allows in-browser viewing of document types browsers typically do not display. Instructors can set previews to open automatically.

Files uploaded in a course are open to students by default. Instructors may restrict access to some or all files.

Instructors can views student activity reports and total time in course.

Groups can be accessed from the universal navigation menu.

Canvas models announcements on discussions, allowing students to reply.

Instructors can grade, pin, and close threads. Canvas posts replies to notification emails back to subscribed threads.

Each course has a text-only chat room that keeps a history.

Instructors can share audio, webcam video, live-annotated documents, and their computer screens.

Assignment shells are easily created from modules, calendar, or the assignment tool. The assignments tool shows graded discussions and quizzes, as well.

Canvas assignments allow Peer Review of submissions, including anonymous, automatic-matching, and manual-matching options.

Instructors can make assignment groups used to weight the final grade through the Assignments tool.

Instructors make assignments in Canvas for work submitted on paper, then enter scores and comments in Grades.

Instructors can easily review and annotate submissions from the assignment or grades tools.

Students can see how future assignments would affect their final grade with What-If grades.

Canvas allows criteria ratings scales to vary in number of increments.

Moderating quizzes is easy and works even for ongoing attempts.

Anonymous surveys deployed quickly, graded or ungraded.

Canvas does not have built-in blogging. Assignments are a great way to collect student journal entries.

Collaborations creates a Google Doc for selected students to edit.