Canvas and Blackboard are famous learning management software used by schools and businesses. Educational institutions and corporate sectors often use these LMS software products. Many well-known universities have switched from Blackboard to Canvas. In this blog, we will compare Canvas vs Blackboard and tell you all about these amazing LMS software so you can choose one according to your needs.
Canvas vs. Blackboard
In 2008, Devlin Daley and Brian Whitmer started Canvas. By 2011, Canvas had become open-source software. However, Blackboard was created in 1997 by Michael Chasen, Matthew Pittinsky, Daniel Cane, and Stephen Gilfus. It was initially intended for academic institutions. By 2006, about 40% of schools in the United States used Blackboard. In 2005, it became an official Learning Management System and was used for corporate purposes. Now, it is called Blackboard Learn.
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Who Is Canvas For?
Canvas is very secure, open-source software. It is great for business and meeting learning goals. It works for big and complex needs. You can create multiple interfaces for different user groups. However, it does not have e-commerce functionality to sell courses.
Canvas is not the ideal solution if you want something easier to use. Experienced LMS users and those with web development resources can unlock its full potential. Instructure offers onboarding training to help get up to speed. There are two versions: Canvas Corporate and Canvas Bridge.
Who Is Blackboard For?
Blackboard has a strong educational background and is a great LMS. It began as open-source but sold that version in 2020. Now, Blackboard’s LMS for business training is called Learn Ultra. It works well for big companies but does not have built-in e-commerce for selling courses online.
Compared to Canvas, Blackboard may lack some new features and needs better user experience and design. However, it is a good option for large training needs. It offers many training materials to help you create a good learning environment.
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Canvas vs Blackboard: Comparison
Let’s compare canvas vs blackboard in detail:
Assessments
Canvas and Blackboard both help teachers and students with assessments. Canvas lets teachers make quizzes, online assessments, and surveys. They can set questions, give grades, and choose the date of availability, length of exam time, and number of attempts. Blackboard allows instructors to administer tests, customize questions, and use past quizzes that can be reused, reordered, or set as timed tests.
Mobile Accessibility
The Canvas mobile app lets students submit assignments and annotate documents. Teachers can access assignments and annotations. It also has a dashboard, calendar, and to-do list for important information. Blackboard’s mobile application lets learners join virtual classes, take assessments, and get notified of due dates and quizzes.
Virtual Learning
In Canvas, students and teachers can have virtual classroom discussions. They can schedule online sessions, collaborate in real-time, team up in groups, work on documents, and share files. Blackboard has a Digital Classroom for online teaching with web conferencing tools for learners and instructors to interact and share materials.
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Canvas vs. Blackboard: Integrations
Canvas and Blackboard both offer many integrations, making them useful for schools and businesses. Canvas works with:
- Anti-plagiarism tools
- School information systems
- Google Apps
- Microsoft
- Video conferencing software.
These integrations help schools and businesses use their favourite tools easily within Canvas.
Blackboard also connects with many pre-selected apps like:
- Microsoft OneDrive
- Moodle LMS
- Dropbox
- Epsilen
- ItsLearning
- Sakai Collaborative
- Desire2Learn
These tools help both schools and companies manage and share content. With these integrations, Blackboard makes it easy to create a good learning environment for everyone.
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Final Thoughts
When choosing between Canvas and Blackboard, think about their capabilities. Canvas is good for schools, colleges, and universities. It has built-in video conferencing and many integrations. It is a better choice for businesses needing a strong learning system.
Blackboard is best for businesses and corporations that need a reliable LMS. It offers web conferencing integration and a good mobile application. Both have different features, so pick the one that fits your organization’s needs.
