What people complain about in Canvas LMS
13 reported problems name Canvas LMS as what the person is currently using. Below is what they said was missing, and what they resorted to instead.
- Complaints
- 13
- Avg severity
- 3.5/5
- Would pay to fix
- 1
- Industries
- 1
What they wish it did
Capabilities people described needing that Canvas LMS does not give them, taken from the highest-scoring problems first. These are individual accounts written in each person’s own terms, so two entries may describe the same underlying gap in different words.
- Offline-capable grade submission app with sync
- A tool that automatically filters relevant sessions based on teacher profile
- Conflict detection that prevents scheduling overlapping sessions in the same content area
- Reliable account management and data persistence for educational apps
- Google Classroom lacks section/period grouping within a single course, forcing creation of duplicate classrooms.
- Classroom scanner with automatic delivery to student accounts
- Integrated scanner app that works without student phones
- In-app contextual training that replaces coworker Q&A for common LMS tasks
- Centralized repository of vetted, adaptable lesson plans from educators
- Tools for quickly customizing existing lesson plans for different classrooms
- Integration between lesson planning tools and learning management systems
- A Canvas-specific code preview tool that shows how HTML/CSS/JS renders inside Canvas before downloading
- A simple clipboard or library for storing and transferring custom Canvas code between districts
- Automatic classroom photo capture and distribution system that does not require teacher's manual intervention
- Automated assignment weight display and contextual grade explanation to reduce grade disputes
- Automated nudges and reminders to students about missing work
- Insights into student motivation and barriers to completion
What they do instead
The manual processes people built around the gap. A long workaround list is the strongest evidence a problem is real: someone is already paying for it in time. Where several people described the same workaround, it is marked.
- total analog mode, can't tell who has submitted what
- Spending half an hour navigating the PD system to find applicable sessions
- Manually checking for session time conflicts
- students upload work outside of school using camscanner
- students take picture with webcam
- asks coworkers repeatedly how to create assignments
- relies on colleagues to explain how to set an external URL
- Using ChatGPT for lesson planning despite it taking too long
- Finding and adapting lesson plans from past teachers or coworkers manually
- Searching for materials from teachers at similar schools
- manually copying and saving code from Canvas to reuse in a new district
- browsing GitHub for Canvas code without being able to preview it
- teacher uses personal phone to take photos of students during class
- teacher manually posts pictures on Canvas or Talking Points for parents
- Teachers consider making a rubric to explain grading, but find it tiresome to sandbag against grade gremlins
- Shows grade book with red missing assignments to students
- Asks students directly what would help them turn in assignments
Industries
The problems themselves
Highest opportunity score first.
School is completely locked out of its grade submission system during a critical deadline window due to a cloud outage, unable to see who has submitted what.
5CriticalEducationSoftware Reliability & PerformanceGradeContinuityA chemistry teacher cannot attend both the chemistry and AP chemistry professional development sessions because they were scheduled at the same time, leaving them without subject-specific collaboration opportunities.
4HighEducationScheduling & BookingPD Scheduler ProTeacher cannot access previously created Kahoot assignments and student results because their account disappeared after logging in via Google.
4HighEducationSoftware Reliability & PerformanceClassFlow ProTeacher forced to switch from Canvas to Google Classroom must manage 8 separate classrooms across 3 subjects, finding it overwhelming and inefficient.
4HighEducationClassroom ManagementClassMerge ProA teacher in a no-phone district needs a way to digitize students' handwritten math work for submission into the LMS without using student phones.
4HighEducationDocument ManagementClassroomScan to StudentHigh school math teacher needs a way to manage paper homework without being overwhelmed by the volume from 5 classes daily.
3MediumEducationAssignment Management & GradingPaperFlowTeachers, especially in special education, need a way to track and document NCCD adjustments but are unsure if Canvas tagging can effectively meet this compliance requirement in an online learning environment.
3MediumEducationDocumentationNCCD AdjustTrackerTeachers who lack basic computer skills burden colleagues by repeatedly asking how to use learning management system features.
3MediumEducationTraining & OnboardingEduLift CoachTeachers spend excessive time creating lesson plans from scratch instead of efficiently adapting existing quality materials.
3MediumEducationClassroom ManagementLessonFlow ExchangeA teacher cannot easily preview, copy, and transfer custom Canvas LMS code (HTML/CSS/JS) from one district to another, losing instructional content and design work.
3MediumEducationContent ManagementCanvas Code ClosetTeachers are frustrated with the expectation to use smartphones for taking class photos and responding to parent messages, adding unpaid, non-teaching work.
3MediumEducationClient Communication & ExperienceClassSnapTeachers need a way to communicate that a low score on a small assignment does not reflect overall student performance, to prevent grade disputes from students and parents.
2MildEducationGrading & AssessmentGradeContextMiddle school algebra teacher struggles with low assignment completion rates despite multiple incentives, leading to many failing students and potential administrative scrutiny.
4HighEducationStudent Engagement & ParticipationTurnIn Triumph
Read this fairly
These are complaints, and only complaints — nobody posts to say their software worked. A high count mostly reflects how many people use Canvas LMS at all, so this page is not a quality judgement and should not be read as one. What it is good for is the shape of the gaps: the specific jobs people could not get done, which are the same whether the tool is popular or not.
Folded from: Canvas, Canvas (LMS), canvas