What people complain about in Canvas LMS
19 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
- 19
- Avg severity
- 3.4/5
- 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
- Automated nudges and reminders to students about missing work
- Insights into student motivation and barriers to completion
- A tool that automatically filters relevant sessions based on teacher profile
- Conflict detection that prevents scheduling overlapping sessions in the same content area
- Scalable AI detection tool with definitive proof to support zero grades
- Automated workflow for conducting academic integrity interviews or checks
- Automatic synchronization between LMS and gradebook systems
- Centralized dashboard for teacher tasks, emails, and training modules
- Integrated teacher preparation and on-boarding resources for new teachers
- Automated access code generation and rotation tied to class schedules
- Real-time student engagement monitoring system with alerts for off-task behavior
- Automated parent messaging and progress updates to reduce manual communication
- Integrated device management that adapts restrictions based on assignment requirements
- Google Classroom lacks section/period grouping within a single course, forcing creation of duplicate classrooms.
- Reliable account management and data persistence for educational apps
- 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
- Automatic classroom photo capture and distribution system that does not require teacher's manual intervention
- 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
- 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
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
- Shows grade book with red missing assignments to students
- Asks students directly what would help them turn in assignments
- Spending half an hour navigating the PD system to find applicable sessions
- Manually checking for session time conflicts
- Meeting suspected students 1:1 to discuss their work
- Returning to pen and paper assessments (in-person)
- Manually entering grades in both Canvas and PowerSchool
- Staying 3 hours after school to catch up on duplicate work
- Using voice-to-text app to write posts due to fatigue
- Manually creates and changes access codes for each assignment every class period and end of day
- Uses LanSchool to manually limit websites to selected apps
- Physically walks around to monitor student activity and answer questions
- Sends individual reminders and responds to parent messages about access codes
- 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
- teacher uses personal phone to take photos of students during class
- teacher manually posts pictures on Canvas or Talking Points for parents
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 & PerformanceGradeContinuityMiddle school algebra teacher struggles with low assignment completion rates despite multiple incentives, leading to many failing students and potential administrative scrutiny.
4HighEducationStudent Engagement & ParticipationTurnIn TriumphA 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 ProVirtual teacher cannot detect or prove AI-written student work, leading to overwhelming grading burden and loss of academic integrity.
4HighEducationAcademic Integrity & AI Detection False PositivesAuthentiCheck AIFirst-year teacher is overwhelmed by managing multiple disconnected digital tools (Canvas LMS and PowerSchool gradebook) that do not sync, leading to excessive time spent on administrative tasks and compounding stress from difficult student behavior and lack of training.
4HighEducationSoftware Integration & CompatibilitySyncGrade HubA middle school ELA teacher struggles to maintain academic integrity on Canvas assignments while managing parent and student demands for after-hours access codes, leading to frustration and off-task behavior.
4HighEducationAcademic Integrity & AI Detection False PositivesClassLock Integrity ManagerTeacher forced to switch from Canvas to Google Classroom must manage 8 separate classrooms across 3 subjects, finding it overwhelming and inefficient.
4HighEducationClassroom ManagementClassMerge ProTeacher cannot access previously created Kahoot assignments and student results because their account disappeared after logging in via Google.
4HighEducationSoftware Reliability & PerformanceClassFlow 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 StudentTeachers who lack basic computer skills burden colleagues by repeatedly asking how to use learning management system features.
3MediumEducationTraining & OnboardingEduLift CoachCanvas LMS has become unreliable after a security incident, with frequent error messages and broken grading rubrics.
3MediumEducationSoftware Reliability & PerformanceGradeGuardTeachers, 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 AdjustTrackerHigh school math teacher needs a way to manage paper homework without being overwhelmed by the volume from 5 classes daily.
3MediumEducationAssignment Management & GradingPaperFlowTeachers are frustrated with the expectation to use smartphones for taking class photos and responding to parent messages, adding unpaid, non-teaching work.
3MediumEducationClient Communication & ExperienceClassSnapA 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 spend excessive time creating lesson plans from scratch instead of efficiently adapting existing quality materials.
3MediumEducationClassroom ManagementLessonFlow ExchangeAn educator is unsure how to effectively use limited lecture time, torn between traditional lectures and flipped classroom models, and concerned about low student engagement with pre-class online content.
3MediumEducationInstructional Tools & TechnologyPrepEngageTeacher needs an efficient way to communicate with parents of failing students, ensuring they understand the issues and access available information.
2MildEducationCommunicationParentBridgeTeachers 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 & AssessmentGradeContext
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