Canvas Perception Survey 2025

Introduction

Earlier this year, the Centre for Teaching Learning & Technology (CTLT) conducted a Canvas Perception Survey that was open for two weeks. The survey was open for two weeks, publicised via a message to teachers on the Canvas Dashboard.

139 instructors participated in the survey.

The dipstick survey consisted of two questions:

1. How does the respondent feel about Canvas?

2. What is one thing the respondent would like to add or improve in Canvas?

Canvas perception

We asked respondents about how they felt about Canvas.

The response was positive, with 90% rating Canvas Awesome, Great or Average (top three out of five ratings). Notably, 72% rated Canvas as Awesome or Great (the top two ratings).

Areas of improvement

We also asked an open-ended question about what respondents would like to add or improve in Canvas.

Word cloud

A word cloud of the most frequently-mentioned terms highlights common concerns.

Open

The terms "group" and "groups" were mentioned most frequently, often in relation to other tools. This is an area where we have been in ongoing communication with Instructure, Canvas’s parent company. Most of the feedback about Groups are things that we have brought up, for example: open/close dates for sign-ups, easier creation of groups based on sections, and the user interface. We understand that Instructure is actively working on revamping the Groups feature, and we hope to see our feedback implemented.

Feedback by tools

The feedback was categorized according to Canvas functionalities. The top three areas identified were: user interface, People, and Grades.

Comments about Canvas's interface ranged from general observations to specific suggestions. As an off-the-shelf software, our ability to influence this area is limited. However, we aim to gather more detailed feedback, where necessary, to relay to Instructure.

The feedback about People had two common themes - access to information about students and organisation of sections. The latter, which is also an interface matter, has been noted. To enhance access to student information, we launched NUS Tools in the first half of 2024, allowing users to export rosters (by class, if needed) along with various demographic data.

Lastly, we received a range of feedback about Grades, with two recurring themes.

The first relates to the display of only letter grades. This has been on our radar since the beginning of Canvas usage at NUS. Instructure indicated they were working on this, but the implementation was an all-or-nothing approach. Users could either display all grades in a course as quantitative data (points) or hide quantitative data altogether (showing only letter grades). We opted not to enable this feature, as it did not address the feedback received - the letter grades option, which is chosen at assignment level, should only show the letter grades. We continue to collaborate with Instructure on this matter.

The second feedback item, which we are also addressing with Instructure, is the ability to post comments and feedback independently.

Moving forward

For those who have permitted us to reach out, we will engage in conversations for a deeper exploration of their feedback and to share what actions have been taken or if solutions are already in place.

We thank everyone who participated in the first Canvas Perception Survey.