Canvas has 1:1 equivalents for most iLearn features. You will find a comparison chart of Blackboard iLearn and Canvas features with related videos and links on this page.
Blackboard iLearn
Canvas
How do I use this Tool in Canvas?
Announcements
Announcements
Users can receive announcement notifications via email, in the Canvas App, on their Canvas Dashboard, or the Course Home page
Students can comment or like an announcement if the setting is enabled
Canvas uses SpeedGrader, which provides inline grading abilities. Instructors can comment, markup, and grade a document without downloading a student’s submission
By creating an Assignment, you automatically add it to the Assignment page, the Syllabus, and the Calendar. If updated, all links are updated automatically
To create a column in the Gradebook, you must create an assignment. Graded Discussions will also appear in Assignments and the Gradebook.
The SpeedGrader tool displays submitted assignments, grading rubric, and media commenting in a single interface, which does not require downloading student file submissions.
Canvas courses are unpublished by default; you must publish your course before students can access it. Once a course has been published, it cannot be unpublished.
Private messages appear in your Inbox within Canvas; notifications will push out to Email, text message, or social media, depending on student settings.
Messages can include file attachments, webcam recordings, media uploads, or plain text.
By default, students receive Email for every announcement and message; however, students can control in a granular way how and when they receive messaging.
Canvas's Student View, like iLearn, enrolls a test student into the course; however, it does not prompt you to remove the student when exiting Student View.
Quizzes are automatically submitted if it is a timed assessment. You can change the Quiz timer (i.e., Moderated) for individual students to allow for extended time on published quizzes. Like Blackboard, instructors can allow an additional attempt for a single student; however, Canvas calls this moderating.
You can edit tests after students begin submitting attempts and are automatically re-graded.
You can set up Quizzes as practice or graded quizzes (i.e., practice quizzes do not count in students’ final grades). You can also set up Surveys to be graded.
Canvas Features without Blackboard iLearn Equivalents
Attendance Tool
Easily record attendance using a class list or seating chart.
An Assignment will automatically appear in Assignments titled “Roll Call.”
The percentage that displays is automatically updated as days progress depending on whether the student is present or absent.
Collaborations
Provides a way for instructors to integrate the use of Google Docs within their course.
Collaborations allow users to collaborate on a single instance of the same document.
Conferences
Similar to Zoom, Conferences allow for sharing webcam, voice, chat, whiteboard, and desktop sharing.
Syllabus
When you set up due dates for Assignments, Discussions, and Quizzes, Canvas automatically populates the due dates at the bottom of the Syllabus page. These dates also appear on the Calendar.
You can edit the top of the Syllabus page to share files, paste in formatted text, or link to specific course content.
There are many reasons Canvas adoption continues to grow within Higher Education. Canvas is dependable, rich with features, and intuitive. Canvas can be integrated with university systems and data sources, and with relevant third-party applications.
Here are some reasons why instructors will love Canvas:
Simplified Gradebook
The Gradebook helps instructors easily view and enter grades for students. Grades for each assignment can be viewed as points, percentage, complete or incomplete, GPA scale, or letter grade.
The primary tool that instructors use for grading is called SpeedGrader, and it can be used to give students feedback (text as well as audio/video comments) on any assignment, online quiz, or graded discussion. Annotation tools are also available for file submission assignments.
Course analytics will prove useful in determining how students react to course activities; seeing which students are at-risk and need help; and viewing how effective your teaching strategies are with students.
