Case Study: Palo Alto University achieves smooth migration and improved student success with Canvas LMS

Ease of Use With Canvas LMS Helps University Overcome Fears of Migration and Focus on Student Success

Palo Alto University, a private, research-focused university in California, faced a forced LMS change after using Pearson LearningStudio for five years. The old system was reliable but clunky, lacked meaningful analytics for student success, and left faculty worried about losing content and functionality during migration. Administrators needed a more intuitive, feature-rich platform that students and faculty would actually use.

After consulting peers and the Canvas Community, Palo Alto adopted Canvas in 2016 and completed a smooth migration. Canvas’ intuitive interface, SpeedGrader, calendars, rubrics and reporting — plus 24/7 support — drove faculty adoption from about 60–70% to 90–95%, made accreditation reporting easier, and enabled new interactive, international teaching formats and collaborations that were impractical with the previous LMS.

Palo Alto University

Scott Hines

Directs Academic Technology