Case Study: Brown University achieves improved usability and student-centered learning with Canvas LMS

Students and faculty speak, Brown University listens: Canvas is the choice

Brown University reevaluated its learning management system in 2010 after Blackboard announced the end of WebCT support, worried that its LMS was falling behind market innovations. The selection process was driven by students, faculty and staff through focus groups, surveys and hands-on sandboxes, with key criteria of usability, fit with Brown’s student-centered mission, interoperability with Google Apps and mobile support.

Brown chose Canvas for its clean look-and-feel, integrated teaching-and-learning design, strong Google Apps and mobile integration, and open APIs that supported campus customization. The user-driven decision delivered broad stakeholder buy-in and a modern, easy-to-use LMS aligned with Brown’s emphasis on student engagement.

Brown University

Catherine Zabriskie

Dir. of Academic Technology Services