Canvas by Instructure

Canvas by Instructure Instructure, Inc. September 5, 2013

CANVAS BY INSTRUCTURE Canvas is a cloud-based education technology platform with advanced Learning Management System (LMS) functionality. Instructure hosts Canvas as a subscription service on the state-ofthe-technology cloud infrastructure of Amazon Web Services (AWS). Instructure s comprehensive implementation and hosting services include full system monitoring, automated provisioning, Hands-Free update/upgrade services, Basic Support Package, online Standard Training Package, beta environment, and a test/training instance. The Canvas architecture, AWS infrastructure, and Instructure s hosting and support services make Canvas the most reliable, available, extensible, and scalable cloud-based LMS in the industry. The tables in the subsections below provide overviews of: The advanced LMS features and functions of Canvas (Table 1) Instructure s hosting and support services (Table 2) Canvas s architecture and the AWS cloud infrastructure (Table 3) Supported third-party content, tools, and services integrations (Table 4) 1.1 Canvas s and Functions Canvas includes all of the LMS features and functionality identified in Table 1. Table 1. Canvas s and Functions Accessibility Analytics Announcements Assignments Browser-enabled Calendar Chat Collaborations Conferences Adheres to US Section 508 accessibility standards, and is committed to the Web Accessibility Initiative's (WAI) guidelines for content (WCAG) and rich internet applications (ARIA) as documented in our Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) Monitors student engagement, predicts success, and tracks students learning outcomes and progress by pedagogical goals and desired outcomes Delivered automatically to the course activity stream of all users and other communications channels based on users individual notification preferences Assignment submissions can include web pages, Word docs, video, audio, slide shows, links, and more Compatible with the latest two versions of Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Mozilla Firefox Drag-and-drop functionality to schedule and reschedule calendar events, plus automatic event notifications and support for calendar feed subscription. Synchronous text chat within a learning community Enable users to collaborate on projects using shared Canvas work spaces leveraging realworld tools such as Google Drive Integrated, synchronous webinars / video conferencing, whiteboard, and live chat 5 September 2013 Instructure, Inc. 1

Discussions eportfolios FERPA and COPPA compliant Files repository Gradebook Grades Integrations Learning outcomes Mobile access Modules Pages Parent Co- Enrollment (K-12) Observer People Professional Learning Quizzes Reports Rich Content Editor Rubrics Provides asynchronous, threaded, media-rich, gradable discussion forums for courses and groups Students can create public or private eportfolios to display and reflect on notable coursework Complies with U.S. federal law regarding Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) and Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and gives schools the tools they need to maintain compliance Hierarchical file folder creation and organization, zip file import and export, file locking, dragand-drop file reorganization, file renaming, file deletion, and other standard file management functionality Automatically generated and updated based on course assignments and assessments, linked to gradebook scoring and the integrated with smart feedback and notification features Assignments, Discussions, and Quizzes can be scored by points, rubrics, percentages, letter grades, and complete/incomplete. Scoring can also reflect outcome performance and competencies. Standards-based, pluggable platform for easy integration with a wide variety of external technologies, systems, tools, and services Learning outcomes can be aligned to rubrics for institution-wide initiatives such as academic standards and accreditation Highly-rated, native mobile apps for Apple ios and Android provide a complete student experience Can be thematic, focused on a specific topic, content type, or arranged chronologically to provide a course sequence with support for selective release Create flexible, customizable course pages with wiki functionality using the Rich Content Editor Enables parents to keep informed of class activities, school communications, and their child s classwork and learning progress User role for class advisors and students mentors Includes the course roster and contact information for students, instructors, and TAs Create opportunities for teachers to learn online and support institution-wide resource sharing Rich-content, multi-featured, and robust assessment and quizzing system for online exams; supports proctoring, question banks, and extensive question types. Canvas supports IMS QTI and Respondus integrations. Cover a wide variety of data needs, including learning outcomes that cover multiple courses, departments, or the entire institution WYSIWYG and HTML editor modes used to create discussion topics, comments, and replies; supports video and audio, images, tables, math formulas, and web links Created from sets of instructor-defined criteria to provide a structured, consistent, and prescriptive framework for assessment 5 September 2013 Instructure, Inc. 2

Settings SpeedGrader State standards Syllabus User profile Instructors can select course start and end dates, preferred language, grading scheme, copyright attribution, public or private visibility, as well as cross-list sections, add users, reorder course navigation, and configure external tools Enables instructors to step through a set of assignments and, in conjunction with the associated rubric, quickly and consistently grade each submission in just a few clicks Enables schools to align course objectives to Common Core/State Standards to meet reporting requirements Course calendar changes automatically update the course syllabus generated automatically by defined coursework Profile options include full name, display name, language preference, bio, photo, website links, registered web services, contact methods, time zone, and other options. 1.2 Instructure Hosting and Support Table 2 lists key benefits and features of Instructure s hosting services and support for Canvas. Table 2.. Instructure Hosting and Support Comprehensive hosting services Native cloud service Hands-Free upgrade/update Annual open security audits Backup and recovery Disaster recovery Canvas Help Center General forums Product forums Community Resources Full system administration provided by Instructure including performance monitoring, account management, and system maintenance freeing up local institutional IT/IS resources Architected for the cloud; fully hosted, and managed on the infrastructure provided by Amazon Web Services with 99.9% guaranteed system availability Upgrades/updates are released on a regular schedule and typically deployed with no downtime incurred Instructure contracts independent, third-party firms to conduct annual security audits of Canvas and publicly publishes the results Data is automatically backed up daily on secure, geographically-diverse servers In case of emergency or disaster, data is recovered from backups that span multiple power grids and networks, with offsite backups in different geographical regions Web-based support and knowledgebase, including links to Canvas Guides, video tutorials, FAQs, user-groups, discussion board, and release notes Instructure Announcements, Ask a Question, The Water Cooler Requests, Requests We ve Implemented, Product Release Notes, What s New in Canvas, Security Notices Best Practice Webinar Topics (for vote), Best Practice Webinar Archive, Community Created Resources, InstructureCon Presentations, Extension & Integration Library 5 September 2013 Instructure, Inc. 3

Incident reporting and tracking Three-tier support model Basic Support Package Optional Premium Support Package Optional 24/7 live Tier I Support for Students and Faculty Online Standard Training Package Optional training offerings Professional Services Incidents reported via the integrated Help Tool, Canvas Help Center, email, and phone are tracked using Zendesk, a web-based help desk / support ticket system. Users can track their own reported incidents. Traditional three-tier incident reporting, escalation, and resolution help desk support model 24/7/365 access to the online Canvas Help Center, email response within two business days, M-F phone support from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. MT, plus one LMS admin account (included in subscription fee at no additional cost) 24/7/365 access to the online Canvas Help Center, email response within 8 hours, 24/7/365 phone support, plus three LMS admin accounts (available at additional cost) First-line help desk support to address and resolve end user issues such as logging in, questions about features and functions, and resolving other operational problems (available at additional cost) Includes LMS Administrator, Support, and Instructor/User training webinars (included in the one-time Canvas implementation fee) Includes high-level course topics that can be delivered online or onsite including the Course Design Workshop, Migrating to Canvas Workshop, Training Strategies Workshop, Collaboration Workshop, and customized training tailored to the institution s specific training needs Comprehensive deployment management and custom tool development can be engaged at additional cost 1.3 Canvas Architecture and AWS Infrastructure The Canvas cloud architecture built on Amazon Web Services infrastructure provides unmatched availability, scalability, and reliability. The Canvas architecture and the AWS infrastructure are fully horizontally scalable providing virtually limitless capacity via the provisioning of additional resources. Canvas provides: Redundancy of computing resources with active monitoring for failure detection and automated fail-over Real-time performance tuning via Automated Provisioning of resources to respond to spikes and peak usage times to minimize performance degradation Data protection through data replication, backup/restore, and disaster recovery procedures Load balanced application servers and aggressive data caching for superior web performance Rolling release schedule of upgrades and updates, rarely incurring system downtime Canvas was specifically designed to play well with other standards-based technologies such as IMS Global Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI), enabling Canvas to integrate seamlessly with 5 September 2013 Instructure, Inc. 4

best-of-breed tools. With this approach and architecture, Canvas will always benefit from its position in the forefront of LMS innovations by readily incorporating new and better tools while phasing out and replacing obsolete technologies. Table 3 provides an overview of the Canvas architecture and AWS infrastructure. Table 3. Canvas Architecture and AWS Infrastructure Native cloud service Highly available Highly reliable Highly scalable Highly extensible Automated provisioning Development environment Standards-based Highly secure Message broker Branding SSO and authentication Migration tools LMS Administration Browser-enabled Fully hosted and managed on the state-of-the-technology cloud-computing infrastructure provided by the Amazon Web Services Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Simple Storage Service (S3) 99.9% guaranteed system availability the least amount of scheduled maintenance Redundant architecture with automatic failover Horizontally scalable enabling increased capacity by simply provisioning additional resources Documented open representational state transfer (REST) application programming interface (API) Detection and accommodation of usage spikes to ensure efficient operations during peak times, such as the start of academic terms Agile development methodology, Ruby on Rails programming language, Ubuntu platform, PostgreSQL database, and Apache web server Open web standards, CSV, HTTP/HTTPS, icalendar, IMS Enterprise XML, IMS LTI, IMS QTI, JSON, REST API, RSS, HTML/HTML5, OAuth, jquery, SCORM 1.2 and higher (content only), SMS, and SMTP All data traffic in and out of Canvas is 128-bit SSL-encrypted. The AWS cloud infrastructure is SAS70 Type II audited, Service Organization Controls 1 (SOC 1) reported and published under both the SSAE 16 and the ISAE 3402 professional standards, ISO 27001 certified, Level 1 service provider under the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS), and has achieved FISMA-Moderate operation level. Integrated communication with real-time routing based on users notification preferences Support for institutional branding of interface is included in the one-time implementation fee; more extensive theming via CSS Support Single Sign-On (SSO) integration with CAS, SAML/Shibboleth, and external authentication through LDAP or Active Directory Automated migration tools for importing content from legacy LMSs, including Blackboard, Vista, WebCT, Desire2Learn, ANGEL, Common Cartridge, and IMS QTI Define organization-specific user roles, assign permissions, maintain question banks, define institution-wide learning outcomes and rubrics, organizational hierarchy replicated in Canvas, perform SIS data imports, specify grading schemes, set up sub-accounts, view system usage statistics, manage authentication, view faculty journal Compatible with the latest two versions of Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Mozilla Firefox 5 September 2013 Instructure, Inc. 5

Platform-neutral Mobile access Accessibility Internationalization Compatible with Apple Mac OS X, Linux, and Microsoft Windows Free mobile native apps for Apple ios and Android Adheres to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation guidelines and is committed to the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 AA and the Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) Suite as documented in our Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) Supports English, Spanish, Russian, French, Portuguese (Portuguese Brazil), Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Arabic, with German and Polish on the near-term product roadmap 1.4 Third-Party Integrations Support Canvas is a standards-based platform with an open API and an extensive set of supported thirdparty integrations enable institutions to easily extend the capabilities of Canvas to support their specific requirements. Table 4 lists Canvas supported integrations with third-party content, tools, and services. Note: Tools and services denoted with an asterisk (*) are provided and/or supported by Canvas at no additional cost. Canvas support for integrations with the nonasterisked third-party tools and services is included at no additional cost but institutions would need to already have or need to obtain licensing for those products from their respective vendors. Table 4. Partial List of Third-Party Integrations Support Content/Tool/Service Box EQUELLA Facebook*, Twitter*, and LinkedIn* Google Drive* and EtherPad* IMS LTI Tools and Services Kaltura* McGraw-Hill Campus McGraw-Hill Connect Pearson MyLabs Content management and collaboration tools Content management and digital repository Social networking site Creating, editing, storing, printing, and sharing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations All LTI-compliant tools and services including Mahara (eportfolio), Cengage Learning (content development), Campus Pack (eportfolios, blogs, wikis), SoftChalk Cloud (open-licensed learning resources), WikiSpaces (education wikis), WordPress (blogs), and Khan Academy (courses). Please refer to the Canvas App Center http://www.edu-apps.org/index.html for over 120 supported LTI-compliant tools and services. Media management, providing audio and video recording and streaming Digital learning resources Online learning assignment and assessment solution Interactive courses, content, and assessments 5 September 2013 Instructure, Inc. 6

Content/Tool/Service Respondus SCORM Cloud Scribd* and Crocodoc* SoftChalk and SoftChalk Cloud SonicFoundry MediaSite Student Information Systems (SIS) and Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) Tegrity, Panopto, Echo360 Third-party content and legacy LMS course/content import TurningPoint Turnitin TypeWith.me* BigBlueButton*, Wimba, Blackboard Collaborate, WizIQ Additional third-party systems, applications, and services* Assessment development, management, and publishing and LockDown browser Course and content standards conversion Online electronic document publication and sharing service providing in-line document previews Content development and management Enterprise webcasting, lecture capture, and hybrid event platform Ellucian (formerly SunGard Banner or Datatel Colleague), PeopleSoft, Jenzabar, CampusVue, Poise, PowerSchool, CampusKey, and other SIS/HRIS that can export data can be translated into the Canvas CSV format or sent directly to the Canvas SIS API. Lecture capture Cengage epack, Canvas Common Cartridge, McGraw Hill Common Cartridge, Pearson epack, WW Norton packages, SCORM-compliant packages, Blackboard 6-9x, WebCT CE 6+, WebCT Vista 1-4, ANGEL, Moodle, and Desire2Learn Classroom response system (clicker) Plagiarism checking service Document collaboration tool that synchronously displays text Web conferencing and collaboration tools Flickr, Delicious, Diigo, Skype, Amazon, Google Calendar, RSS/Atom Feeds, ical, YouTube, and mobile apps 5 September 2013 Instructure, Inc. 7