Jon Stojan
Photo credit: InstructureCon 2024
Instructure, a leading educational technology company, recently concluded its annual InstructureCon event, where it showcased a series of innovative product updates designed to revolutionize the learning experience for educators and students alike. The updates, born from extensive customer feedback and collaborative discovery sessions, underscore Instructure’s commitment to continuous improvement and partnership with its user community.
The heart of Instructure’s product development philosophy lies in its customer-centric approach. Recognizing that the best ideas often originate from the daily users of its products, Instructure has actively engaged in customer discovery sessions. These sessions, held both in person and virtually, have provided invaluable insights that have directly influenced the development of over 60 common-sense product enhancements in the past six months alone. This collaborative approach ensures that the Canvas experience remains not only cutting-edge but also deeply attuned to the needs of its users.
Tools for everyday use
One of the standout features currently in closed beta is the Block Editor. This intuitive drag-and-drop editor interface empowers instructors to create visually appealing and accessible course content without requiring any coding skills. The enthusiastic reception of this feature at InstructureCon, where the Canvas workshop showcasing it was standing room only, highlights its potential to significantly streamline content creation for educators.
Instructure has also introduced Selective Release of Modules, a feature that enables educators to differentiate learning content for students by releasing modules to specific individuals and sections. This granular control allows for tailored learning experiences, catering to the diverse needs of students. For instance, instructors can now share resources specifically relevant to dual enrollment programs with only those students participating in them. The possibilities for personalized learning and targeted support are vast.
Responding to educator feedback, Instructure is set to launch Discussion Checkpoints by the end of the year. This highly anticipated feature will allow instructors to assign different due dates and point values to original posts and replies within discussions. This enhancement promises to facilitate more structured and meaningful online discussions, providing greater flexibility in assessment and promoting student engagement.
Instructure’s recent integration with the Lucid Education Suite has opened up new avenues for collaborative learning and active participation. These tools, ideal for project-based learning and STEM-focused curricula, empower students to visualize their thought processes and showcase their work dynamically. By combining Lucid’s powerful solutions with Canvas, educators can create more engaging and interactive learning experiences.
AI Front-and-Center: Transforming Education with Artificial Intelligence
The growing prominence of AI in education was a recurring theme at InstructureCon. Instructure is committed to exploring the myriad ways AI can enhance teaching and learning. Through its own tools and those offered by its extensive network of over 1,000 partners, Instructure is bringing AI to the forefront of the LMS and its product experiences.
Addressing the challenges educators face in identifying at-risk students, ensuring course quality, and understanding tool usage within Canvas, Instructure has launched Intelligent Insights. This add-on product leverages AI and analytics to provide actionable insights. Educators can proactively identify students needing additional support, while leaders can set course readiness standards and monitor progress across the institution. The LTI Usage dashboard offers a comprehensive view of tool utilization, and the Ask Your Data feature, a conversational AI tool, enables users to ask questions in natural language and receive insightful answers.
Recognizing the increasing demand for AI-assisted content generation, Instructure announced an exciting integration with Khanmigo Teacher Tools. Developed by Khan Academy, Khanmigo offers a suite of over 20 tools designed to simplify AI for teachers. These tools can assist with lesson planning, question generation, newsletter drafting, letter writing, and more. Seamlessly integrated within Canvas, Khanmigo promises to streamline workflows and empower educators.
Instructure’s AI efforts extend beyond content generation. The company is rolling out comprehensive updates to support institutions in developing AI policies, accelerating teaching and learning practices, and implementing their own AI solutions. These updates include AI nutrition fact labels for third-party tools, LTI certification for integration partners, and a range of new AI tools available to all Canvas customers.
Instructure has introduced AI nutrition fact labels on the Emerging AI Marketplace, providing transparency about data policies and language models used by third-party AI tools. The upcoming Instructure Certified LTI Apps program will further ensure that integrated tools meet best practices, including AI data privacy. Additionally, features like Discussion Summaries and Smart Search leverage AI to enhance efficiency and understanding within Canvas.