Canvas Announces New, First-of-its-kind Mobile App for Parents

Canvas Parent gives parents a mobile, on-demand view of their children's academic progress

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Nov 16, 2016, 09:00 ET

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Canvas by Instructure (NYSE:INST), the open online learning management system (LMS) that makes teaching and learning easier, announced today a new, first-of-its kind mobile app that allows parents or designated guardians to monitor their children's education and progress at a glance. The Canvas Parent app is available to all iOS and Android users to help parents of K–12 students stay informed on their children's assignments, grades and overall schooling.

Parents who want information about their children's education and how to support them are always wondering about their progress, current assignments, due dates and grades. Typically, these parents have to contact teachers directly, peruse assignment planners or wait to receive scheduled report cards to answer these questions. Some parents will log in to and navigate an LMS, which can prove inconvenient. Canvas Parent removes these obstacles by providing an intuitive, easily accessible app that establishes a continual flow of essential information.

"Canvas Parent is designed to lower the barriers to parental engagement. It's simple to set up, easy to use and provides relevant and actionable information. From over a decade of research, we know that getting parents more involved in their children's schooling increases student achievement.* We want to help parents engage with and encourage their children in a way that only well-informed parents can," said Hilary Scharton, senior director of Canvas K–12 product strategy at Instructure.

According to Deloitte's 2015 Global mobile consumer survey: US edition, the average person checks their smartphone 46 times a day,** making it an easy and convenient communication channel for schools and parents. Using the Canvas Parent app, parents can view assignment descriptions, assignment grades, course grades and course announcements, as well as set reminders for assignments and alerts for specific grade activity, which they receive as push notifications on their mobile devices.

The Canvas Parent app empowers parents to take a greater role in overseeing their children's academic work. It offers peace of mind that students are meeting expectations and insights into what teachers are scheduling in the near future. The app gives parents the opportunity to view pertinent, real-time data and information on their children's performance and participation in school.

"I've been using Canvas after school with my Dad to access extra resources provided by my teachers. It's given me more confidence and helped me improve my marks in Mathematics from 3/20 to 17/20!" –Year 4 Student at Haileybury, Melbourne, Australia.

Additionally, it provides another way for teachers to communicate with families and to save time in the feedback process. Administrators can also leverage Canvas Parent to promote a schoolwide culture of openness and transparency.

"Canvas Parent brings a new element to mobile learning for families who want a deeper level of involvement in their children's education. This tool is one of a kind in the LMS market and enhances the communication between school and home," Scharton concluded.

To learn more, please visit https://www.CanvasLMS.com/.
* Source of research (Carter, 2002.)
** Source Deloitte Global Mobile Consumer Survey

ABOUT INSTRUCTURE
Instructure, Inc. is a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology company that makes software that makes people smarter. With a vision to help maximize the potential of people through technology, Instructure created Canvas and Bridge to enable organizations everywhere to easily develop, deliver, and manage engaging face-to-face and online learning experiences. To date, Instructure has connected millions of instructors and learners at more than 2,000 educational institutions and corporations throughout the world. Learn more about Canvas for higher ed and K-12, and Bridge for the corporate market at www.Instructure.com.

CONTACTS:
Heather Erickson
Instructure
(801) 658-7524
[email protected]

Jessica Hutchison
Method Communications
(801) 461-9779
[email protected]

Copyright © 2016, Instructure, Inc. All rights reserved. Instructure, Canvas and Bridge logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Instructure, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other brands and names may be claimed as the property of others.

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SOURCE Canvas