2017 Readers' Choice Awards
For the third year in a row, we've asked our readers to weigh in on their favorite tools and tech for higher education — everything from learning management systems, projectors and lecture capture to ERP platforms, retention tools and presentation software. The resulting list of favorites includes both long-time incumbents and new category leaders. Read on to see what products you might want to consider for your own institution!
Most Valuable in the Institution This Year
Platinum: Guidebook
What readers said: "Guidebook, hands down. The best technology in the education sector needs to be personalized, robust, and intuitive. Students are able to isolate on specific engagements and integrate calendars … it makes an impact on our students and equips them with tools needed for success."
Gold (tie): Instructure Canvas and Chalk & Wire
What readers said: "Canvas. We are a large school and it was a huge transition, but it was worth it to get a more modern LMS."
"CWPro from Chalk & Wire. A great means of accepting multimodal assessment forms, with excellent reporting and data analytic tools for tracking student progress across their degree."
Silver: Zoom
What readers said: "Zoom: flawless web conferencing that is Java-free. Continuous improvement of features, great tech support."
Learning Management Systems & E-Learning Platforms
Platinum: Blackboard Learn
Gold: Instructure Canvas
Silver: Moodle
E-Portfolios
Platinum: Chalk & Wire
Gold: Instructure Canvas
Silver: Blackboard Learn
Other Instructional Tools
Platinum: Grammarly
Gold: Learning.com
Silver: Discovery Education Streaming Plus
Student Information Systems
Platinum: Ellucian
Gold: Blackbaud
Silver: Oracle PeopleSoft
Enterprise Resource Planning
Platinum: Ellucian
Gold: Oracle PeopleSoft
Silver: SAP
Constituent Relationship Management
Platinum: Ellucian
Gold: Salesforce
Silver: Oracle
Student Success/Retention
Platinum: Ellucian
Gold: Starfish by Hobsons
Silver (tie): Blackboard Predict and Campus Labs
Content & Website Management
Platinum: WordPress
Gold: Drupal
Silver: Oracle WebCenter Content
Student Response Systems & Classroom Engagement
Platinum: i>Clicker
Gold: Kahoot
Silver: Poll Everywhere
Lecture Capture
Platinum: Panopto
Gold (tie): Blackboard and Sonic Foundry Mediasite
Silver (tie): Google Hangouts and Kaltura
Document Cameras
Platinum: Elmo USA
Gold: Samsung
Silver: Smart Technologies
Projectors
Platinum: Epson
Gold: Sony
Silver: Panasonic
Interactive Whiteboards, Displays, Flat Panels & Kiosks
Platinum: Smart Technologies
Gold: Epson
Silver: LG
Videoconferencing & Web Conferencing
Platinum: Zoom
Gold: GoToMeeting
Silver: Cisco WebEx
Virtual Classroom/Meeting Software
Platinum: Zoom
Gold (tie): Cisco WebEx and GoToMeeting
Silver: Blackboard Collaborate
Classroom Audio Distribution/Sound Enhancement
Platinum: Smart Technologies
Gold: AtlasIED
Silver (tie): FrontRow, Listen Technologies and TeachLogic
Captioning Tools
Platinum: TechSmith Camtasia
Gold: YouTube
Silver (tie): 3Play Media and Adobe Premiere Pro
Classroom Presentation Software
Platinum: Microsoft PowerPoint
Gold: Prezi
Silver: Apple Keynote
Office/Productivity Suite
Platinum: Microsoft Office/Office 365
Gold: Google G Suite
Silver: Adobe Creative Cloud
Multimedia Authoring Suites & Creative Software
Platinum: Adobe Creative Cloud
Gold: Apple Creativity Apps
Silver: Ubuntu Studio
E-Learning Authoring
Platinum: Adobe Creative Cloud
Gold: TechSmith Camtasia
Silver: Articulate Storyline 360
Media Tablets
Platinum: Apple iPad
Gold: Samsung Galaxy Tablets
Silver: HP Pro Slate
Chromebooks
Platinum: Dell
Gold: HP
Silver: Acer
Windows Tablets
Platinum: Microsoft Surface
Gold (tie): HP and Lenovo
Silver: Dell
Convertible Notebooks/2-in-1 Notebooks
Platinum: Dell
Gold: Lenovo
Silver: HP
Notebooks
Platinum: Dell
Gold: Apple
Silver: HP
Virtual Desktops and Thin Clients
Platinum: VMware
Gold: Dell Wyse
Silver: HP Thin Client
3D Printers
Platinum: HP
Gold: Stratasys MakerBot
Silver: Robo
Wireless Access Points & Hotspots
Platinum: Cisco
Gold: Netgear
Sliver: Aruba Networks/HP
Network Management, Monitoring and Analysis
Platinum: Cisco
Gold: Microsoft
Silver: HP
Mobile Device Management
Platinum (tie): Google and AT&T
Gold: Jamf
Silver: VMware AirWatch
Firewall Software
Platinum: Microsoft Windows Firewall
Gold: Norton 360
Silver: Kaspersky Lab
Firewall Hardware/Appliance
Platinum: Cisco
Gold (tie): Sophos and Fortinet
Silver: Barracuda Networks
Antivirus Tools
Platinum: Symantec/Norton
Gold: Sophos
Silver: McAfee
Emergency Notification Services
Platinum: Campus Alerts
Gold: Rave Mobile Safety
Silver: Blackboard Mass Notifications