2018 Readers' Choice Awards
Campus Technology readers vote on the best technologies in use at their institutions.
There is a huge array of technologies involved in the business of higher education — from back-end administrative systems to hands-on tools in the classroom. And no matter what the product category, everybody seems to have a favorite. For the fourth year running, we've asked our readers to vote on the best tech in use at their institutions — here's what they told us.
Most Valuable in the Institution This Year
Platinum: Guidebook
What readers said: "Guidebook allows us to host conferences, training sessions and move-in day processes. It gives us the ability to communicate with our students and allows updates easily and quickly when there are changes to the schedule."
"Through our Guidebook mobile app, we've been able to connect with families 24/7 and provide them the resources they crave in the palm of their hand."
Gold: Terra Dotta
What readers said: "Terra Dotta, because it is a great tool for online applications for the Study Abroad office."
"We've had the Terra Dotta software for a while, but added new features including AlertTraveler. It is such a critical part of our operations in keeping track of all of our travelers and supporting them quickly and effectively."
Learning Management Systems & E-Learning Platforms
Platinum: Blackboard Learn
Gold: Instructure Canvas
Silver: Moodle
E-Portfolios
Platinum: Instructure Canvas
Gold: Blackboard Learn
Other Instructional Tools
Platinum: Grammarly
Gold: ArcGIS Online
Silver: Learning.com
Student Information Systems
Platinum: Ellucian
Gold: Oracle PeopleSoft
Silver: Blackbaud
Enterprise Resource Planning
Platinum: Ellucian
Gold: Oracle
Constituent Relationship Management
Platinum: Salesforce
Gold: Ellucian
Silver: Oracle
Student Success/Retention
Platinum: Blackboard Predict
Gold (tie): Ellucian and Starfish by Hobsons
Silver: and Campus Labs
Content & Website Management
Platinum: WordPress
Gold: Drupal
Student Response Systems & Classroom Engagement
Platinum: Kahoot
Gold: i>Clicker
Silver: Poll Everywhere
Lecture Capture
Platinum (tie): Blackboard and Panopto
Gold: Google Hangouts
Silver (tie): Kaltura and TechSmith
Projectors
Platinum: Epson
Gold: Sony
Silver: Hitachi
Interactive Whiteboards, Displays, Flat Panels & Kiosks
Platinum: Smart Technologies
Gold: Samsung
Silver: Epson
Videoconferencing & Web Conferencing
Platinum: Zoom
Gold: GoToMeeting
Silver: Skype
Virtual Classroom/Meeting Software
Platinum: Zoom
Gold: GoToMeeting
Silver: Blackboard Collaborate
Captioning Tools
Platinum: YouTube
Gold: Adobe Premiere Pro
Silver (tie): 3Play Media and TechSmith Camtasia
Classroom Presentation Software
Platinum: Microsoft PowerPoint
Gold: Prezi
Silver: Google Slides
Office/Productivity Suite
Platinum: Microsoft Office/Office 365
Gold: Adobe Creative Cloud
Silver: Google G Suite
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
Media Tablets
Platinum: Apple iPad
Gold: Samsung Galaxy Tablets
Silver: Dell Venue
Chromebooks
Platinum (tie): Dell and Google
Gold: HP
Silver: Acer
Windows Tablets
Platinum: Microsoft Surface
Gold: Dell
Silver (tie): HP and Lenovo
Convertible Notebooks/2-in-1 Notebooks
Platinum: Dell
Gold: Lenovo
Silver: HP
Notebooks
Platinum: Apple
Gold: Dell
Silver: Lenovo
Virtual Desktops and Thin Clients
Platinum: VMware
Gold: HP Thin Client
Silver: Citrix
3D Printers
Platinum: HP
Gold (tie): Stratasys MakerBot and Tinkerine Ditto
Wireless Access Points & Hotspots
Platinum: Cisco
Gold: Netgear and Aruba Networks/HP
Sliver: Ruckus Wireless
Mobile Device Management
Platinum (tie): Google and AT&T
Gold (tie): Sprint and Lightspeed Systems
Firewall Hardware/Appliance
Platinum: Cisco
Gold: McAfee
Antivirus Tools
Platinum: ESET
Gold: Avast
Emergency Notification Services
Platinum: Terra Dotta
Gold: Campus Alerts
Silver: Blackboard Mass Notifications