Sharing Google Docs Gets Easier for Canvas Users
Canvas users will be able to share Google Docs with groups of individuals more quickly following Instructure's update of its learning platform.
Before the update, Canvas users had to share Google Docs individually with each member of their group. Now users can share a document with an entire group by granting blanket access via that group's mailing list.
Instructure has prioritized integration of Google Docs within Canvas since the learning platform's 2011 launch, and stated its belief that the combination of Canvas and Google Docs for real-time collaboration "has the potential to increase both the quantity and quality of group work," in a company release.
This integration has already been a boon to the platform, as it was noted in the integration update release that institutions such as The Park City School District and Brown University have cited the Google integration as one of the reasons they chose Canvas over competing learning management systems.
"We built Canvas to make teachers' and students' jobs easier," said Brian Whitmer, Instructure's chief product offer. "Our Google Docs integration is a prime example of how we're doing that."
Instructure was founded in 2008, launching Canvas in 2011 and the Canvas Network in 2012. Canvas is used by more than 300 colleges, universities, and school districts and the company employs more than 200 people, according to the Instructure Web site.
About the Author
Kevin Hudson is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached at [email protected].