Canvas Analytics

Canvas offers several built-in analytics and statistics tools that allow instructors to access data about their courses. Instructors can use data to inform their course design process. Instructors can also track student use of Canvas. Students can review their own online course activity using the new analytics tool. Below we offer links to Instructure's guides about these tools and potential use cases.

Canvas Guides for Students

Students can view their own data via New Analytics, which includes tables and graphs of course grade, weekly online activity, and communication data.

Canvas Guides for Instructors

Use Cases

  1. Compare the score distributions of graded assignments. Select Course Grade from the top dropdown menu in new analytics. Click an assignment's circle in the graph to see its score distrubtion. Revision of questions, directions, or lesson plans might improve distribution the next time the course is taught.
  2. View a summary of assignment submission methods. The assignments tab on the course statistics page shows how many assignments allow the various submission methods (including quiz and discussion but excluding external tools) and how many submissions have been made using each method. If a particular submission method is little used, e.g. text entry, removing that option from assignments might streamline processes of submission for students and annotation for teachers.
  3. View statistics about quiz questions and responses. The Classic Quiz Statistics page & the New Quiz Quiz & Item Analysis report summarize responses and shows the discrimination index for objective questions. Changing question and distractor wording might improve these indicators of question difficulty and clarity.
  4. View total pageviews and the number of students who accessed course contents. Select the Resources tab beneath the graph in the weekly online activity view in new analytics. You will see a list of all course contents sorted by the number of students who have viewed them. If some materials are viewed by a small subset of students, they may be difficult to find. It is also possible that the course contains more recommended materials than most students can use. Considering paring down.
  5. View a summary of video views for Canvas Studio content. The Insights tab beneath videos added to a course using Canvas Studio shows how many course users watched each segment of the video. See whether students are watching complete videos or skipping around. Adding a few video quiz questions may improve engagement.
  6. View an individual student’s grades, weekly pageviews and participations, and direct messages with teachers sent via the Conversations / Inbox tool. The students’ names in the list at the bottom of new analytics page links to this overview. There is also a link from the information card that appears on the right when you click a name in the People tool. You can message a student from the envelope icon next to their name to encourage them to participate more, submit assignments on time, etc.
  7. Get a detailed view of course contents accessed by an individual student. The individual’s access report shows any course content they’ve accessed and how many times. This is most useful for determining whether a specific student has viewed specific materials. The new analytics individual weekly online activity tab lets you see views and participations by week when you click on dots in the graph.

Note: Implementing module requirements and prerequisites can remove questions about whether students are opening required readings before moving on.