Which integration would you love to see in Canvas Catalog?

[matekiss]

As universities continue to adapt and innovate, the right tools and integrations become crucial in delivering the best possible experience for students, faculty, and administrators alike. At Instructure, we are always looking to improve our offerings and ensure that our Catalog product meets the diverse needs of the educational institutions we serve. That's why we want to hear from you!

(By the way, if you haven’t heard, we’re currently running a beta testing program for a Salesforce integration with Catalog. You can learn more and join the beta in our recent blog post.)

The Power of Integrations

Integrations are the backbone of a seamless digital experience, allowing various systems to communicate effectively and work together to create a cohesive environment. Whether it's managing student relationships, handling finances, or analyzing data to inform strategic decisions, the right integration can make a world of difference.

We've identified a few integrations that could significantly enhance the functionality of Canvas Catalog:

• HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Zoho: These CRM tools are renowned for their ability to manage student relationships, automate marketing efforts, and streamline communication. Imagine being able to track every interaction with prospective and current students, ensuring that no one slips through the cracks.

• QuickBooks, NetSuite, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance: Managing tuition payments, scholarships, and other financial transactions is a complex task. These accounting integrations could help you handle finances more efficiently, providing transparency and accuracy across your institution.

• Google Analytics 4, PowerBI, and Amplitude: Data is key to making informed decisions. These analytics tools could offer deep insights into student engagement, helping you optimize course offerings and improve the overall student experience.

• Mailchimp, Pardot, and Klaviyo: Effective communication is essential in education. These marketing tools could help you execute targeted email campaigns, nurture leads, and maintain ongoing communication with both prospective and current students.

Your Opinion Matters

We believe that the best products are built with input from the people who use them every day. That’s why we want to know: Which integration would you be happiest to see in Canvas Catalog?

Would a powerful CRM like HubSpot revolutionize how you manage student relationships? Or would an analytics tool like PowerBI give you the insights you need to drive success? Maybe a marketing platform like Mailchimp would help you reach more prospective students and keep current ones engaged.

To make your voice heard, we invite you to participate in our survey, where you can vote on the integrations you're most interested in. The survey is open until 1st of September, so don’t miss out on this opportunity to influence our development roadmap!

What’s Next?

We’re committed to continuously improving Canvas Catalog to better serve your needs. After gathering your feedback through this survey, we’ll be prioritizing the most requested integrations and exploring how to best incorporate them into our platform.

Thank you for being an integral part of this journey. Together, we can make Canvas Catalog more powerful and adaptable to the ever-evolving needs of educational institutions.

Stay tuned for more updates!

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Update: In the original post, we set the deadline for August 26th, but due to high interest, we've extended it until September 1st.

[vsenior-cvc]

It would be super helpful to see some improvements with waitlists.  Some wishes on the list:

1. Could we get a report from analytics? 
2. Would it be possible to prioritize (Admin or instructor add a person on a waitlist). 
3. Allow instructors to see which students are on waitlists and allow students to see where they are on the waitlist.

Thank you for your consideration!

[matekiss]

Hello @vsenior-cvc ,

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on improving the waitlist functionality. I really appreciate you taking the time to let us know where things could work better. To make sure we fully understand what you’re looking for and can address these needs effectively, I have a few follow-up questions:

1. Analytics report on waitlists:

   • What specific data would you like to see in the report? For example, are you looking for details like the number of students on waitlists, how long they’ve been waiting, or trends over time?
   • How would you use this information? Would it be for decision-making, reporting, or something else?
   • Would it be more helpful as a downloadable report or something you could view directly in the system?
     
     

2. Prioritizing waitlist:

   • Can you share examples of when you’d need to prioritize someone on the waitlist?
   • Should prioritization be based on specific rules or would you prefer a manual process for admins?
   • Should students be notified when their position on the waitlist changes due to prioritization?
     
     

3. Visibility:

   • For instructors: What details should they see (e.g., names, waitlist position, or additional info)? How would they use this information—just for reference, or to take action?
   • For students: How much visibility do you think they need? Should they see just their position, or more details about the waitlist? Would you want them to get automated updates?

Lastly, are there any privacy concerns or specific permissions we should consider when making these changes? For example, who should be able to view or manage this information?

Let us know if there’s anything else we’ve missed or if you’d like to discuss these ideas further. Once we have a better understanding of your needs, we can start scoping out how best to address them.

Looking forward to your thoughts!

Best,
Máté

[vsenior-cvc]

Hello Máté,

Thank you so much for taking a closer look at the suggestion.  Here are the answers to your questions:

1. Analytics report on waitlists:

   • What specific data would you like to see in the report? For example, are you looking for details like the number of students on waitlists, how long they’ve been waiting, or trends over time?
     ANSWER:  We would like downloadable csv files that show the email addresses, names and ranking in the list.  The date they signed up would also be super helpful.
   • How would you use this information? Would it be for decision-making, reporting, or something else?
     ANSWER:  Often, waitlisted people contact our support to find out where they are on the waitlist.  Sometimes we have special circumstances that requires us to add a waitlisted person to a class, but we have to do it manually through Canvas and that doesn't always work with the course completion, etc. 
     If waitlisted people could see where they are on the waitlist when they log into their dashboard, that would be ideal for all parties.
   • Would it be more helpful as a downloadable report or something you could view directly in the system?
     ANSWER:  Ideally, both if possible.  Sometimes it's just a matter of a quick question, and sometimes it is something we need to send off to someone else.  
     
     
     

2. Prioritizing waitlist:

   • Can you share examples of when you’d need to prioritize someone on the waitlist?
     ANSWER:  There was a mix up or problem with Catalog and they needed to get into the class due to an error.  A waitlisted person has a special need or circumstance we need to accommodate.
   • Should prioritization be based on specific rules or would you prefer a manual process for admins?
     ANSWER:  Something as simple as a checkbox next to their name in the waitlist in Catalog that allows the admin to manually add that person into the class (above the cap)
   • Should students be notified when their position on the waitlist changes due to prioritization?
     ANSWER:  Yes.  They should receive the same or similar 12 hour email that others receive after being added from the waitlist.  The 12 hour limit to add themselves in may also be good to have (either as an option or by default).
     
     

3. Visibility:

   • For instructors: What details should they see (e.g., names, waitlist position, or additional info)? How would they use this information—just for reference, or to take action?
     ANSWER:  Yes.  The example would be great.  They often are contacted by waitlisted students with the same questions.  Where am I on the list, etc.
   • For students: How much visibility do you think they need? Should they see just their position, or more details about the waitlist? Would you want them to get automated updates?
     ANSWER:  It would be helpful for them to see where they are on the waitlist and even better to receive updates when things change.  

Lastly, are there any privacy concerns or specific permissions we should consider when making these changes? For example, who should be able to view or manage this information?
ANSWER:  Admins should be able to see, download and manage the waitlists as needed.  Instructors should be able to see waitlisted names and where they are on the waitlist.  Students/participants should only see their own placement number (e.g. 1 out of 15 or 3 of 15, or something to that affect), and maybe the date they signed up.

These suggestions are the most helpful for our institutional needs.