Canvas Student App Usage at Your School? I'll Go First.

[rseilham]

During the pandemic, I've spent more time than I'm willing to admit in Tik Tok and was reminded of one of those videos that say "I'll go first." Well, I'm bringing that moment to the Canvas community with the following question. 

What is your Canvas Student app usage at your school? I'll go first!

It’s tough to put an exact number on usage. There are two ways users can access Canvas on mobile devices; the web and the app. The web is easy to understand with the usage of Google Analytics but is less popular than the app.

Looking at the web pageviews only, here is the breakdown: 

• Desktop: 84%
• Smartphone: 16%
• Tablet: less than .2%

Another unique stat is the length of a user session per every visit to Canvas:

• Desktop: 14:33
• Tablet: 9:03
• Mobile: 5:51

As for the mobile app...This requires some digging and covering your eyes to try to pull out anything worth reporting. 

Through surveys, Canvas Data, and other data sources, we can safely assume: 

• 90% of UCF students use the mobile app at least once a week.
• Mobile app usage (and some tablets) is 20-25%. Sounds small, but MILLIONS of page views every year. 

Students that use the mobile app (and web too) seem to mainly use the app for quick interactions related to:

1. How am I doing in class? (Grades)
2. What do I need to do? (Assignment and Assignment descriptions)
3. How do I do it? (To do / Calendar / Modules)

You can read more from a 2018 report, which is still very true today:

https://digitallearning.ucf.edu/msi/research/canvas/survey2018/

Even though students do take quizzes, submit assignments, and engage in discussions on mobile. Most of these interactions are much more common on a desktop. Either way, mobile access is still significant and valued by students, especially to stay connected.