Global Study from Canvas Ranks Teachers' Concerns and Attitudes on Technology in the Classroom

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Canvas team at Instructure (NYSE: INST), a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, today announced the results of a global study detailing teachers' concerns and attitudes about integrating technology into the classroom. The study, which polled more than 650 U.S. educators and more than 2,000 total around the globe in December 2015, found that the majority of teachers in the United States are more anxious about technology's potential to distract their students than about privacy and security. However, they are optimistic about its capability to improve learning outcomes, increase access to education and make its delivery more efficient for teachers and students.

"With this study we wanted to discover how educators around the world perceive the technology they and their students use on a daily basis," said Jared Stein, vice president of research and education at Instructure. "It is enlightening to find that the most pressing concern among educators was distraction, outranking issues like privacy and security. While privacy and security are critical issues, these findings suggest teachers are focused on how not whether technology should be used."

According to the study, U.S. educators believe technology's potential for distraction will wane as digital culture and infrastructure mature in the next five years, giving way to other concerns like privacy and security in 2020. However, these present and future apprehensions don't stop many U.S. educators from allowing personal electronics in their classrooms. U.S. teachers have a higher tolerance for personal devices in the classroom than do British and Australian teachers. In fact, the study shows that 48 percent of U.S. educators say students can bring technology to class for educational purposes, and one in seven U.S. educators allows any electronic device as long as it doesn't distract other students.

Additional findings from the study include:

• Most U.S. educators are convinced of technology's positive effects on learning: 94 percent say technology has had a positive overall impact on education; 92 percent say technology has made education more accessible and 81 percent say it makes them a more effective teacher.
• U.S. educators think technology improves classroom efficiency: 84 percent say technology has made education more efficient and two in five educators say it saves them at least three hours of work per week.
• U.S. educators aren't by-standing, reluctant technology consumers: 93 percent believe advances in technology are important, while 5 percent are indifferent about advances in technology and only 3 percent rarely or never try new technology.

The results suggest that U.S. educators believe the Digital Age improves students' ability to learn, increases access to education and makes it more effective and efficient for all involved.

This study was conducted through an online survey of 650 U.S. teachers, administrators and staff at K–12 and higher education institutions. The survey, performed through industry leading survey platform Qualtrics, polled a total of 2,011 educators from various industrialized countries with mature education institutions. The survey was conducted in December 2015 by Instructure, creator of the Canvas learning management system, which is used by colleges, universities and K–12 districts around the world.

About Instructure
Instructure Inc. is a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology company that makes software that makes people smarter. With a vision to help maximize the potential of people through technology, Instructure created Canvas and Bridge to enable organizations everywhere to easily develop, deliver and manage engaging face-to-face and online learning experiences. To date, Instructure has connected millions of teachers and learners at more than 1,600 educational institutions and corporations throughout the world. Learn more about Canvas for higher ed and K-12, and Bridge for the corporate market at www.Instructure.com.

Contacts
Devin Knighton, Director of Public Relations at Instructure
(801) 722-8187 | [email protected] 
Twitter: @devinknighton | www.instructure.com

Jessica Hutchison, Method Communications
(801) 461-9779 | [email protected]

Copyright © 2016, Instructure, Inc. All rights reserved. Instructure, Canvas and the Bridge logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Instructure, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other brands and names may be claimed as the property of others.

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