Canvas Network vs OpenupEd
Canvas Network
canvas.netOpenupEd
openuped.euSide by side
| Figure | Canvas Network | OpenupEd |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · MOOC Platforms | 9.1 (#6) | 7.4 (#55) |
| Audience | The courses support K–12 and higher education educators and focus on professional development. | The portal offers online higher education courses to learners without entry qualifications. |
| Course access | Course materials become available on or after the course start date, and courses begin on that date using U.S. Mountain time. | Its framework says courses can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection, without prior formal qualifications. |
| Founded | Instructure’s company timeline states it was founded in 2008 and launched Canvas in 2011. | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | Maastricht, Netherlands |
| Integrations | Canvas states that it integrates with more than 1,000 external tools and partners. | Community benefits include having MOOCs listed on the OpenupEd portal and connected MOOC portals worldwide. |
| Purpose | Canvas Network provides free, open professional development courses built by educators for educators. | OpenupEd is a portal that collects MOOC offerings from European higher education institutions and promotes them. |
| Support | Course-specific help is provided through instructor materials or discussion forums, with Canvas Guides available for platform questions. | OpenupEd provides MOOC checklists and support materials openly, and guides new community members through quality enhancement. |
Plans
In their own words
Canvas Network
Canvas Network offers free professional development courses made by educators for K–12 and higher education educators. Subjects include teaching methods, technology skills for educators, student performance analysis, and leadership. Anyone with an email address can enroll, but learners need a separate Canvas Network account, even if they use another Canvas instance. Materials become available on or after the course start date; courses begin according to U.S. Mountain time. Learners can work through activities at their own pace, though an instructor may invite them to synchronous activities. Instructors or sponsoring institutions may provide completion certificates, but Canvas Network does not issue them. It also does not charge eligible institutions to offer courses. Powered by Canvas LMS, the service is available on the web, Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its Android and iOS apps support course access, assignment submission, discussions, and grade viewing, though not every Canvas feature is available in the apps. Offline learning is available. Course settings may hide an individual course after it ends.