Latest news with #SteveDaly
Forbes
24-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Teachers Get A New Assistant: Instructure Drops AI Into Canvas
AI in education Instructure and OpenAI have announced a new partnership to bring LLM-powered AI technology into Canvas, one of the most widely used learning platforms in education. The collaboration introduces IgniteAI, a built-in set of generative AI tools that will be released to Canvas users in stages over the coming year. Where AI is Adding Value in Canvas A key piece of the IgniteAI rollout is a new assignment builder that lets educators create AI-guided tasks. Teachers can write learning goals and sample prompts, set up how the chatbot will interact with students, and define how outcomes should be evaluated. At the same time, Canvas's grading system, analytics tools, and content creation features get new automation support, from faster feedback to AI-generated rubrics. Teachers stay in full control of how the AI behaves. They can customize each prompt and review all chatbot responses. Meanwhile, students get a chance to have focused conversations with the AI inside Canvas, working through ideas at their own pace. All chats are visible to the instructor, and the company says student data stays local and is not shared with OpenAI. The system also tracks each student's interaction. When learners show understanding or make progress, those moments are captured and added to the Gradebook. That lets teachers see not just the end result, but how a student arrived there. Repetitive tasks such as rewriting rubrics, responding to common requests and drafting feedback are handled by the system, allowing instructors to focus on discussion, coaching, and more complex teaching. "We're committed to delivering next-generation LMS technologies designed with an open ecosystem that empowers educators and learners to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world," said Steve Daly, CEO of Instructure. "This collaboration with OpenAI showcases our ambitious vision: creating a future-ready ecosystem that fosters meaningful learning and achievement at every stage of education.' Opportunities and Tradeoffs Daly says this partnership will free up time for educators and give students a more flexible way to engage with lessons. Leah Belsky, who oversees education strategy at OpenAI, describes the tools as a way to offer 'more personalized and connected learning experiences,' without removing human oversight. Schools are already moving quickly. Surveys show education leading all sectors in generative-AI adoption. Early feedback from pilots suggests students feel more confident when they can test ideas in a private chat, and some classroom studies point to modest gains in test scores among students using AI for practice. Still, the tools raise concerns. Nearly half of faculty respondents in recent polls say they worry about bias in model outputs. A similar number cite data privacy as a top issue. Those who work on academic integrity expect new forms of cheating to emerge. Others warn that expensive AI licenses could deepen gaps between well-funded and under-resourced schools. And until teachers are fully trained on how to use the tools, confusion and uneven results are likely. A university survey from May 2025 confirmed many of these fears among students. Respondents cited grading fairness, misuse of AI for shortcuts, and the risk of over-relying on automated suggestions as top concerns. Faculty echoed those points. They questioned whether AI nudges weaker writers toward overly similar phrasing and whether automated grading could undermine trust. To reduce those risks, campuses are already setting up review boards, bias checks, and clear opt-out options. Instructure, for its part, says that all student data stays within the institution, and that OpenAI has no access to individual records. Privacy teams are expected to monitor that closely. Where This Leads Canvas is now placing AI tools where teaching already happens—in assignments, discussions, and grading workflows. The chatbot becomes part of the lesson, not just an external add-on. If the systems work as intended, teachers could gain clearer feedback and students could move beyond generic answers into more thoughtful, process-based work. If the technology fails to live up to that promise, trust may erode. Either way, AI is no longer sitting outside the classroom door. It's embedded, logged, and learning alongside everyone else.
Korea Herald
24-07-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Instructure and OpenAI Announce Global Partnership to Embed AI Learning Experiences within Canvas
First-of-its-kind integration transforms education by embedding OpenAI's technology directly within the Canvas learning environment, empowering educators and amplifying student potential SALT LAKE CITY and SAN FRANCISCO, July 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Instructure, the world's leading edtech ecosystem and maker of Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) and OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research organization, today announced a global partnership that introduces a new integration that enables teachers to create Large Language Model (LLM) workflows directly in the LMS. This groundbreaking collaboration represents a transformative step forward in education technology and will begin with, but is not limited to, an effort between Instructure and OpenAI to enhance the Canvas experience by embedding OpenAI's next-generation AI technology into the platform. IgniteAI announced earlier today, establishes Instructure's future-ready, open ecosystem with agentic support as the AI landscape continues to evolve. This partnership with OpenAI exemplifies this bold vision for AI in education. Instructure's strategic approach to AI emphasizes the enhancement of connections within an educational ecosystem comprising over 1,100 edtech partners and leading LLM providers. "We're committed to delivering next-generation LMS technologies designed with an open ecosystem that empowers educators and learners to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world," said Steve Daly, CEO of Instructure. "This collaboration with OpenAI showcases our ambitious vision: creating a future-ready ecosystem that fosters meaningful learning and achievement at every stage of education. This is a significant step forward for the education community as we continuously amplify the learning experience and improve student outcomes." This initial Canvas-native functionality brings OpenAI's technology into the classroom with educational integrity and privacy at the core of the experience: Educator-guided, outcome-aligned AI – This integration enables educators to design learning activities that fully leverage the capabilities of OpenAI's technology, fostering deeper engagement and more enriching educational outcomes. Educators maintain complete control over the interactions, ensuring they align with learning objectives. Student agency meets teacher visibility – Through the integration, learners benefit from dynamic and personalized educational conversations within the Canvas LMS. Educators also gain insight into students' assignment interactions with AI in Canvas. The learner information remains private to the Canvas user and is not shared with OpenAI. Evidence-based learning, seamlessly integrated – As students interact with AI in Canvas, key learning evidence is captured and returned to the Gradebook — bridging AI-driven exploration with standards-aligned assessment. Enhancing high-value educational experiences – By automating routine and low-value tasks, this integration creates space for educators and students to focus on more meaningful educational activities. Students experience personalized, adaptable learning journeys while educators gain valuable insights from learning artifacts directly captured within Canvas, reinforcing their ability to nurture higher-order skills. "Now is the time to ensure AI benefits students, educators, and institutions, and partnerships like this are critical to making that happen," said Leah Belsky, general manager and VP of education at OpenAI. "With Instructure's global reach with OpenAI's advanced AI models, we'll give educators a tool to deliver richer, more personalized, and more connected learning experiences for students, and also help them reclaim time for the human side of teaching." Leading education toward the future The global announcement by Instructure and OpenAI signals a strategic shift towards edtech and AI companies working side by side to shape the future of education and respond to the rapid pace of technological change, focusing on where education is headed. AI benefits learners most when their engagement reflects strong practices; industry partnerships can further strengthen this. "We are harnessing powerful technology not simply because it's innovative but because it fundamentally changes, and accelerates, the learning experience," said Daly. "Our partnership with OpenAI clearly illustrates our commitment to delivering tools that allow educators and learners to thrive amid constant change." LLM-enabled assignment The first tool Instructure is launching is a new type of assignment called the LLM-Enabled Assignment, designed to let educators create a custom GPT-like experience within Canvas. Teachers can define how AI interacts with students, set specific learning goals and objectives and determine what evidence of learning it should track. They can do this using natural language prompts or by leveraging an assistant within the assignment creation flow to guide them through the process. "This new type of assignment allows students to have rich, casual and interactive conversations in a ChatGPT-like environment they already know they love," said Shiren Vijiasingam, chief product officer at Instructure. "In that process, they create visible learning evidence that teachers can confidently use, as it's mapped to the learning objectives, rubrics and skills defined by the teacher." Through this tool, when students submit their assignments, teachers gain a high-level view of overall progress, key learning indicators and potential gaps, each supported by clear evidence. They can then dive into specific indicators to see exactly where and how a student demonstrated the required understanding in the conversation. "What's powerful about this tool is that it enables educators to assess the student's learning process — not just the final outcome," said Vijiasingam. "This is only the first in a set of tools we will develop with OpenAI over the coming quarters. This feature provides a meaningful way to teach students how to use these tools responsibly and effectively, all within a high-quality pedagogical framework that encourages critical thinking and supports higher-order skills." About OpenAI OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company with a mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. About Instructure Instructure powers the delivery of education globally and reimagines the technologies that turn teaching and learning into opportunities. Today, the Instructure ecosystem of products connects the dots for educators and institutions by improving educational experiences at every age, every stage and every transitional moment—across K-12, higher education and the workforce. We encourage you to discover more at Contact Brian Watkins Corporate Communications Instructure (801) 658-7525 July 23, 2025
Forbes
23-07-2025
- Forbes
Instructure And OpenAI Harness The Power Of AI To Transform Learning
LLM-Enabled Assignments create new opportunities for students to demonstrate their ability to think ... More critically and frame arguments, providing instructors with rare insight into the learning process. Initially met with mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety, generative Artificial Intelligence and large language models, such as ChatGPT, have posed a significant challenge for educators everywhere: How can we effectively incorporate powerful AI tools into learning without compromising educational integrity? As AI tools become more accessible, this question has grown increasingly urgent. Today, Instructure, the creators of Canvas Learning Management System, and OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research organization and developer of ChatGPT, have joined forces to present a compelling solution. Their innovative partnership shows how AI can become a normal, helpful part of everyday educational experiences, greatly improving teaching and learning processes. Instructure CEO Steve Daly succinctly summarizes the strategic vision in his product announcement: 'We're committed to delivering next-generation LMS technologies designed with an open ecosystem that empowers educators and learners to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world.' This strategic collaboration embeds OpenAI's powerful generative AI capabilities directly into Canvas, marking a new era where AI is actively utilized in the learning management system to enhance student learning, rather than being hidden as an optional tool that students might or might not use. Central to this approach is a commitment to keeping educators in control, ensuring that AI tools support and enhance human teaching rather than replace it. AI as an Embedded, Seamless Part of Learning The core philosophy guiding this integration is that AI should not merely be an external tool but a seamlessly embedded part of the learning environment. In the same way that the learning management system relieves instructors of many of the administrative tasks associated with classroom management, the AI agent becomes an always-available teaching assistant, ready to support the instructor. As part of this initiative, Canvas introduces functionalities such as automated translations, rubric generation, and sophisticated grading support directly within its familiar interface. These tools aim to significantly enhance workflow, enabling educators to spend more time on meaningful interactions with students. LLM-Enabled Assignments: Reinventing the Educational Conversation A cornerstone of Instructure's new AI-driven initiative is the introduction of LLM-enabled assignments. Shiren Vijiasingam, Chief Product Officer at Instructure, emphasizes this innovative feature: 'This new type of assignment allows students to have rich, casual, and interactive conversations in a ChatGPT-like environment they are already used to using. In that process, they create visible learning evidence that teachers can confidently use, as it's mapped to the learning objectives, rubrics, and skills defined by the teacher.' These conversational assignments encourage students to actively engage with AI-driven personas, addressing complex questions and problems through dynamic dialogue. Instead of passively receiving information, students explore concepts, test ideas, and improve their understanding through iterative, responsive interactions. Vijiasingam provides an example of a course on economic policy. Within Canvas, instructors can create assignments where students are instructed to take a position, e.g., pro or con on government intervention in the economy, and the LLM is prompted to play the role of John Maynard Keynes. The student can argue the position with the LLM, making points and responding to critique, while the dialogue is being captured and evaluated. When the student is finished, they indicate that they are ready to submit their work. Afterward, the LLM can assess the work using the course rubrics and enter the results into the gradebook, along with suitable feedback for the student. This can be sent automatically and saved as a draft for human review and improvement before it is finalized. What is most significant about this type of assignment, compared to a static answer to a question, is the insight it can provide into the learning process rather than just the final work. Paying attention to the process is a key part of the most effective types of instruction, but it has traditionally been impossible to do in a classroom setting. The LLM allows each student to have an experience more similar to working one-on-one with an expert tutor to explore ideas, rather than sitting alone in a room writing an answer that may or may not be read, and that may or may not receive feedback, which even if it is read, will come long after the thought process has occurred. IgniteAI Agent: Automating Routine Tasks to Enhance Instruction A particularly exciting advancement in this AI-enhanced LMS is the IgniteAI Agent. Acting as a 'conductor' within Canvas, IgniteAI streamlines numerous administrative tasks that are typically viewed as time-consuming barriers to instructional creativity. One example highlighted by Instructure's team involves easily extending assignment deadlines for specific student groups, such as athletes, without manually adjusting each assignment. Educators can simply state their needs, and IgniteAI promptly and accurately carries out the necessary actions. 'When you can just say, 'This is what I want to do,' and have it do exactly that,' explains Melissa Loble, Chief Academic Officer at Instructure, 'it's much nicer to have an agent just go do those actions.' Another example of Canvas's AI integration is a tool called 'Discussion Insights,' which offers real-time assessment of student contributions based on instructor-defined rubrics. With visual feedback clearly indicating student performance areas as green, yellow, or red, instructors can quickly identify areas for improvement, allowing for prompt and targeted interventions. Within Canvas, the AI enables iterative and genuine assessment, allowing educators to review multiple drafts of student work with less effort. This iterative process not only provides richer feedback to students but also fosters a more authentic learning experience that aligns with real-world expectations for how work is created and assessed. Ever Patient and Ever Available One of the benefits of AI for learners is that it is always on. This can be important when students find themselves with pressing questions during late-night sessions. Rather than sending a question by email that may not be answered until the next day, students can dive into a session with the AI. Leah Belsky, General Manager and VP of Education at OpenAI, remarks, 'Students like using AI because it's an ever-patient tutor. No question is beneath it, no interaction is too long.' One promising future development is the integration of AI with digital twin technology, which involves AI-powered simulations of real-world instructors, such as those provided by companies like Praxis or Tavus. With a digital twin of the instructor, students may feel more comfortable taking risks or trying out wild ideas without fearing academic penalties. It's often said that failure and risk-taking are vital parts of learning, but this is hard to practice when the only chance to take risks is during final assignments. The AI-enabled environment allows learners to step onto thin ice, knowing they can recover and adjust before the final assessment. Similarly, Loble emphasizes that 'using AI in classrooms allows all students to participate in the conversation, not just the ones who raise their hand and have their voices heard." This ability to involve everyone is especially important in seminars, where 20% of the students often generate 80% of the comments. Institutional Benefits and Accreditation Support Canvas is also looking ahead at using AI to support broader institutional goals, including accreditation processes. AI-driven features, such as 'Ask Your Data' and 'Intelligent Insights,' can proactively highlight potential instructional issues, enabling institutions to manage faculty performance and student engagement effectively. Such tools can significantly reduce administrative overhead by capturing information needed for these key processes as it is generated, rather than as it is needed for submission. Lifelong Learning and Career Integration Instructure is expanding its AI-driven educational innovation to the workforce with its newly announced 'Canvas Career.' This platform emphasizes skills-focused, personalized learning paths and professional development, showcasing AI's ability to support lifelong, adaptive learning. AI-powered recommendations and adaptive learning experiences aim to seamlessly connect traditional education with professional growth. Looking Forward The Instructure-OpenAI collaboration signals a robust, ongoing commitment to leveraging AI to genuinely enhance educational experiences. This groundbreaking partnership lays a strong foundation, but as the teams behind the initiative note in their announcement, it is 'the first of more.' As AI is systematically integrated into the learning management system, and as more and more data on its effective use becomes available, the flywheel of innovation is sure to spin ever faster.
