Instructure Advances Education Equity with AWS Support, Accelerating AI-Powered Learning Modernization and Workforce Pathways

Instructure, the leading learning ecosystem and maker of Canvas LMS, powered by AWS, today announced it will build AI-powered tools to expand learning access for underserved communities worldwide, supported by Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) Education Equity Initiative. The effort advances two workstreams. The first addresses a persistent barrier: many under-resourced institutions remain on legacy, on-premise systems not because they want to, but because migration has been too expensive and complex. 

AI-powered LMS migration tooling is designed to make that path faster and more affordable, so more learners in those communities can access modern learning infrastructure. The second accelerates Canvas Career capabilities to support workforce development, continuing education, community colleges and public-sector programs, with a focus on learner populations including adult learners returning to education.

For millions of learners worldwide, the biggest barrier to quality education is not motivation but circumstance. Limited access to technology and the internet, language barriers, and geographic isolation leave entire communities without modern learning infrastructure. Through the AWS Education Equity Initiative, Instructure and AWS will address this issue, aiming to reach approximately 900,000 learners in its first year, including roughly 280,000 underserved learners, with a path to reach approximately 5.4 million learners over four years.

“Education equity means building systems that work for learners in every environment, including those who face the greatest barriers to opportunity,” said Melissa Loble, chief learning officer at Instructure. “Through this collaboration with AWS, we are accelerating tools that help more institutions modernize their learning environments and connect learners to workforce pathways. Instructure is committed to helping institutions expand opportunity through scalable learning infrastructure and workforce-connected learning experiences.”

“AWS is proud to power Instructure’s reach across more than 100 countries and millions of learners,” said Aanya Niaz, Education Lead, Amazon Web Services. “They’ve built Canvas Career to serve workforce and continuing education programs that often fall outside traditional higher education models. We want to make these tools and infrastructure that drive positive learning outcomes accessible to educators and learners who need them most.”

Reducing the Barriers to LMS Migration

Many institutions remain on outdated, on-premise learning systems not because they choose to, but because migration is expensive, complex, and resource-intensive. Institutions with the fewest IT resources often face the steepest path to modernization. 

AWS support will help Instructure build AI-powered migration tooling designed to reduce that friction, making it faster and less costly for institutions to move to Canvas from legacy LMS platforms, self-managed open-source LMS environments, homegrown systems and other non-standard platforms. The goal is to give more institutions a realistic path to modern, cloud-based learning infrastructure so administrators and educators can focus on outcomes rather than overhead.

Expanding Canvas Career for Workforce and Continuing Education Programs

The initiative will also accelerate Canvas Career, Instructure’s platform for skills-first, workforce-aligned learning. Canvas Career is built to serve learners and programs that often fall outside the scope of traditional higher education tools, including continuing education programs, K-12 workforce initiatives, community colleges, vocational training centers, public-sector workforce programs, and adult learners.

Development will address two areas. The first is access: secure, low-connectivity infrastructure for correctional facilities and remote environments, and accessibility frameworks to support learners with disabilities. The second is outcomes: AI-powered skill mapping to align training with job requirements, credential and certification management for stackable credentials and workforce badges, and employer tools to connect learning pathways with employment pipelines.

A Commitment to Measurable Impact

The success of this initiative will be measured by whether more learners in underserved communities can access education that changes the trajectory of their careers and lives. In its first year, Instructure aims to reach approximately 900,000 learners, including roughly 280,000 from underserved communities, with a path to approximately 5.4 million learners over four years, roughly 1.8 million of them underserved. Instructure will report progress publicly, beginning in the second half of 2026 and continuing each quarter, including institutional adoption, learner reach and, as programs mature, workforce outcomes such as credential attainment, program completion and job placement.

The first year focuses on institutions and learners who have historically had the least access to modern learning technology in the United States, Brazil, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, expanding to additional regions over time. That work centers on four groups:

• K-12 districts with workforce programs serving rural and first-generation students
• Correctional facilities building credential pathways for incarcerated learners
• Community colleges serving adult and budget-constrained students
• Workforce development organizations, including vocational training centers and public-sector programs

This is a starting point. The structural barriers to education access run deeper than any single initiative can address, and Instructure and AWS intend to keep building. Future phases of this work will expand the tools launched today and reach more institutions and learners, expanding opportunities for learners everywhere.

About Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is guided by customer obsession, pace of innovation, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. By democratizing technology for nearly two decades and making cloud computing and generative AI accessible to organizations of every size and industry, AWS has built one of the fastest-growing enterprise technology businesses in history. Millions of customers trust AWS to accelerate innovation, transform their businesses, and shape the future. With the most comprehensive AI capabilities and global infrastructure footprint, AWS empowers builders to turn big ideas into reality. Learn more at aws.amazon.com and follow @AWSNewsroom.

The AWS Education Equity Initiative is a $100 million commitment of AWS technology to support organizations that build and scale innovative digital learning solutions with cloud and AI. To learn more and apply, visit: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/our-impact/education-equity-initiative/

Instructure Announces Project Athena, an AI Study Coach Designed to Deliver In-Context Learning through Canvas

SALT LAKE CITY— Instructure, the leading learning ecosystem and maker of Canvas LMS, today introduced Project Athena, currently under development as part of Instructure Foundry, Instructure’s new venture dedicated to innovation. Project Athena is an AI study coach that integrates with Canvas to help students study more effectively. Once launched, Athena will provide personalized support that coaches students toward skill mastery and understanding, utilizing feedback from students and educators grounded in learning science. Project Athena is being designed to use course materials, assignments, and information about upcoming assessments, available through the student’s account, to generate personalized quizzes, study guides, and coaching prompts aligned with course learning objectives.

As institutions work to improve engagement, many struggle to provide personalized study support at scale. Educators and students increasingly turn to AI tutoring to address this need. Yet most AI tutoring tools have a critical gap: they generate explanations without the context of what students are actually learning and require students to find, organize, and upload course materials themselves. Project Athena is intended to address that context gap by connecting study support to the Canvas content students are expected to learn.

Research from the Fordham Institute shows that instructionally aligned tutoring, when connected to what students are actually learning in their courses, produces measurable improvements in student outcomes. Athena will apply this learning science principle by connecting AI-powered study support to course context available through each student’s Canvas account. Athena’s quiz, study guide, and coaching prompts are designed to align with the specific material students are expected to master.
Designed to support educator confidence

Consistent with its philosophy of collaborative product design, Instructure is co-creating Project Athena alongside its customers. As one example of institutional partnership, Hinds Community College, the largest community college in Mississippi, will provide Athena to all 7,000 of its students this fall after a successful pilot this spring.

“Office hours and a tutoring center can only stretch so far. We wanted every student to have support whenever they needed it,” said Brandon Mitchell, Director of Instructional Design and Technology at Hinds College. “If that keeps even a fraction of our 7,000 students in a course they might have dropped, that's a completion and retention impact we can't ignore.”

Student feedback gathered during the project’s development has indicated that instructor support influenced students' comfort with using an AI-enabled study tool. Instructure is using that feedback to shape an experience focused on course materials, learning objectives, and study practices intended to strengthen understanding. The approach will give educators greater clarity about the tool's purpose and give students clearer expectations, while supporting institutional guidelines for responsible AI use.

“Project Athena represents what we believe responsible AI in education should look like: grounded in learning science, connected to the learning environment and built to support understanding through skill mastery,” said Shiren Vijiasingam, chief product officer at Instructure. “It will use the Canvas course context available to each student to focus personalized study support on what they are learning. Project Athena will coach toward mastery, not answers, and is being designed around student data privacy and responsible use.”

Study support grounded in Canvas course context

• Project Athena connects to a student’s Canvas account and uses information available through the student’s existing Canvas permissions, including course materials, assignments and upcoming assessments.
• It generates quizzes, study guides and coaching prompts. This allows the study experience to reflect the content and deadlines associated with each course while keeping support grounded in the material chosen by educators.
• Project Athena will use a mastery model that prioritizes understanding and skill development over assignment completion. It will track confidence and identify areas where students need additional support, pulling relevant questions and materials from Canvas and student uploads while continuously adapting difficulty to match what students already know. Students will be able to upload handwritten notes or curriculum content, and Athena will ground its guidance in course context, with an emphasis on content mastery.

Privacy by design is core to Instructure's AI governance, and Project Athena reflects this commitment. Student conversations are never used to train external models, and students will retain ownership of the data they create in Athena. Athena will access Canvas course information through a read-only connection governed by the student’s existing permissions, so it can only retrieve information the student is authorized to view. Instructure serves as a FERPA-designated school official when handling education records on behalf of participating institutions.
Launching through Instructure Foundry

Project Athena is the first project announced through Instructure Foundry, a new AI-native venture studio for building and bringing innovative products to market faster than Instructure's core roadmap can move. Foundry “disrupts from within,” exploring emerging markets and testing solutions at the pace of change, while maintaining the trust and stability of the core Instructure learning ecosystem. By launching products through Foundry, institutions can adopt breakthrough solutions now, with transparent expectations about what's proven and what will evolve. Every Foundry solution is built through direct collaboration with educators and institutions to address the specific challenges they face.

Instructure’s core product roadmap is built to support thousands of institutions with consistency, reliability, and scale. Foundry complements that work by enabling focused teams to respond more quickly to emerging needs, test new approaches with customers and advance promising solutions without disrupting the core learning ecosystem.

“We have spent more than a year developing Athena alongside our customers and will continue testing and refining it,” said Steve Daly, chief executive officer at Instructure. “By connecting directly to the courses students are taking, Athena will provide study support that reflects the material they are expected to understand. Foundry gives focused teams the flexibility to respond to emerging needs, incorporate feedback from educators and students, and bring solutions that improve outcomes to our customers more quickly.”

Institutions interested in testing Athena and providing feedback can learn more at https://www.studywithathena.com

CanvasCon Philippines 2025 Urged Educators to Build Future-Ready Learning in the Age of AI

MANILA, Philippines — Instructure, the edtech company behind the Canvas learning management system (LMS), highlighted a new vision for future-ready education at CanvasCon Philippines 2025 held at the Grand Hyatt Manila on September 10, 2025. The annual conference emphasized that creating a modern education system requires more than just technology; it also demands inclusive pathways, AI upskilling and literacy, and simplified systems for lifelong learning. The event brought together over 400 attendees, including educators, administrators, and thought leaders from across the Philippines and abroad.

Dr. Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela, Commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), opened the conference with a keynote address on how AI is reshaping education. She said AI will make educators’ lives easier, noting that while jobs and skills will change, learning must never stop because AI is no longer the future; it’s already here.

Meanwhile, Ryan Lufkin, Vice President of Global Academic Strategy at Instructure, spoke about AI operational efficiency and effectiveness and stressed that the human capacity for learning and evolving is what keeps learners and educators relevant. “We all carry the world's knowledge in our pockets right now, but we still need teachers. We still need guides to help us along our learning pathways. That unique spark between a teacher and a student—that's the magic of education. AI can help facilitate and keep that unique connection.”

Throughout the day, sessions reflected the three core themes shaping the country’s education landscape: making sense of AI in classrooms and institutional settings, supporting every learner’s unique path through flexible, interactive, and mobile-first approaches, and simplifying systems to reduce administrative challenges while scaling access and equity.

The event brought together educators from top universities in the Philippines, including Ateneo De Manila University, De La Salle University, Our Lady of Fatima University, Mapua University, Holy Angel University, Far Eastern University, CIIT College of Arts and Technology, De La Salle Lipa, and Ateneo Graduate School of Business.

A closing panel featured The Bean Center CEO Martin Bean, Holy Angel University OIC President Leopoldo Valdez, and FEU Roosevelt Senior Vice President Alma Emerita V. De La Cruz, who shared their experiences in creating personalized learning pathways and enhancing student engagement.

Harrison Kelly, Managing Director for APAC at Instructure, concluded the conference by citing the Philippines State of Higher Ed 2025 report where 83% of educators agree that delivering lifelong learning is a strategic priority for their institution. “Though institutions are at different phases of AI adoption to support lifelong learning, the truth is we are all in this together. At Instructure, we are committed to walking alongside institutions as strategic technology partners, aligning not only with their technology needs, but with their pedagogical mission and vision.”

This year’s CanvasCon also marked a milestone for Instructure with the recent opening of its Asia hub in Manila. The new office will deepen collaboration with schools, universities, and learning institutions across Asia. By locating its hub in the Philippines, Instructure is signaling a long-term commitment to empowering educators and advancing student success through scalable, impactful technology in the region.

Instructure Launches IgniteAI to Transform Education with Seamless AI Integration

Instructure, the company behind the widely used Canvas Learning Management System (LMS), has introduced IgniteAI, a powerful new AI platform built to enhance the educational experience for teachers and learners alike. With AI adoption rising across industries, educators face growing challenges in integrating these technologies effectively into their daily workflows. IgniteAI offers a seamless, secure, and intuitive solution — directly embedded into Canvas and Mastery — to streamline teaching and learning tasks with the help of AI.

Powered by AWS Bedrock and integrated with over 1,100 edtech partners, IgniteAI enables educators to create quizzes, generate rubrics, summarize discussions, and align content with learning outcomes. Its standout feature, IgniteAgent, supports conversation-based assistance to guide users through even the most complex workflows — including those involving third-party partner tools — all from within the Canvas interface.

Instructure’s approach to AI is grounded in three key pillars: confidence, adoption, and value. Educators maintain full control over how AI is used, ensuring privacy and compliance with regulations like COPPA, FERPA, and GDPR. Because IgniteAI is seamlessly integrated into familiar platforms like Canvas, it feels like a natural extension of existing workflows. The AI tools are designed to reduce time-consuming tasks such as grading, content creation, and student management — ultimately giving educators more time to focus on teaching.

This effort is further amplified through a global partnership with OpenAI, which brings cutting-edge large language models (LLMs) into the Canvas environment. The first result of this collaboration is the LLM-Enabled Assignment, where educators can create custom GPT-like experiences aligned with specific learning goals. Students interact with AI in a structured, educational way, while teachers can track learning progress and critical thinking skills through built-in assessment tools.

The partnership with OpenAI reflects Instructure’s broader commitment to an open edtech ecosystem that’s ready for the future of learning. From automated content creation to personalized student feedback and multilingual support, Instructure’s AI strategy focuses on enhancing—not replacing—the human aspect of education.

As AI continues to evolve, Instructure is positioning itself as a leader in responsible educational innovation, helping institutions around the world embrace AI in ways that are meaningful, safe, and pedagogically sound.

Instructure Academic Excellence Awards Opens Nominations to Recognize Outstanding Educators, Innovators, and Transformative Educational Programs

Manila, Philippines — March 2025 — Instructure, the leading learning ecosystem and maker of Canvas Learning Management System (LMS), has started accepting nominations for the Instructure Academic Excellence Awards to recognize educators, programs, and tools significantly impacting teaching and learning worldwide, with the application period open until March 31.

The awards will honor achievements in three categories. The Outstanding Course category recognizes courses that deliver engaging and innovative content while driving exceptional student outcomes. These courses demonstrate a strong pedagogical foundation, incorporate technology effectively, and provide students with meaningful learning experiences.

The Innovative Tool category celebrates educational tools that enhance teaching and learning through intuitive design, accessibility, and groundbreaking features. These tools support educators in improving instructional delivery and student engagement.

Lastly, the Transformative Program category highlights sustainable programs that improve teaching and learning at scale, demonstrating long-term impact across diverse audiences. These programs typically exhibit scalability, effectiveness,s and adaptability, ensuring continued relevance in evolving educational landscapes.

Nominations will be evaluated based on specific criteria, including innovation, effectiveness, accessibility, and impact. The goal is to identify and showcase best practices in education that inspire others and set new benchmarks for excellence.

Entries will be evaluated based on innovation, effectiveness, accessibility, and impact. Outstanding Course submissions should showcase innovative teaching approaches, comprehensive content, and effective delivery that drive measurable student success. The Innovative Tool category is reserved for technology-driven solutions developed by educational institutions, enhancing instructional delivery and student engagement while ensuring scalability and strong data security. The Transformative Program category should highlight structured, sustainable approaches to education, such as AI literacy initiatives, remote learning support, or collaborative pedagogical programs. Submissions will be assessed on their ability to scale, institutional alignment, and long-term impact, among other factors.

The winners of the Instructure Academic Excellence Awards will be announced at InstructureCon 2025, which will be held July 22-24, 2025 in Spokane, Washington. At InstructureCon 2025, participants will have the opportunity to participate in case studies and receive global recognition.

“The creativity and innovation among Filipino educators are truly inspiring and hold great promise for the future of education in the country. It will be an honor to see Filipino representation in these global awards,” said Melissa Loble, chief academic officer at Instructure.

Canvas is used by top-ranked universities in the Philippines, including De La Salle University, the University of Santo Tomas, and Ateneo de Manila University, to support both in-person and online education. With its flexible and scalable platform, Canvas helps educators manage courses, facilitate communication, and streamline assessments, providing institutions with a reliable tool for modern teaching and learning.

Interested parties can visit the official Instructure website or visit https://www.instructure.com/acdemic-excellence-awards for details on eligibility, nomination requirements, and deadlines.