Enhancing Student Engagement in Higher Education through Canvas Integration: A Systematic Literature Review by Shuai Zhu A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION with an emphasis in Educational Technology WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY Ogden, Utah July 30, 2025 Approved Jessie Nixon, Ph.D. Katarina Anderson, Ph.D. Ryan Cain, Ph.D. 2 Introduction With the fast development of all kinds of information technologies, online education has become more vital in global education. And with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many educational organizations quickly switched to online teaching, showing that Learning Management Systems (LMS) in education are considered as a highly efficient way for learning and teaching (Khatser & Khatser, 2022). Studies show that there were more than 5 million students enrolled in online courses, which shows that there is a widespread acceptance of online education (Grossi et al., 2018). So with circumstances like this, the leading educational platform Canvas has received most attention because of its various functions and user-friendly design. There is a boosting need for LMS learning management systems such as Canvas in higher education, and this need has brought both opportunities and challenges, such as the identification and implementation of functions which can encourage collaboration and interaction (Hustad & Arntzen, 2013). Canvas provides various tools for course design, interaction, and assessment which can promote teaching efficiency and student engagement, but it still has problems like the inconsistencies in its application (Jaschik & Lederman, 2014), poor user experiences, and lack of training for teachers. For example, many teachers only use LMSs to assist lectures and do not use communication functions (Hustad & Arntzen, 2013). The key of this problem is to understand how to properly use Canvas's tools across different educational settings, and consistently support both teachers and students in producing great learning outcomes. This literature review addresses these challenges by exploring how Canvas's features can be better used to improve teaching efficiency and enhance student’s experiences. This literature review was guided by the following research question: RQ: How does the use of Canvas as a Learning Management System (LMS) affect student 3 engagement in higher education? Methodology ​ In this study, I use a systematic literature review approach following the guidelines by Pantic and Hamilton (2024). In the following sections, you will see how the literature review was conducted, which framework was used to organize the literature, as well as a list of recommendations based on the search. Literature Search The literature search for this review was conducted using the academic database called Google Scholar. The search focused on identifying studies that examined the application of Canvas as a Learning Management System (LMS) in higher education settings and its impact on student engagement. Search terms that I used were: “Canvas LMS,” “higher education,” “student engagement,” and “learning management systems.” The initial search yielded a total of 86 studies. Articles were selected based on their relevance to the research question, and publication year (within the last 5 years). Next, I reviewed the titles of the articles I downloaded. In this process, I eliminated 5 articles because they had the same titles. Finally, I read the abstracts of each study to assess their relevance to this study. In this process, I eliminated another 48 articles due to them being mainly focused on teachers, instead of students. Additionally, some just mentioned Canvas and did not actually study Canvas, and some were not about student engagement. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria​ ​ Inclusion criteria were established to ensure that the selected literature was relevant and of high quality. Only studies published in peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, Doctor’s, Master’s, and Bachelor’s published theses, and white papers were considered. Google Scholar articles were arranged in order of relevance and inspected 10 pages deep. Additionally, studies had to meet the following criteria: 4 ●​ Articles were published between 2020 - 2025 ●​ Language: English ●​ Key words: higher education, Canvas, focused on students (rather than teachers) ●​ Exclusion: no websites or product reviews for Canvas, no newspaper or magazine articles Final Sample After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 33 articles were selected for this literature review. This literature review focuses on the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS)’s impact on student engagement in higher education. The articles were written between 2020-2025, most of the articles being written in 2024 (n=9), then 2023 (n=8), with the oldest articles being from 2020 (n=4). The context within which these studies were conducted was largely in the United States (n = 17), with only 16 studies being conducted elsewhere (two in Turkey, two in Finland, one in India, one in Australia, one in Mexico, one in China, one in South Africa, one in the UK, two study in Indonesia, one in Russia, one study in the Philippines, one in Egypt, and one in Kenya). Out of the 33 articles included in this study, 29 articles were empirical, and only 4 were conceptual papers. Out of the 29 empirical studies, mixed-methods studies took the highest number of these articles (n=13), while 12 were quantitative studies and 4 were qualitative studies. All of these studies focused on higher education students. Theoretical Framework as a Classification Criteria This literature review is based on the work of Fredricks et al. (2004). He provides a framework on how to understand the three types of engagement which can impact student success. According to Fredricks et al. (2004), school engagement means how students act behaviorally, emotionally, and cognitively in school. According to him, these can be the core of some problems, like the students' negative motivation and poor 5 academic outcomes. The author also thinks that engagement can be improved by people’s interactions or school environments. Fredricks et al. (2004) show three types of engagement that affect student’s learning: behavioral, emotional, and cognitive. Behavioral engagement is what students do in school, like paying attention in class, following classroom rules, finishing learning tasks, asking questions, joining in discussions, and other activities. This kind of engagement shows as the foundation of the student's academic achievement and keeps them still learning in school instead of dropping out. Fredricks et al. (2004) said that behavioral engagement can be measured in the following ways: 1. teacher ratings like if they follow rules, study hard, or join activities, 2. self-reports like if they study hard or participate in class, and 3. observation strategies. Emotional engagement is how students feel about school, teachers, classmates and academic content, like interest, sense of belonging, value recognition, and pressure, anxiety and can also relate to students’ interest, boredom, or sadness. Emotions can significantly affect students' minds to the people in the school and their willingness to study. Emotional engagement is often measured by self-report surveys like asking students to share how they feel, if they like school, if they like the learning content, if they feel bored, or belong there. Cognitive engagement is how students think and learn in the learning process, like actively thinking about complex tasks, using metacognitive strategies such as planning, monitoring, and reflection, and seeking for deep understanding rather than surface level study. Using study strategies to solve problems like taking notes or asking difficult questions can support cognitive engagement. Cognitive engagement focuses on how students think about learning and if they can use strategies to understand difficult topics 6 like planning ahead or checking what they have done before and if they’re mentally improved (like seeking for challenges actively). Results Emotional Engagement ​ As a reminder, emotional engagement is defined by Fredricks et al. (2004) as how students feel about school, teachers, classmates and academic content, like interest, sense of belonging, value recognition, pressure, anxiety and can also relate to students’ interest, boredom, or sadness. To that end, I coded all the results from the 33 articles that had to do with emotional engagement based on the definition provided above as emotional engagement. This generated 30 codes. Several articles discussed that a good affective experience with Canvas LMS can influence students' emotional engagement. The platform's friendly user design can help improve students' confidence and satisfaction, because the students said Canvas is useful and easy to use (Chin et al., 2022; Haggag, 2024; Joosten, 2021; Oudat & Othman, 2024; Santiana et al., 2021). Students think some functions in Canvas make them feel relaxed and helpful like Course Introduction and Overview, Learning Objectives, Assessment and Measurement (Karanfiloğlu & Bulut, 2025). What’s more, some studies found that 93.5% of students were satisfied with Canvas because of its great teacher-student communication and interactive activities (Santiana et al., 2024; 2021; Strakos et al., 2023). With those things above, we can see that Canvas can reduce anxiety and pressure because students can ask questions easily and receive timely feedback through integrated communication tools (Alam et al., 2023; Karanfiloğlu & Bulut, 2025). This platform’s interactive features have helped students form a sense of belonging， reducing the feeling of isolation in online learning. Discussion boards, announcements, 7 and group projects create social presence, making students feel that they are part of the class (Jackson & Yang, 2024; Njuguna & Gikandi, 2023; Santiana et al., 2021; Mitra, 2022). The video introductions made by teachers were also found to promote the connection between teacher and student, and create a great environment in which students can feel that teachers are accessible (Jackson & Yang, 2024; Salakari, 2023). Speaking of motivation, there are elements like games that also help emotional engagement. Badges or "digital stickers" for module completion can help students gain pride and enjoyment (Idleman, 2022). At the same time, personalized dashboards such as Delphinium's progress trackers can enhance their pride and keep them motivated (Alam et al., 2023). Students even directly said that Canvas was very useful and kept them motivated to learn and build confidence, which shows how Canvas increases motivation and confidence (Santiana et al., 2024). And they even made a survey on 163 university students about Canvas, the results show that Canvas is a motivated element, and it can positively affect students' performance, making them feel motivated to learn (Alvarez et al., 2021). As for media content, especially videos, the majority of students reported them being more attractive as they helped them be motivated, and inspired their interest (Alvarez et al., 2021). However, emotional engagement was also found to decrease when the platform design is not clear. Students felt frustration and confusion when the course structures lacked clarity, especially when the navigation was not clear (Tikkanen, 2023). Limited interpersonal interaction tools, such as Canvas-supported peer and teacher interaction, were found to make students feel disconnected (Cao, 2020). This finding also highlighted that it was important to design good, clear systematic platform features. On the other hand, a sudden shift to online learning without proper support could cause anxiety and 8 uncertainty and disconnection (Chavis & Efe, 2021; Oudat & Othman, 2024), it shows that proper support should be ready with online learning. In summary, Canvas has the potential to enhance emotional engagement through friendly user design, interactive communication tools, motivation elements and sense of belonging design. These features help students become confident, relaxed and have a sense of belonging, but if the course structure design is in chaos or the interface of the navigation system is not clear, students will have negative feelings. Behavioral Engagement As a reminder, behavioral engagement is defined by Fredricks et al. (2004) as what students do in school, like paying attention in class, following classroom rules, finishing learning tasks, asking questions, joining in discussions, and other activities. This kind of engagement shows as the foundation of the student's academic achievement and keeps them still learning in school instead of dropping out. To that end, I coded all the results from the 33 articles that had to do with behavioral engagement based on the definition provided above as behavioral engagement. This generated 58 codes. One way that Canvas encourages behavioral engagement is through daily course task accomplishments. Students finish daily tasks through assignments, quizzes, exams, and so on in Canvas to enhance their behavioral engagement. Canvas’s graded quizzes encourage students to spend more time on learning, and they usually spend several days finishing one quiz, then they move to the other one, from basic to advanced (Strakos et al., 2023). Most students use Canvas, calendar in particular, to submit their assignments regularly (Cao, 2020). For some classes, students need to finish pre-class activities like watching videos and finishing reading and quizzes according to their specific learning pathway (Armas-Cervantes et al., 2024). One survey showed that students who use Canvas have 9 higher course completion rates and higher scores, which equates to high behavioral engagement (Pirani & Patil, 2023). One author mentioned that students will finish a lot of small quizzes and interactive assignments as part of their daily work (Salakari, 2023). More than 70% of students are willing to use their mobile phone to access Canvas and engage in their daily learning activities so they can finish their daily task anytime (Santiana et al., 2024). Even in low adoption of Canvas, students still have certain assignments to finish (Hassan, n.d.). Most students showed a high level of engagement in their daily Canvas online course learning (Shurygin et al., 2021). These findings show that Canvas promotes behavioral engagement through daily tasks like quizzes and assignments and when students finish their daily task in Canvas, they tend to have good performance. Student behavioral engagement in Canvas is linked to course design. How students use Canvas usually varies from negative to positive use. Students who have access to the dashboard viewed Canvas more frequently (Alam et al., 2023), which means the dashboard design improved students’ frequency of using Canvas. The dashboard feature had a significant influence on students’ academic performance (Alam et al., 2023). Armas-Cervantes et al. (2024) found that students spend more time watching videos over time. For example, there are two types of discussion boards in the Canvas system for interaction: teacher-student and student-student (Bulut, 2023), but how a student would use this system is dependent on the course requirements. After the transition to remote learning during the pandemic, for example, the interaction between Canvas and students has increased, both in the number of views and actions (Chavis & Efe, 2021), which can probably be attributed to improved course design. Seventy per cent of students use integrated tools in Canvas to help them interact with the system (Hassan, n.d.). Student’s 10 interaction with Canvas can be measured by frequency and duration (Armas-Cervantes et al., 2024). Some negative use of Canvas was reported by Cao (2020) who found that students only considered Canvas as a tool to submit assignments, not using the interactive functions, while only 16% of students used tools like Zoom (Cao, 2020). When the course design is not clear, students will find their way to interact with Canvas through superficial engagement like skimming and creating touchpoints (Day, 2022). In other words, students have a lack of engagement when the design is not good. These studies show that students' interaction with Canvas varies. Some are just on the surface while others can go deeper. Improving course design like a dashboard can help students be more on task, which means more behavioral engagement. ​ The next Canvas features that promote behavioral engagement are the communication tools. Canvas’s communication tools, like discussion boards and chat can help promote student’s behavioral engagement if they actively use them. The discussion board in Canvas helps students ask questions, share thoughts and take part in conversations (Karanfiloğlu & Bulut, 2025). The majority of students agreed that the communications tools in Canvas promoted the interactions (Santiana et al., 2024). The group collaboration features in Canvas were found to enhance students’ communication experience and efficiency (Karanfiloğlu & Bulut, 2025). But there is still a report that communication tools like discussion and Zoom are rarely used because a small number of students only use discussion boards only because their teachers ask them to do so (Cao, 2020). In addition, communication tools like chat in Canvas offer real-time conversation, which is good for students’ engagement (Jackson & Yang, 2024). Students in the discussion are better connected with each other, and can easily exchange their ideas and information (Ojha, 2020). Students can share their ideas, including comments, and 11 brainstorm them through discussion icons (Haggag, 2024). Students working together in group activities will actively help build their own knowledge, which increases their behavioral engagement and enhances the learning outcomes (Njuguna & Gikandi, 2023). Teachers are interacting with students through discussion boards, and with more files and media uploaded, students will engage more (Chavis & Efe, 2021). Additionally, students use LMS forums to discuss their ideal direction, and they use project groups on Canvas to manage their task routine, and they use collaborative authoring tools like Google Docs to write their introduction together (Duin & Tham, 2020). A majority of students agreed that engaging in group activities and using discussion boards on Canvas helped them build a deeper understanding of their course (Santiana et al., 2024). In a different study, 68% of students agreed that discussion boards help them engage with other students (Simelane-Mnisi, 2023). The discussion board has also encouraged students engaged in learning to have a deeper understanding of the subject (Karanfiloğlu & Bulut, 2025). Student’s discussion engagement behaviors in learning is significantly and positively related to students’ academic outcomes (Guo, 2021). Canvas’s communication functions like discussion forums, chats and collaborative assignments, have helped students become positively engaged in their study (Santiana et al., 2024). These articles show that communication tools can enhance students’ behavioral engagement, and teachers should design courses accordingly. While Canvas tools promote behavioral engagement, deep behavioral engagement requires purposeful design on the part of the teacher. Behavioral engagement often stays on the surface unless the designer or user pays attention to it. Canvas is designed as a task-centered platform, and a lot of students just take it as a tool to submit assignments (Cao, 2020; Oudat & Othman, 2024). However, when the system has a gamifying 12 function, students can become more motivated (Schauer et al., 2024). The survey found that students who are more active on their Canvas activities receive fewer negative observations, and after the intervention from an academic advisor (according to the data from LMS), the students pay more attention to the behavioral engagement, they get better academic performance (Rust & Motz, 2024). Students’ positive learning habits are clearly linked to better grades, in contrast with negative behaviors, which have fewer effects (Guo, 2021). Mobile phones are a convenient way to study in Canvas, but students can't always get deeply engaged in study (Santiana et al., 2024). Automatic tools and tasks can make the instructors and students feel more at ease, but they often ignore the importance of deep engagement in study (Salakari, 2023). Students just use surface level tools in Canvas such as the gradebook (Hassan, n.d.). Those studies show that a lot of students can finish the surface-level tasks in Canvas, but if teachers want students to have deeper behavioral engagement, they will need gamifying features, intervention from teachers (using LMS data from the dashboard). While Canvas has built-in design features that support behavioral engagement, teachers can use specific actions and strategies to help increase students’ behavioral engagement. The results of one survey show that students who received reminders from teachers had better academic performance (Rust & Motz, 2024). A lot of students think that deadlines are very useful in Canvas, so they can keep track in their studies (Schauer et al., 2024). One study showed that gamified dashboards help students to have a high frequency to visit Canvas and get higher academic grades (Alam et al., 2023). Timely grading and immediate feedback can provide students sufficient time to make adjustments to their work and make them more engaged in their studies (Haggag, 2024; Jackson & 13 Yang, 2024). These findings show that we can help intervent student’s behavioral engagement through several ways. In summary, student’s behavioral engagement in Canvas can be viewed through finished tasks like assignments and quizzes, which are promoted by the structure design (Pirani & Patil, 2023; Strakos et al., 2023). Students’ experience with Canvas varies from negative to positive according to the course design (Alam et al., 2023; Cao, 2020), but if the course design is not clear, students may just pay little attention to it (Cao, 2020; Day, 2022). Communication tools can promote students’ behavioral engagement and learning when they actively used those tools (Chavis & Efe, 2021; Duin & Tham, 2020; Guo, 2021; Haggag, 2024; Karanfiloğlu & Bulut, 2025; Simelane-Mnisi, 2023; Njuguna & Gikandi, 2023; Ojha, 2020; Santiana et al., 2024). However if teachers do not use strategies like gamification (Schauer et al., 2024), analyse the data to provide interventions to students (Rust & Motz, 2024), add some functions like deadlines (Schauer et al., 2024), and provide timely grading and immediate feedback (Haggag 2024; Jackson & Yang, 2024), students may only stay in the surface level of behavioral engagement. Cognitive Engagement As a reminder, cognitive engagement is defined by Fredricks et al. (2004) as how students think and learn in the learning process, like actively thinking about complex tasks, using metacognitive strategies such as planning, monitoring, and reflection, and seeking for deep understanding rather than surface level study. To that end, I coded all the results from the 33 articles that had to do with cognitive engagement based on the definition provided above as cognitive engagement. This generated 46 codes. For the first part, I want to call it self-evaluation and reflection. Canvas can help 14 students control and adjust their learning process through its self-evaluation and reflection tools. In this way, students can improve their cognitive engagement. Students can identify their knowledge gap through the baseline quizzes, and they will think deeply about their courses and objectives through further evaluation like quizzes, mid-term and final exams (Strakos et al., 2023). Students can track their learning process in Canvas and they will be able to know their reflection (Bulut, 2023). A personalized learning dashboard can help students visualize their learning progress, and this can encourage students’ reflection and adjust their learning behaviors (Alam et al., 2023). Students think it is so helpful that they can see their grades and feedback at any time because they can understand their performance clearly, so they can adjust their learning strategies according to this Canvas function (Joosten, 2021). Students’ self-evaluation can be achieved by Canvas, and this can encourage students’ active learning and think strategically (Guo, 2021). Using the function of Canvas can help extend the information literacy out of the classroom, so students will not only study in school, but this can also help students think deeply (Idleman, 2022). The student’s learning data from Canvas is simple and transparent, so students can reflect more easily (Rust & Motz, 2024). These features in Canvas help students know their own learning status, and help them adjust their strategies by reflection, at the same time, it promotes their cognitive engagement. Next, I would like to mention the interactive tools such as discussion forums, interactive videos, peer evaluations, and their functions in Canvas. Seventy per cent of students agreed that the video function called Edpuzzle helps them better deal with complex concepts (Alvarez et al., 2021). The majority agreed that the interactive tasks in Canvas have helped them learn and explore more deeply into their subject (Santiana et al., 2024). The conversation in discussions helped students build their knowledge by writing and reflection (Jackson & Yang, 2024). The discussion board in Canvas has helped students think more deeply and collaborate with their classmates outside of the classroom (Karanfiloğlu & Bulut, 15 2025). Tools like peer or self-evaluation can promote student cognitive engagement through reflective feedback (Simelane-Mnisi, 2023). Tools like discussion forums, project groups created space for students to collaborate with their peers to think deeply and critically to solve the problem (Duin & Tham, 2020). The interactive feedback functions promoted students to exchange their ideas and knowledge, which enhanced their cognitive engagement at the same time (Shurygin et al., 2021). These studies show that the interactive tools in Canvas clearly enhanced students’ cognitive engagement by encouraging them to think deeply, actively, and collaborate with others. Next, features that promote cognitive engagement are personalized learning and flexible options in Canvas. Students can present their learning outcomes through a lot of flexible options like podcast, video, text which requires them to think deeply and critically about how they should present their work properly, which was found to enlighten the student’s creativity (Jackson & Yang, 2024). Another study found that 98.7% of students thought that by accessing the personalized Canvas resources before class will help them enhance their understanding of the course and get their cognitive mind ready (Santiana et al., 2021). Mobile access to Canvas at any time was also found to offer personalized learning, and this can help students improve their learning skills by cognitive engagement (Haggag, 2024). The personalized learning and flexible ability of Canvas was essential for students' learning (Njuguna & Gikandi, 2023), which can help students improve cognitive engagement. The semi-automatic framework feedback loops offer students timely feedback to adjust and save their time, promoting their cognitive engagement (Schauer et al., 2024). These functions show that personalized learning and flexible options in Canvas not only can fulfill students' learning needs, but also help them think critically. In this way, these functions have promoted students’ cognitive engagement. Next is the feedback system. Quizzes with instant feedback in Canvas can help 16 students correct their mistakes and deepen their understanding of the course (Strakos et al., 2023). Timely feedback in Canvas can promote thinking critically and improve their learning (Alvarez et al., 2021). The dialogue from teachers can be a great feedback for students, which not only can correct students' mistakes but also lead them into deep thinking (Jackson & Yang, 2024). The relevant feedback from peers can also enhance students’ cognitive engagement (Simelane-Mnisi, 2023). The attention on feedback creates a communication environment where students can share their ideas and knowledge (Shurygin et al., 2021), and think deeper. These studies show that the feedback system in Canvas can help students engaged in study cognitively and improve learning by creating a learning environment. The fourth feature is the attitude toward cognitive engagement. Actively participating in activities is essential for cognitive engagement, while merely viewing content like videos and assignment views can be negative for cognitive engagement (Zhang et al., 2024). Canvas can support students’ deeper learning by promoting their active participation and collaboration in the classroom (Karanfiloğlu & Bulut, 2025). Active engagement design in Canvas should also consider the needs of all students, like students with dyslexia (Oudat & Othman, 2024). Most students agree that joining activities and discussions in Canvas can encourage them to think more actively and deeply (Santiana et al., 2024). There is a tension between students’ real responses and teachers’ teaching purpose, which requires students to actively participate to reduce the tension and achieve cognitive engagement (Day, 2022). These studies show that students’ attitude toward Canvas is essential for cognitive engagement, and that the active engagement design should be well regarded. After discussing features that support cognitive engagement, I want to discuss challenges and limitations for good cognitive engagement. The lack of correct guidance or poor interactive features were found to lead to students not engaging enough (Cao, 2020), which is a limit for students’ deep thinking and not good for cognitive engagement. The poor 17 design of discussion forums, like lack of visualization, limited students’ cognitive interactions (Ojha, 2020). Zhang et al. (2024) found that without the external interventions, the cognitive engagement will decay as time goes by. Students who have dyslexia and non-native English speakers may also have a problem with cognitive engagement in Canvas (Oudat & Othman, 2024). As seen above, the tools in LMS are crucial for students’ learning and engagement, but they must be fully used to achieve this goal (Njuguna & Gikandi, 2023). To ensure cognitive engagement, the feedback and assessment systems must be improved and added to Canvas (Simelane-Mnisi, 2023), otherwise this will be a limit for cognitive effort. Canvas systems need extra training and support to help users get used to it (Chavis & Efe, 2021). These studies show that even though Canvas is a great platform for students to study, there are still challenges and limitations that limit cognitive engagement. Canvas still needs to be improved in design, support, and training to ensure that all students can get helped in their study. Finally, I want to discuss findings on the cognitive engagement impact on learning outcomes. Most students agree that accessing the course resources in Canvas before class can enhance their understanding (Santiana et al., 2021). Zhang et al. (2024) found that students’ cognitive engagement in the course was significantly related to their academic outcomes. Students were also found to believe that seeing their grades and feedback helps them be clearer about their status so they can correct their mistakes (Joosten, 2021). The cognitive engagement in Canvas was also found to be effective in improving students’ writing skills (Haggag, 2024). Canvas’s cognitive supporting structures had a positive impact on students’ learning outcomes (Idleman, 2022). By analyzing the data from LMS, Rorrer and Richards (2020) found that students who transferred from other places had significantly different outcomes, but Canvas can help identify the cognitive engagement gap and offer proper interventions. These studies show that the cognitive engagement in Canvas can influence 18 learning outcomes directly, and it can improve students' learning outcomes by enhancing students' cognitive engagement. In summary, Canvas clearly improved students’ cognitive engagement by self-evaluation tools, interactive functions, personalized options, flexibility and in-time feedback (Alvarez et al., 2021; Duin & Tham, 2020; Jackson & Yang, 2024; Karanfiloğlu & Bulut, 2025; Simelane-Mnisi, 2023; Santiana et al., 2024; Shurygin et al., 2021; Strakos et al., 2023). There are still some challenges like the lack of right guidance or poor interactive features (Cao, 2020), and the poor visualization design for discussion forums (Ojha, 2020). These findings suggest that improvements are necessary. To make sure students’ cognitive engagement is supported, teachers need to learn how to guide students to use Canvas through good course content design and interactive activities, and supporters need to design Canvas more properly, not just the surface of Canvas. Discussion ​ As a reminder, this systematic literature review embarked on examining how the use of Canvas as a Learning Management System (LMS) affects student engagement in higher education. After conducting a thorough search, 33 articles were examined in detail. Based on that literature, I make the following suggestions for instructors who would like to increase emotional, behavioral, and cognitive engagement in their classes. Table 1 displays my recommendations as tied to the findings in the literature review. Table 1 Recommendations for Instructors Emotional Engagement Feature 1 Design Behavioral Friendly and clear user Dashboard design; design (e.g., Purposeful design navigation) Daily course tasks (e.g., assignments, Cognitive Active engagement design 19 quizzes, exams etc.) Feature 2 Teacher Presence teacher-student communication (e.g. ask questions easily, receive timely feedback and video introduction) n/a Feedback Feature 3 Interactions Interactive features (e.g., Discussion boards, announcements, and group projects) Communication tools (e.g. discussion, chat, forums, interactive tools such as discussion forums, interactive videos, peer evaluations Feature 4 Above and Beyond Gamification (e.g. badges, digital stickers, personalized dashboard) Videos personalized learning and flexible options in Canvas self-evaluation and reflection Design The design of Canvas is the foundation of students’ three kinds of engagement. For emotional engagement, it is important to create a clear, easy-to-use and well-organized Canvas system, because it can reduce students’ anxiety and frustration, make them feel confident and satisfied (Tikkanen, 2023). For behavioral engagement, a well-structured design can encourage students to finish their task. Teachers can use assignment tools, graded quizzes, and activities before class, such as watching videos and completing readings and quizzes to promote students’ engagement (Armas-Cervantes et al., 2024; Strakos et al., 2023). Students who receive consistent support remain engaged in their studies. For cognitive engagement, students can reflect on their studies and adjust their learning skills by self-evaluation and visualization of learning progress (Alam et al., 2023; Guo, 2021). Only a well-designed Canvas can be the solid foundation of students’ positive engagement. Teacher Presence Teacher presence in Canvas is so important because it can create a positive 20 environment that can promote students’ engagement. For emotional engagement, teachers should use video introductions and daily or weekly announcements to help build the personal connection, which can make students feel supported and build a sense of belonging (Jackson & Yang, 2024; Salakari, 2023). For cognitive engagement, on the other hand, teachers should create a strong feedback system. The feedback can help students exchange their thoughts and ideas, and help them know their learning status so they can make adjustments (Joosten, 2021; Shurygin et al., 2021). A strong teacher presence can help build a bridge between students and efficient learning, promoting students’ learning engagement. Interactions The interactions derived from Canvas tools also play an essential role in creating a collaborative learning environment. For emotional engagement, tools like group projects, discussion boards, and peer feedback can help students build a sense of belonging, and they can reduce negative feelings like isolation and remoteness (Njuguna & Gikandi, 2023; Santiana et al., 2021). For behavioral engagement, teachers should use tools to create activities in Canvas. The interactive features such as discussion, chat, and forums which can promote students’ active engagement and they can share their thoughts and ideas with peers (Karanfiloğlu & Bulut, 2025; Ojha, 2020). For cognitive engagement, interactive tools such as discussion forums, interactive videos, and peer evaluations can promote students’ critical reflection and knowledge sharing. Teachers can post assignments like peer review and discussion to help students gain deeper understanding (Duin & Tham, 2020; Simelane-Mnisi, 2023). Teachers can use these interactive tools to explore the potential of Canvas and create a positive learning environment. Above and Beyond Even though Canvas is widely used in a lot of countries and by many people, there are many ways that Canvas use can be improved in order to enhance engagement. For emotional 21 engagement, gamification (e.g., badges, digital stickers, personalized dashboard) can promote students’ motivation and sense of achievement (Alam et al., 2023; Idleman, 2022). Teachers can inspire students’ motivation by rewarding them with digital stickers once they finish a task, and they can even create a competition rank list to see who wins the first prize. For cognitive engagement, teachers can use flexible learning options, like students submitting their work by video, podcast, text, or organizational chart can inspire their creativity and critical thinking (Jackson & Yang, 2024). Personalized learning can help students reflect on their learning and make adjustments through the visualization of progress, and this can promote their cognitive engagement (Alam et al., 2023). Peer or self-evaluation can also improve students’ cognitive engagement (Simelane-Mnisi, 2023). These suggestions can help Canvas become more efficient and enhance students’ learning experience. In summary, if teachers target course design, keep a strong presence, encourage interaction, and increase innovations, Canvas will be a strong and highly efficient platform for improving students’ engagement. I hope teachers can get inspired by this literature review on improving teaching efficiency and help student success in higher education. 22 References Alam, M. I., Malone, L., Nadolny, L., Brown, M., & Cervato, C. (2023). Investigating the impact of a gamified learning analytics dashboard: Student experiences and academic achievement. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 39(5), 1436–1449. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12853 Alvarez, J., Del Angel, D., & Martínez, M. (2021). Edpuzzle and Canvas as distance learning tools during the lockdown. 2021 IEEE International Conference on Engineering Veracruz (ICEV), 978-1-6654-4548-1. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICEV52951.2021.9632628 Armas-Cervantes, A., Abedin, E., & Taymouri, F. (2024). Dusting for fingerprints: Tracking online student engagement. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 6, 100232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100232 Bulut, M. A. (2023). An evaluation of Canvas LMS through Universal Design for Learning principles and IMS Standards. İbn Haldun Çalışmaları Dergisi, 8(1), 57–62. https://doi.org/10.36657/ihcd.2023.105 Cao, Y. X. (2020). An analysis of application of interact function in higher education internet system—A case study of Canvas learning management system. 2nd International Conference on Education, Economics and Information Management (EEIM 2020), 204–212. Chavis, C., & Efe, S. U. (2021, July). Evaluation of teaching through online tools and canvas learning-management system at Morgan State University [Conference session]. 2021 ASEE Annual Conference Virtual Meeting. (Paper ID #33537) Chin, J. B., Denuevo, A. U., Baldeviso, N. S., Hinayhinay, J. K. Q., Bataanon, A. L., Estante, A. J. L., Fabayos, A. J. C., Montinola, C. W. S., & Parcon, J. M. J. (2022). Usefulness, ease of use, and system design feature of Canvas LMS: Perception of college 23 students. Central Philippine University Multidisciplinary Research Journal (Formerly Patubas), 2(1), 112–134. Day, J. (2022). Extension, engagement, and agency: Canvas as a network for the writing classroom [Doctoral dissertation, University of Michigan]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. Duin, A. H., & Tham, J. (2020). The current state of analytics: Implications for learning management system (LMS) use in writing pedagogy. Computers and Composition, 55, 102544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2020.102544 Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of educational research, 74(1), 59-109 Grossi, M. G. R., Elias, M. C. A. S., Chamon, C. M., & Leal, D. C. C. (2018). The educational potentialities of virtual learning environments: A comparative study of Moodle and Canvas. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 8(7), 514-518. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2018.8.7.1091 Guo, J. (2021). Explore student engagement in the learning management system: A learning analytics approach [Doctoral dissertation, University of Nebraska - Lincoln]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. AAI28865621. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI28865621/ Haggag, H. M. (2024). Using a mobile-based learning management system (M-LMS) for developing English technical report writing skills of computers and artificial intelligence students. Journal of Research in Education and Psychology, 39(1), 361–398. Hassan, T. (n.d.). Mining the frequent use-contexts of learning management system tools and assessing their impact on learning outcomes. Hustad, E., & Arntzen, A. B. (2013). Facilitating teaching and learning capabilities in 24 social learning management systems: Challenges, issues, and implications for design. Journal Of Integrated Design & Process Science, 17(1), 17-35. doi: 10.3233/jid-2013-0003 Idleman, B. (2022). Asynchronous learning experiences in the Canvas LMS for information literacy in the community college setting [Doctoral dissertation, Northeastern University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. Jackson, H. A., & Yang, S. (2024). Community of inquiry: Designing quality online instruction for special educator preparation. Journal of Special Education Preparation, 4(3), 16–25. Jaschik, S. & Lederman, D. (2014). The 2014 Inside Higher Ed Survey of faculty attitudes on technology: A study by Gallup and Inside Higher Ed. Washington, DC. Joosten, T. (2021, July). University of Wisconsin System Digital Learning Environment Study. DETA Research. Karanfiloğlu, M., & Bulut, M. A. (2025). Techno-pedagogical communication, ed-tech and media professionals: Crossroads for enhancing instructional quality. Interactive Learning Environments, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2025.2459180 Khatser, G., & Khatser, M. (2022). Online learning through LMSs: Comparative assessment of Canvas and Moodle. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 17(12), 184-195. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v17i12.30999 Mitra, S. (2022). An action research study on LMS assessment tools and faculty practice in English composition courses of a community college [Doctoral dissertation, Rowan University]. Rowan Digital Works. https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/2990 Njuguna, A., & Gikandi, J. (2023). Using learning management systems to scaffold 25 collaborative and interactive teaching and learning. The Journal of Social Media for Learning, 3(2), 53–68. Ojha, H. R. (2020). Link dynamics in student collaboration networks using schema-based structured network models on Canvas LMS [Master’s thesis, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. Oudat, Q., & Othman, M. (2024). Embracing digital learning: Benefits and challenges of using Canvas in education. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 14(10), 39–43. https://doi.org/10.5430/jnep.v14n10p39 Pantic, K., & Hamilton, M. (2024). Conducting a Systematic Literature Review in Education: A Basic Approach for Graduate Students. Brock Education: A Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 33(1), 49-65. Pirani, S. A., & Patil, R. (2023). An experimental study on evaluating the impact of a learning management system (LMS) on student engagement. Journal of Higher Education Technology, 20(2), 426–434. Rorrer, A., & Richards, B. (2020). Leveraging learning management systems for culturally responsive assessment practice. National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA). Rust, M. M., & Motz, B. A. (2024). Incorporating an LMS learning analytic into proactive advising: Validity and use in a randomized experiment. Journal of Learning Analytics, 11(2), 1–43. Salakari, M. (2023). Student experience on engagement through online learning resources [Bachelor’s thesis, Laurea University of Applied Sciences]. Theseus. Santiana, S., Margana, M., Putro, N. H. P., & Widodo, P. (2024). Students’ attitudes toward the use of CANVAS in the EFL virtual learning environment. International Journal of Language Education, 8(2), 267–290. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v8i2.30813 26 Santiana, S., Silvani, D., & Ruslan, R. (2021). Optimizing LMS Canvas for interactive online learning perceived by the students. Journal of English Education and Teaching (JEET), 5(4), 529–543. Schauer, L., Stewart, R., & Maarek, M. (2024). Integrating Canvas and GitLab to enrich learning processes. Proceedings of the 46th International Conference on Software Engineering: Software Engineering Education and Training (ICSE-SEET ’24), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1145/3639474.3640056 Shurygin, V., Berestova, A., Litvinova, T., Kolpak, E., & Nureyeva, A. (2021). Universal models and platforms in e-learning. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 16(9), 63–75. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i09.19697 Simelane-Mnisi, S. (2023). Effectiveness of LMS digital tools used by the academics to foster students’ engagement. Education Sciences, 13(10), 980. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13100980 Strakos, J. K., Douglas, M. A., McCormick, B., & Wright, M. (2023). A learning management system-based approach to assess learning outcomes in operations management courses. The International Journal of Management Education, 21, 100802. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2023.100802 Tikkanen, Y. (2023). Revitalizing the learning experience: A journey of improving student engagement with Canvas LMS [Master’s thesis, Laurea University of Applied Sciences]. Theseus. Zhang, Z., Pei, B., Hatten, J., & Zhou, Z. (2024). Examining student learning engagement in Canvas to support personalized learning. 2024 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 1-6 (Page numbers assumed as not provided; typical range for paper). https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE61694.2024.10893383