How DLSU built a unified learning environment with Canvas
Canvas gives De La Salle University a reliable foundation for teaching and learning, supporting innovation today and long-term institutional goals.
The best thing about the Philippines is really the people. Education has always been important to me because really it's an investment. My main goal has always been to serve a higher purpose. That's why I chose to go through the field of law because I also want to put up my own law firm and do nonprofit projects and cases also for the Filipino people. Here in De La Salle University, we promote hybrid learning to support our students and faculty to be able to become twenty first century digital learners.
One important component for that is using Canvas as our LMS. Before the university decided to use Canvas, we were using different kinds of LMSs. Around twenty seventeen, we started to think of how we can adopt more a unified LMS because before each college or each departments are using their own LMSs that are usually free. That hinders collaboration because we cannot do monitoring, we cannot do analytics, and we have different standards. But because now we have one platform and everybody likes it, that helps sharing of information and collaborating with other departments, other colleges.
Canvas is tailored to cater to everyone. So every professor, every student, whether that's teaching or learning, because you have different features that are actually really, really important when it comes to student life. You have that communication and, the dissemination of really important information that is timely, relevant and pertinent to student life. I'm fairly new faculty. When I joined DLSU, we were introduced to using Canvas and in my experience, it's actually a very user friendly device or application.
If we want critically thinking students, we need quality content that is engaging and that will encourage them to think. And I've honestly feel that I've been able to achieve this with Canvas. It's very important to have an LMS like Canvas that allows students from different paces, students from different demographics to be able to continue learning. My favorite Canvas feature is most definitely the offline mode. So the offline mode is important, especially when you're traveling, because I believe most of the students here are actually from the province, so they have to travel around at least an hour or two every day, especially with the tough traffic.
They're able to access their modules offline. That's why offline mode is really important. The fact that Canvas is an open platform makes it very adaptable to many LTIs. We integrate a lot of LTIs in our own Canvas instance, as well as some of our researchers actually in the College of Computer Science do their own LTIs and ask us to integrate it to Canvas so they can try it. It's a very organized approach to managing one's course.
It's a lot easier than it looks and there's always a very generous set of tutorials being supplied by both Instructure and even the online community. If there is a university that is thinking of already of shifting to Canvas and just gives a needs just a little nudge, I think one of the best things about Canvas is the community. There's a lot of Canvas schools already, both, locally and internationally. And with that kind of community, it's like a support group. We've grown accustomed to using Canvas ever since the start of our university life.
So, we really can't live without it. It's our main mode of knowing what to do next in our university life. Now that I am a power user and also an administrator, I don't think I will recommend any other elements other than Canvas. I think it's the best there is. It's the gold standard, and it shows that it's one that is chosen by the top schools here in the Philippines and the top schools in other countries.
De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila is one of the Philippines’ leading higher education institutions. With tens of thousands of students and faculty across multiple campuses, the university needed a learning platform that was consistent, adaptable, and designed to work in a context where connectivity is often unpredictable.
From many systems to one platform
Before Canvas, DLSU relied on different learning management systems across its colleges and departments, which made teaching and learning fragmented. Students had to manage multiple logins, faculty spent time navigating unfamiliar interfaces, and administrators lacked a unified approach.
Since adopting Canvas in 2018, the university has had a foundation for a more organised and reliable experience. With one platform, DLSU could simplify course management, ensure consistency, and build confidence in the way digital learning was delivered.
Built for the Philippine context
That consistency matters in the Philippines, where connectivity challenges and long commutes shape student life. The offline mode in Canvas has become essential for DLSU’s learners.
First-year psychology student Phoebe Yu shared how it helped her keep pace. “There was this one time I was going to the grocery store and I totally forgot that I had an upcoming quiz. Luckily, I still had my module open, so I just had to read while I was lining up. That definitely saved me a lot of time”.
Michael Manguerra also pointed to the difference it makes for students outside Manila. “Some parts of the country don’t have good internet connection, but at least when students go to campus, they can download their content and consume it at home.”
Adaptable and extendable
Once Canvas was established, DLSU faculty and students began shaping it to their needs. Faculty member Dominique Juntado redesigned her sociology and behavioural sciences courses into an “adventure game,” creating a more interactive learning experience.
“With Canvas, I’m able to provide my students with that interactive educational environment,” she said.
Students found creative applications too, such as running campus elections through Canvas, which made participation easier across different groups.
At the institutional level, the university’s Academic Support for Instructional Services and Technology office integrated faculty evaluations into Canvas. Response rates, previously stuck around 15 percent, jumped to more than 50 percent in a single week. Together, these uses reflect how Canvas has become part of both academic and administrative life at DLSU.
A community and partnership approach
Innovation is sustained by the sense of partnership that DLSU has with Canvas and the wider community of users.
“We feel that we are stakeholders in this. We’re not just mere users of the product, but we also contribute to how the product evolves and responds to our needs,” said Manguerra.
This perspective shapes the university’s future plans. DLSU is preparing to launch an open university, offering massive open online courses and online distance degrees through Canvas Catalog. Knowing that Canvas is continually updated and supported globally gives the institution confidence that the platform will continue to align with its ambitions.
For the DLSU community, those ambitions are also tied to service.
“Education is a seed towards planting a better future for yourself, your family, and if you’re searching for a higher purpose, your community,” said Khan. Manguerra expressed the same commitment.
“Whatever you learn here, you use it to serve back to the community, to serve back to the marginalised.”
With Canvas, DLSU can pursue this mission on a platform that supports everyday teaching while also aligning with the university’s long-term vision.
