Imperial College London moves to Canvas for university-wide digital learning environment

Imperial unites its diverse digital landscape under a single, flexible Canvas ecosystem, setting a new standard for consistency and accessibility for 28,000+ students and staff.

LONDON - 24 September 2026 - Instructure, the leading learning technology ecosystem and maker of Canvas, today announced that Imperial College London will launch Canvas as its new virtual learning environment (VLE) across the institution on 14 September. The successful 10-month implementation streamlined course migration and supported a comprehensive change management and data strategy, enabling staff to easily access and redesign their teaching materials.

Canvas will replace multiple legacy systems used across Imperial, creating a single central hub for learning and teaching for more than 24,000 students and 4,000 staff. The move is designed to provide a more consistent digital experience across departments while retaining the flexibility required by Imperial's diverse disciplines and programmes.

Canvas will make it easier for staff and students to navigate, teach, learn and collaborate, while supporting greater efficiency, insight and resilience across the institution. Accessibility is also central to the new environment, with built-in features including screen reader compatibility, alternative text and customisable settings designed to enable every student to engage fully and equitably.

Professor Alan Spivey, Vice Provost (Education and Student Experience) at Imperial College, said:

"At Imperial, we are continually investing in the learning experiences we provide our students. Our move to Canvas marks an important step in strengthening the digital foundations that support world-class teaching across the university."

"As a global leader in science, engineering, medicine and business, we require a learning platform that is intuitive, reliable and capable of supporting innovative teaching at scale. This transition is about ensuring that our learning environment reflects Imperial's ambition to equip students with the knowledge, skills and opportunities they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world."

Henry Clifford-Jones, Managing Director of EMEA at Instructure, said: "Imperial's decision reflects a broader shift we are seeing across higher education; institutions are looking beyond individual digital tools and thinking about how technology can create a more connected and consistent learning experience.

"We are proud to support Imperial as they consolidate multiple legacy systems and nearly 100 integrations into a single Canvas ecosystem, streamlining internal workflows and staff training while retaining the flexibility to support the unique needs of different faculties."

The rollout is being delivered through Imperial's centrally based Digital Education Platform Project (DEPP), which has brought together teams from across the institution to prepare Canvas for its university-wide launch. The project aims to establish a single VLE as the foundation for an improved, user-centred digital education service.

ABOUT INSTRUCTURE

Instructure builds the learning ecosystem that organizations, educators and learners depend on across K-12, higher education and the workforce. Canvas, Mastery and Parchment serve thousands of school districts, university systems, statewide agencies and employers, reaching tens of millions of learners in more than 100 countries. Everything Instructure makes is built for education first, with the data privacy protections, evidence and institutional control that schools, colleges and employers require. That is how learning becomes opportunity at every age, every stage and every pivotal transition. Discover more at www.instructure.com/en-gb.