Schoology

Pros

The newsfeed and the ability to integrate other tools into classes is hugely beneficial.

Cons

Sometimes the grading didn't work quite right and could be difficult to set up correctly.

Pros

Ease of use. Student portal works cleanly. Ease to move from one class to another. Lots of choices for adding different types of questions to assessments. Easy to organize.

Cons

It would be nice to have more options for displaying content. We have found some work-arounds in adding a few variations to the straightforward listing style, but it isn’t easy. It would be nice to be able to add some flair.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Schoology

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Schoology

Pros

I like the way quizzes and test can be created.

Cons

It is difficult to create new quizzes and assign them to multiple classes

Pros

It had a free version that offered alot of features

Cons

It was very american based and didnt cater well to the NZ system of education (levels etc)

Pros

Schoology has made my teaching life so much easier. I have used many different grade book apps/websites for over 15 years. Schoology is by far the best I've ever used. It's very easy to learn the ins and outs. I like that I can easily contact my students/parents if a problem arises. I have found it beneficial that students can view their current grades and see if they have any missing assignments. One of Schoology's best features is that you can import assignments through Blackbook. It will then grade students' responses automatically. It gives you the ability to create your assignments, edit previous assignments, and has a section where you can save every assignment over the years. Its made my life much easier since our county integrated Schoology.

Cons

I can't think of any cons except if you click through different pages too quickly it will give you an error. But this does not affect the overall quality of Schoology.

Pros

Excellent sync with our self-hosted powerschool server, once all was setup. Uptime is excellent. Communication when there IS downtime is also excellent. Ability to implement additional features via plugins/other services [such as NoRedInk] is good.Teachers are using the product pretty well [ granted, it is a requirement on our campus, but they are going beyond the bare minimum.]Support is excellent.

Cons

Schoology's GUI is dated - it hearkens back to the 90's and MSFT Access.The admin team SORELY misses the ability to "masquerade" as a teacher - we used to be able to login as a teach admin, masquerade as a teacher, and quickly fix implementation and setup errors that the teacher had made. Under Schoology we have to get their login credentials from the teacher - not exactly an easy process.Perhaps one day that feature will be available.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Schoology

Reasons for Switching to Schoology

Pros

Could create quizzes that drew from a created bank of questions, which helped with quiz security and gave a more accurate of what the student knew and understood.

Cons

When you switched from free to a priced platform.

Pros

It's a streamlined system that's not clunky.

Cons

It needs some more features. I thought the way tests were administered could be improved.

Pros

Schoology makes it easy to create different types of quizzes and tests, and makes grading even easier.

Cons

The automatic grading would mark answers wrong if there was any spacing or punctuation differences, requiring me to edit the incorrect answers.

Pros

I liked how easy it was to set up multiple classes. It was a great platform for students, they could easily figure out how to find and submit assignments.

Cons

I found it hard to communicate with students in that they didn't seem to get alerts. Also, there wasn't much in the way of customizing your site.

Pros

Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy to create quizzes using Google Forms and upload them into Schoology as an assignment. You can also directly create an assignment in Schoology itself which is pretty easy to do. I frequently create math tests on here, because it is so easy and has different options like multiple choice, sequencing, etc.

Cons

I had to take an initial training course to understand this software better. There are a few confusing buttons when creating an assignment - but after a few tries, you get used to it. (I would recommend watching some YouTube videos about how to use Schoology if you're interested in buying this software for your school. They have some very helpful ones on there.)

Pros

What I liked most about Schoology is the grade book. The reason why I like the grade book is because its very easy to se if my child is doing well and if they are struggling I'm able to help them with their work.

Cons

What I didn't like about Schoology was the extra courses that weren't needed and I'm having trouble removing them.

Pros

Comprehensive SIS system which functions and integrates perfectly with the rest of the Schoology eco-system.

Cons

Adding additional components can become pricey

Alternatives Considered

Pros

Easy to use platform for virtual learning platforms.

Cons

No disadvantages noticed at this time while using schoology.

Pros

It was nice to have class assignments available right at home and to be able to see how many times the assignment had been tried.

Cons

Teachers never notice if they have emails from the students, it's a little hard to navigate.

Pros

Our district uses Schoology as a district-wide Learning Management System (LMS). We switched to Schoology last year and I use Schoology for almost all of my course work. I teach using the flipped classroom model and Schoology's platform allows me to share my lecture videos, conduct assessments of student knowledge and understanding, give assignments, and to provide communication with students and parents. All of my content is available to my students through Schoology 24/7, I can make it available in a variety of ways, and I can make updates in real-time.

Schoology's introduction of the Google Assignment App has me excited about our switch to Chromebooks. This app allows you to attach a Google Doc (say a study guide) as part of an assignment. When students open the assignment the document is copied, renamed, and added to their Google Drive. No more students opening or copying a new version of the document each time they go back to the assignment instead of to the copy they made but didn't actually rename as the directions stated. The document is 'tied' to the assignment and updates no matter where they work on it from (inside the assignment or through their Google Drive.) I also use the platform’s completion rules to give students autonomy while also keeping them on track.

Another great option is the ability to add images to pages, updates, announcements, and folders to give visual information, help guide students, and give them access options. I also am able to hyperlink

Cons

While they've done a great job updating the product, however, I wish the pace of that was faster. For example, they introduced a new "Assessments" feature that was to eventually replace the "Test/Quiz" feature once it had all of the same options. While the question types in Assessments are nicer, it is two years later and it is still missing features of Test/Quiz including the ability to comment on individual student questions, auto-correction and rescoring if you made a mistake in setting up the correct answer in a question, and importantly, they still have not added a question test bank option for Assessments. Without the option to randomly pull questions from question banks I still use Test/Quiz for later end of unit assessments and semester exams.

Pros

What I like most about Schoology is its ability to allow the instructor to compile all necessary course information into one easy-to-use online portal. Via this portal, I am able to create and post assignments, mark down due dates, grade the aforementioned assignments, among a plethora of other essential tasks, such as attendance tracking, progress report generation, and managing regrade requests. I am also able to communicate with students directly through the portal, which is great just in case the students want to keep their personal email addresses private. Lastly, customer service is very friendly, convenient, and helpful any time I need them, (which is infrequent, as the platform lives up to its expectations on a regular basis without any mishaps, which is fantastic, especially for efficiency's sake).

Cons

There is honestly very little that I dislike about Schoology, as it really does help me manage my classroom in an efficient manner, eliminating all of the hassle I was occasionally confronted with prior to my implementation of the platform, (the same applies to the students' perspectives on the matter, according to a mini-survey I provided them with). With all that being said, however, if I were to choose one aspect which could be further improved upon, it would be the performance of the app on both Apple and Android devices. I occasionally receive complaints from students pertaining to random crashes of the app, assignments not being able to be submitted, and various other technical issues. I must add that these issues are rare, but it would be nice if they could be eliminated in their entirety. Other than that, there is really not much else I can report as being a negative.

Pros

There is an instant comfort to using Schoology for students and teachers. Most things are very easy to find and within a couple uses, teachers begin to develop confidence with the program. As a teacher, I was easily able to teach myself (with some online guidance) how to accomplish what I needed. The range of options available for free is outstanding and the paid version just adds the icing to the cake!

Cons

There are times where it seems like I have to click a lot of buttons to execute something. There are some quirks (as there are with many programs) that don't seem 100% logical to me. With that said, Schoology is always willing to listen, things may not be fixed immediately but it is nice to know they are aware.

Pros

The ability to have real time data on your child's progress at school is amazing if there are any problems that need to be addressed or fixed you will know without delay.

Cons

There's not much to change about this software it works great for my families needs but an option for SMS messages would be great.

Pros

-Ease of use
-Groups provide online PLNs
-Supportive client services
-Excellent BlendEd Platform
-Can align with CC or state standards
-Allows for competency-based grading (Mastery via Enterprise)
-Parent log in options (one log in for all of their kids)
-App works well on Mac and Android devices

Cons

-Can't create reoccurring events or assignments (yet)
-PowerSchool Pro and Schoology integration in beta only (Enterprise)

Pros

I found the folders setup to be very helpful so all content, assignments, and resources could be placed in the same folder. Sub-folders could also be added. Mimicking a computer storage system was helpful to many students. Next, the album feature was also very beneficial to display student work in a virtual environment. Also, badges can be given to students for positive reinforcement motivation. Finally, it was helpful to integrate tools such as Microsoft or Google products.

Cons

Due to having many folders, there is a lot of clicking for students to get to an assignment. Late assignments are marked missing and the teacher must manually make the correction. It would be helpful to see a list of missing work.

Pros

What I like most about Schoology is the ability to integrate multiple external tools within a Schoology course--you can embed videos, apps, and other tools directly within Schoology, which allows students a single point of access for all of the learning tools they'll need for a given lesson. For example, you can easily embed a FlipGrid, Padlet, or EdPuzzle directly into Schoology--this has been a great benefit to teachers and students.

Cons

There are a few small issues that we have a Schoology users--the most notable is the inability to force-submit quizzes and tests on behalf of students who forget to submit their assessments. This makes it impossible for the teacher to grade a students work without having the student go in an press the submit button. Additionally, the inability of teachers to rotate pages in document submissions (i.e. the student uploads a document horizontally, but it needs to be read vertically) adds additional difficulties for teachers as they grade. Finally, the fact that when a student uploads multiple pages to an assignment, Schoology displays them in size order instead of in the order they are uploaded increases difficulty for teachers when it comes to grading because often an assignment is not in the correct order.

Pros

- Syncs straight to your Google Drive.
- Nearpod and EdPuzzle syncs right into Schoology courses.
- Syncs with District Gradebook for easy grading.
- Individualized folders and assignments is great for personalizing learning.
- Student completion tool to keep student's accountable for their work.
- Allows for embedding teacher videos so student's don't have to navigate away from Schoology.
- Add personal touches like course pictures, profile pictures, color folders, Bitmoji interactive classroom announcements, interactive buttons, etc.
- Great calendar feature to put in meetings and share with other students or educators.
- Great for all ages!

Cons

There are a lot of districts across the world now adopting Schoology so sometimes the software could be slower than usual. I would also like to be able to change the colors of the folders to my own options.

Pros

Having come from Google Classroom, Schoology is a more robust learning management system. Teachers can create assignments, discussions, assessments. There is more than just a stream of posts. Folders are necessary to organize content. There is a free version of it that still has decent features but the enterprise version has ALL the tools that you need to manage student learning, grades, feedback, and communication. The online grade-book has the ability to create assessments and rubrics and keep track of student performance. I love that students can use the app, in addition to the Chromebook.

Cons

The learning curve can be steep; the user interface can be overwhelming. I wish that I could link sections of courses so that the I didn't have to re-post the same items in another section. For example, I teach two 7th grade sections. I find myself manually copying and posting in each separately - this takes extra time. Right now this doesn't have grade-book integration for our district, they are working on it. Grade-book integration is truly a requirement. Students and parents also cite issues with things being reported as late/over due that actually are not. Parents may need a streamlined interface or some free training. In terms of communication, it would be helpful to see stats on the message (how many read out of how many).

Pros

It was easy to manage my son's schooling.

Cons

It's clunky you have to go in and out to see different grades instead of being under one easy tab. Don't even think of forgetting your password. There is no reset function available and when you ask for help you get a super snarky email. I will copy and paste

Hi Cmac0521,

We are no longer accepting ticket submissions from Basic users. Helpdesk ticketing support is a feature of our Enterprise subscription. You can see what’s included in Enterprise here.

To support our millions of free (Basic) users, we have invested in providing you easy access to better support resources, like the newly launched Schoology Guide Center. We also recommend visiting the Schoology Help Center where you can access a wealth of information about Schoology as well as engage with our member Community.

Not sure if you’re a ‘Basic’ account holder? Instructors: if you see the word “Upgrade” in the upper left corner of your Schoology account of your account - that means you’re Basic! Parents and Students: check with your instructor!

Sincerely,
Schoology Support

Basically "you didn't pay we don't want to help you, go annoy the school. You're Basic LOL" - Schoology "customer service"

Pros

Schoology was used when we transitioned from face-to-face to online classes. At first, since I was a first-time user, I thought it would be so hard to navigate since I am not tech-savvy. I also thought it would be so intimidating and complicated, but it proved me wrong. It was indeed beginner-friendly and very easy to use for students and even professors.

Cons

I have honestly nothing against Schoology because it was one of the biggest help I had when I transitioned from face-to-face classes to online classes.

Pros

This allows me to keep grades for all of my students easily. Schoology gives educators the ability to create assignments that automatically grade student responses. One great benefit of using Schoology is that it allows students and parents to stay current on overall grades.

Cons

It takes a bit to get used to using Schoology. But after a few days of messing around on the website, you can easily use the program.

Pros

I like that Schoology is basically a one stop shop. I am able to post course content, post assignments and assessments and grade them, and communicate with students. The grading process is quite easy. It's easy to see each student and their scores vs other platforms that make it difficult or confusing. I also like that I can see past courses that are archived and everything is available.

Cons

I do not like that I am unable to remove courses myself. I have had courses assigned to me that were not mine, but I have to contact the admin for that. It became a tedious and time consuming process, so I just gave up.

Pros

1. Course management and organization: Schoology offers robust course management features that allow me to create and organize my courses effectively. I can easily structure my content, upload resources, create assignments, and manage assessments within the platform. The ability to organize materials and activities in a logical and structured manner helps me deliver a streamlined learning experience.2. Collaboration and communication: Schoology provides a range of collaboration and communication tools that facilitate interaction between teachers and students. I can engage in discussions, share resources, submit assignments, and provide feedback within the platform. The integration of communication tools, such as messaging and announcements, enhances real-time communication and fosters a sense of community among users.3. Assessment and grading: Schoology offers features for creating and administering assessments, quizzes, and assignments. I can create various question types, set grading criteria, and provide timely feedback to students. The ability to track student progress, generate reports, and manage grades efficiently simplifies the assessment and grading process.

Cons

1. Assignment and grading complexity: While Schoology offers assessment and grading tools, I have found the assignment setup and grading process to be cumbersome or time-consuming, particularly when dealing with large class sizes or complex grading criteria. I have challenges in managing and organizing assignments, providing detailed feedback, and efficiently grading student submissions.2. Limited reporting and analytics: I have mentioned that Schoology's reporting and analytics capabilities could be more robust. I have a desire for more advanced reporting features that provide deeper insights into student performance, engagement, or progress. While Schoology offers basic reporting options, I may find them insufficient for their specific data analysis needs.

Pros

I like that it is easily accessible and user friendly.

Cons

I least like that it takes a while to load the grades.

Pros

easy to use, very user friendly with great understanding of each part, parents appriecate it and for teachers its an important tool

Cons

nothing, its a tool, very important tool for our schools, thank you Schoology

Pros

I like the badges. I like I can upload assignments and see student work.

Cons

Wish that I could get it to work with Powerschool

Pros

Schoology is a one stop Learning Platform integrating everything from assignments to self grading quizzes and tests. Sequencing and dating materials is a great return to have.

Cons

Cumbersome at the beginning (for non-users of free version) as we had to learn quickly yo get used to the platform.

Pros

I loved being able to assign and see student progress. We also had the option of deciding what needed to be teacher graded. My favorite feature of all was that it automatically integrated and synced with PowerSchool.

Cons

It took some time to get used to adding standards and just using it, but after that I don’t feel like there was anything negative.

Pros

Schoology interested well with other educations platforms.

Cons

There are so many working parts that it can be overwhelming at first.

Pros

Easy to use, it made classroom management better.

Cons

The ability to printout assessments was lacking.

Pros

I love the fact that I can easily organize my classroom with students. I can see grades in real-time, provide meaningful resources quickly, and communicate regularly with students and parents.

Cons

There are very few if any aspects of Schoology that I do not like. It has been the best learning platform I have used!

Pros

Schoology is out LMS connected to PS. It allows so much more than just virtual learning. Students can check classwork by reviewing files and notes teachers upload to courses. Schoology allows parents to see the materials students are provided with. It is our go-to for classwork and course information!

Cons

The add-ons and additional connected apps can be glitchy.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Schoology

Pros

I like that grades are shown, it's easy to keep up with assignments. All work is done and submitted through the software.

Cons

I liked it all, there were no dislikes.

Pros

I like that this platform has everything to offer. You can look up anything you'd think of that you'd want to know about your child's school information. You are able to reach out throw this portal and pay through it as well.

Cons

I have had some trouble logging in at times so I do wish it had like a fingerrprint or eye login.

Pros

It's extremely a friendly user program and allows easy access to different applications. As a teacher it helps me to organize student's learning feedbacks, grades, and assignments. At the same time students can submit their activities, see their grades/ scores, and feedbacks as well. Highly recommended software.

Cons

There are times that students encounter difficulty turning in their assignment and activities.

Pros

The social media look like and all the real time tools for the classroom

Cons

The app could do better about the use and simplicity

Pros

I LIKE THE PROPOSAL TO MAKE MY AGENDA MORE ORGANIZED FOR WEEKLY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Cons

IT HAS A LOT AND I CAN'T GET ACCESS TO WHAT I NEED

Pros

It's better than nothing. I have never used another complete LMS, but there HAS to be a better one when based on the gradebook, which is what teachers use the most. I also work with teachers who say they've used Canvas and it's much better. Previous to this, I used EasyGradePro and Illuminate, both of which had gradebooks that were far more customizable. I am literally writing this right now because, in my 5.5 years of being forced by my district to use this LMS, not ONCE am I aware of any teachers being asked for product feedback--and only a couple times have any noticeable improvements been made. I find this intensely frustrating, as I have a long list of improvements that should be made and nowhere to share them. I arrived here, not at the product's website, after Googling "Schoology+feedback" And so I will post them here in their entirety in hopes that Schoology designers might actually care one day.

Cons

--NO SEATING CHART--should allow teachers to save pre-set comments in Resources to save time--teacher should be able to set a default to show comments to student instead of having to click the box every time they want the student to see the comment--comments should be dated--system should be able to mark empty cells missing automatically once due date has passed (regardless of grading status)--when student submits an assignment, missing mark should disappear--missing mark value should be customizable (not always zero)--”Mark empty cells missing” should be accompanied should be accompanied by the option of “except ones with submissions”--submissions should be time stamped--should have the ability to sort assignments in order of date of late submission--score for quiz needs to update automatically if student takes it late--should be able to sort students by who has most ungraded submissions--Bulk Edit should allow you to change the lock date--I should be able to type in a LAST name to send a message--Teacher should be able to merge rosters so that students on different rosters (i.e. SpEd) can respond to same discussion topic instead of having separate boards--Copy Rubrics should not make endless duplicates; should notify when they are duplicates --read receipts for messages--in Mastery tab, should be able to display assignments by alpha order, number order, etc.

Pros

I love that we are able to track attendance and our students records with this software. I also like that the parents have access to they same system.

Cons

Overall, my biggest flaw with this software is that it was difficult to have our staff get used to using the software.

Pros

It can be easy to create a virtual classroom. It can be easy to create a virtual classroom and upload the material to be made available to the students.

Cons

For students, it is easier to use other virtual classroom platforms. It is very difficult for them to access shared documents.

Pros

I don't have a lot of good things to say about this software. It does allow you to keep up with updates from your child's school such as; grades, attendance, and direct messaging to staff.

Cons

The application won't allow you to view course outlines, grades, or any other information regarding your child's classroom and majors. If you use the website instead you can access everything you need.

Pros

Permits reconciliation with our school's report (grades are consequently imported to report cards for students and parents to see).Schoology has a straightforward and simple-to-utilize interface - it's easy to coordinate your study hall such that it checks out for the specific class you are instructing.

Cons

While composing remarks on task, the default is to NOT show the remarks to understudies - so that understudies might see, you should click a container prior to submitting and it is basically impossible to change that setting. Students can get carried away from the main educational focus and get distracted.You may not have more than one student account.

Pros

I love being able to have quizzes or tests self-correct. I also like being able to link my grad book (PowerSchool) and having a centralized place for my students to view and work on assignments.

Cons

It is not the most user friendly software. I consider myself pretty tech-savvy, and it took me a bit to understand each part. I teach elementary school, and some of my students still do not quite understand how to use the software. There’s a lot to it.

Pros

The pros I can access daily tasks and put documents in important folders and support is fantastic

Cons

The cons about it is sometimes it slows down and it's not as beginner friendly.