DULLES, VA -- (Marketwire) -- 03/19/13 -- Echo360, the global leader in campus-wide active and distance learning solutions, announced the release of an integration that allows its solution to effortlessly communicate with Instructure's native cloud learning management system, Canvas. Free to existing Echo360 and Canvas users, the integration gives instructors added control over how students access their Echo360 recordings without increasing time spent on technology tasks. The Canvas integration is the first integration for the EchoSystem that leverages the Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) technology standard.

Echo360 and Canvas seamlessly exchange content between the systems while educators enjoy the same access to their course recordings and analytics. The EchoCenter, a portal that provides students with access to their Echo360 recordings, is embedded into the Canvas interface eliminating toggling between systems or manually uploading content. Instructors who require time release of content can control its availability -- making it an ideal option for pedagogies such as the flipped classroom or MOOCs.

"We built Canvas as a platform that allows innovators to easily integrate through our open API's," said Devlin Daley, chief technology officer at Instructure. "Echo360 has developed a solid integration into Canvas that saves educators time and makes it easier for students to access recorded lectures."

More than 350 higher education institutions have adopted Canvas as their learning management system, demonstrating the industry interest in open communication platforms. Instructure tripled its customer base in 2012 and is expected to continue to grow significantly in the next two years.

"Echo360 was built for educators by educators. We understand that technology must not distract from teaching and classroom time," said Fred Singer, CEO of Echo360. "By integrating our solution with Canvas, we are making it even easier for educators to use our platform and increase their efficiency by quickly automating time-consuming tasks."

Echo360 now supports the Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) technology standard. LTI support allows Echo360 to quickly connect its solution to many other popular on-campus technologies. This effort facilitates open platform-to-platform communication and allows for improved efficiency across university systems.

The Echo360/Canvas integration is part of the EchoSystem 5.2 product release and is available now. Echo360 customers interested in upgrading to EchoSystem 5.2 should visit the Echo360 Customer Support Portal.

About Echo360

More than one million students in 6,000 classrooms at 600 institutions in 30 countries rely on Echo360 active learning technology to enhance their educational experience before, during and after class. Developed for educators by educators, Echo360 increases in-class participation with digital polling, provides a rich out-of-class experience by recording and sharing course instruction, and delivers deep usage analytics to help instructors gauge student progress in a course. Students watch, collaborate and participate on smartphones, tablets and laptops, wherever, whenever they choose. Echo360 was recognized with the Product Line Strategy of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan, is CSIA-certified for outstanding customer service, and was named a Visionary Vendor in Educational Technology by IT research firm Basex. Echo360 is backed by Revolution Growth led by Steve Case, Ted Leonsis and Donn Davis.

About Instructure:
Instructure is a technology company committed to improving education. We provide instructors and students modern tools and resources to empower the learning experience. Instructure offers Canvas -- the open, easy-to-use, cloud-native learning management system. We also provide Canvas Network, an index of open, online courses from Ivy Leagues to community colleges. To keep learning, visit www.instructure.com.

Copyright © 2013, Instructure, Inc. All rights reserved. Instructure, Canvas and their respective logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Instructure, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other brands and names may be claimed as the property of others.

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