Instructure Launches First EdTech Top 40 for Higher Education, Finds Dedicated AI Tools Outside the Top 100

Instructure Launches First EdTech Top 40 for Higher Education, Finds Dedicated AI Tools Outside the Top 100
摘要: Instructure Launches First EdTech Top 40 for Higher Education, Finds Dedicated AI Tools Outside the Top 100
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Instructure
Sep 29, 20
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Instructure Launches First EdTech Top 40 for Higher Education, Finds Dedicated AI Tools Outside the Top 100
News provided by
Instructure
Sep 29, 2026, 08:00 ET
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Analysis of data covering nearly 19.5 million U.S. higher education users shows content, collaboration and video account for more than half of the Top 40, and formal AI integration remains limited
SALT LAKE CITY
Sept. 29, 2026
/PRNewswire/ --
Instructure
, the leading learning ecosystem and maker of Canvas LMS, today released EdTech Top 40: Inside the U.S. Higher Education Digital Learning Stack, the first higher education edition of its EdTech Top 40 research. Based on data from nearly 19.5 million U.S. higher education users between September 2025 and April 2026, the analysis found that despite intense attention on AI in education, no dedicated AI tool ranks among the Top 100.
The broader findings show a technology environment built heavily around content, connection and institutional infrastructure. Higher education institutions averaged 28 unique Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) integrations during the measurement period, compared with four for an individual instructor and five for an individual student. Content represents 27.5% of the Top 40, collaboration and video another 25%, and student information systems (SIS) and administrative tools 15%. Together, the findings show why technology decisions increasingly need to account for how tools fit into the broader institutional environment, not just how they perform individually.
"Higher education leaders need to look at the learning environment as a whole and ask how each tool fits into the experience they're creating for learners and educators," said Melissa Loble, chief learning officer at Instructure. "The LMS should serve as connective infrastructure across institutional systems, so every tool has a clear role and contributes meaningful value."
AI attention outpaces fo