In the turbulent world of technology in our world today, the existing innovations such as virtual reality which somewhat convinces one that they’ve had their “outside time” for the day and ChatGPT has replaced tutors have become the “new normal,” except one platform that stubbornly clings to the past much like a koala does to a eucalyptus tree. The Boulder Valley School District, comprised of almost 28,000 students (BVSD.org) utilizes the platform Schoology daily. Designed in 2007 and founded in 2009, Schoology’s purpose was to create a student collaboration and communication platform. Fast forward to 2025, one could say that its technology is about as cutting-edge as a dull butter knife. Compared to technology today, Schoology sticks out as a vastly outdated platform. For an incoming teacher or student, Schoology’s user interface is about as easy as assembling furniture from IKEA, blindfolded.
For starters, the cost of Schoology was appalling. Schoology’s Enterprise plan costs an estimated $10 per student per month for larger institutions leaving Boulder High to pay over 2,500,020 USD per year. To be fair, Schoology does have redeeming qualities. Its discussion board feature allows for some semblance of online interaction, and it does sync grades with Infinite Campus – when it feels like it. Yet its poor integration with Google Suite apps, a staple in many educational environments, creates unnecessary hurdles for teachers and students alike. The archaic interface makes even simple tasks like editing and formatting content a cumbersome ordeal. According to the PowerSchool Community Forum, there are consistent complaints about the rudimentary web design capabilities, limited functionality, and an overloaded sidebar that makes navigation a nightmare. Perhaps most egregious is Schoology’s failure to provide teachers with a way to save or download their lesson plans and materials. This oversight not only hinders professional development but also creates a significant barrier for educators transitioning between districts or retiring.
Drawing from the experiences of educators, it’s clear that Schoology presents a mix of functionality and frustration. Alicia Urie, who has taught language arts for almost 20 years within the district, highlights some of Schoology’s strengths: “It is nice in that it has various interesting applications.” However, she also points out significant drawbacks, particularly with the quiz feature: “I don’t use that application very often because I don’t find that it’s that useful or functional. I usually end up making my own quizzes as it can get glitchy…students will [sometimes] hit the wrong key and the system wigs out, impacting their overall score.” As one can imagine, this leads to a multitude of hoops to jump through to fix a system mistake to accurately reflect a student’s growth and overall grade.
The platform’s integration with other systems, particularly Google Suite and Infinite Campus, appears to have major inconsistencies. Ms. Urie explains, “Schoology makes it a little tricky to the point where I don’t use the function because of its glitchiness and overcomplications.” For example, the gradebooks between Schoology and Infinite Campus have questionable functionality. Ms. Urie describes, “When I go in and do a grade that wasn’t in Schoology, they won’t see it in Infinite Campus even if I manually import that grade.” Ms. Urie honestly notes both the advantages and disadvantages of the platform. At the end of the day, the people who are impacted by the learning platform scene are the teachers and students, not necessarily its developers or administrators.
To be clear, the alternative to Schoology would not necessarily be Google Classroom, despite its more intuitive interface. While Google Classroom lacks grade synchronization with Infinite Campus, a crucial feature to streamline teachers’ workload, the broader Google Suite offers a more comprehensive toolkit for educators and students alike. However, Google’s involvement in education raises ethical concerns that warrant careful consideration. The National Institute of Health Library brought many issues to light. Google’s pervasive presence in education, while beneficial in many ways, raises questions about data privacy, digital dependency, and the long-term consequences of early brand loyalty formation. By providing free or low-cost services and devices to schools, Google gains unprecedented access to students’ digital lives. This strategy, while not inherently malicious, blurs the line between educational support and corporate interest, potentially compromising the neutrality of educational environments. As one considers alternatives to platforms like Schoology, it’s crucial to weigh not only the functionality and user experience but also the potential ethical implications of entrusting educational ecosystems to tech giants with significant global influence.
As the landscape of educational technology moves forward, it is evident that Schoology represents both the potential and limitations of digital learning platforms. While imperfect, it reflects the ongoing challenge of creating intuitive, efficient, and meaningful technological tools for education. Each and every platform has its advantages and disadvantages, but it is undeniable that there may always be a need for continuous innovation that supports the interactions between teachers, students, and technology.
