Instructure, the global leader behind the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS), has been recognized as a 2025 AWS Champions Award winner for its use of AI to enhance educator productivity and promote inclusive learning. Their innovation, Ignite Agent, is an intelligent, AI-powered teaching assistant built using Amazon Bedrock and seamlessly integrated into the Canvas platform.

Ignite Agent represents a transformative leap in education technology—helping millions of educators reduce time spent on administrative tasks while proactively addressing bias in course content. By combining retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) with Canvas APIs, this solution demonstrates the power of cloud-native AI to elevate both the efficiency and equity of the modern classroom.

Project Overview
Ignite Agent was designed to respond to two fundamental challenges in education: reducing instructor workload and promoting fairness in content delivery. Developed with AWS support, the tool integrates deeply with Canvas APIs to perform complex teaching tasks — such as grading, content feedback, and course customization — directly within the learning environment.

What sets Ignite Agent apart is its dual purpose: not only does it automate time-consuming responsibilities, but it also audits and suggests revisions for potentially biased language in educational materials. This ensures the learning experience is more inclusive and reflective of diverse student populations.

Using Amazon Bedrock, Instructure built a flexible architecture that delivers context-aware AI actions grounded in real-time data. The result is a truly responsive system that improves with every educator interaction and evolves to meet changing classroom dynamics.

Challenge: Reducing Administrative Burden and Promoting Content Fairness
Educators consistently report that routine administrative work consumes valuable time that could otherwise be spent supporting students. At the same time, many institutions are striving to eliminate unconscious bias in educational content but lack the tools to do so at scale.

Ignite Agent directly tackles these challenges by:

• Automating repetitive tasks such as grading and feedback. 
• Identifying biased or non-inclusive language in learning materials. 
• Freeing up instructor time to reinvest in personalized learning and student engagement. 

These outcomes not only enhance instructor satisfaction but also drive better educational results for diverse learner populations.

Results: Measurable Engagement and Meaningful Impact
Since launch, Ignite Agent has demonstrated strong engagement and impressive outcomes:

• 5,500+ messages across 238 chat records during pilot, averaging 23 messages per session — highlighting deep educator interaction. 
• 44 unique educators participated in the pilot, exceeding adoption projections by 47%. 
• 6.3 hours saved per week on average per instructor, equating to 15% of total workload. 
• Participating educators reported: 
  
  • 28% increase in personalized student engagement 
  • 32% improvement in the ability to customize course materials 
• Bias detection capabilities identified actionable improvements in 18% of analyzed materials, contributing to higher student satisfaction scores — especially among underrepresented student groups. 

These metrics underscore the real-world value of AI in the classroom, not just for improving efficiency, but also for making education more accessible and responsive.

A New Model for Ethical AI in Education
Instructure’s Ignite Agent stands as a model for how cloud-based AI can transform learning — not only by streamlining operations, but by actively fostering more equitable experiences for students and educators alike.