Schoology vs. Google Classroom: Which One is Best for City?

Every student, parent, and teacher at Baltimore City College is familiar with Schoology, and its difficulties. Many City affiliates have worked with a similar and equally popular program called Google Classroom. It is an online software for schools that links directly to Google email accounts. I evaluated the two softwares based on personal encounters, student experiences, and administrative input.

Many students I talked to said they find Schoology cumbersome. The software tends to have issues with uploading assignments and the due dates are often inaccurate. One senior said they would prefer that City combined all the online workplaces into just Google Classroom and Infinite Campus. “Sophomore year we mostly used Google Classroom which was really nice, I’ve always been a fan of it. Then we switched to Schoology last year.” 

The student also said they found Google Classroom’s interface much simpler than Schoology. Many students said it would make more sense to use Google Classroom, since City is already using the Google Suite. However, when it comes to increasing teacher and family communication, Schoology is the best platform to do so.

“We wanted to use Schoology because it has the most user friendly interface for students, parents and teachers because they all see identical items,” Mrs. Jeanblanc, coordinator of the Teaching and Learning Center and ninth grade English Teacher. “Google Classroom was difficult for parents to track their students’ progress.”

Mrs. Jeanblanc did say Schoology could be improved if it registered IB courses, but nonetheless she is confident in the school’s decision to use Schoology.

Schoology has features to accommodate the many clubs at City, and its messaging platforms allow teachers to communicate directly with students. However, it is sometimes confusing for students and parents to use. Google Classroom on the other hand, is much easier for students to use, but parents are unable to access their child’s grades. 

Online learning is new for everyone and increasing communication among students, teachers, and families should be held as a top priority for all.