Imani Tailly, News Editor
The Carolinian had the opportunity to sit down with founder and CEO Jake Silver of the popular Canvas extension Better Canvas and the larger BetterCampus group. BetterCampus began with its popular Canvas extension during the COVID-19 pandemic, with co-founder George Mills starting the project. It came to life as a result of feelings of frustration with the difficulties of tracking assignments, as well as feelings of boredom with online learning. From these shared feelings, Mills and Silver expanded and grew the resource, opening it to more students and adding new features that have made it a popular tool among students.
Now, BetterCampus has grown to over two million students, without any paid marketing. Silver described the service as adding features students wished their LMS (Learning Management System) had. These include an all-encompassing to-do list that shows all the students’ class assignments, AI (Artificial Intelligence) flash cards, and quizzes created with the students’ own course material, and more. Beyond Canvas, the company has created extensions for Google Classroom, Brightspace, Blackboard, and Moodle. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) is one of many schools with students already taking advantage of the BetterCampus program. Over 2,500 students at UNCG are using BetterCampus, with over 1,500 creating custom themes for their Canvas dashboard. Students have also created over 300 public notes and study sets. Schools can register for a BetterCampus plan, giving students access to pro features which include; unlimited access to study tools, grade forecasting and more. UNCG is not currently part of this program as of Nov. 6, 2026.
In our interview with CEO Jake Silver, The Carolinian focused on AI and how it is shaping BetterCampus. With UNCG releasing SpartanAI on Sept. 14, 2026, and the expansion of AI in both the academic and business worlds, AI has become a major topic for students. Students at UNCG were vocal in their criticism of SpartanAI, with flyers and stickers protesting the service displayed around campus. With the use of AI in BetterCampus, we asked Silver how the company approaches AI in its service. Silver expressed that AI can be used inappropriately, but that it also “lets students learn in the best way for them.” He described AI as a positive for schools and universities, allowing for personalized education with less of a budgetary impact.
With BetterCampus being supported by students using and sharing information about the service, the focus on supporting students is at the center of the company. However, with push back on AI due to its impact on the environment, the job market, and more, balancing the benefits with the harm AI can cause is a challenge. In education and academia, concerns about AI impact on the ability to think critically and the development of job-specific skills have also arisen. There are also concerns about AI being used on assignments and homework, which, depending on the professor’s AI policy, can violate UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy.
The uses of AI within BetterCampus are meant to aid in making learning easier for students. The goal with Better Canvas when it was being created was, according to Silver, to “make school fun” and to take these LMS and “build it better” in a way that supported students. During our interview, Silver expressed how schools and universities can be “stubborn” and struggle to listen to what students say they need. He expressed that schools can be “resistant to change” since they’re built upon “older” systems. Silver also expressed that he hoped Better Canvas and the larger BetterCampus system would be able to help more students. With a base of over two million students that’s still growing, the service has already impacted and supported students across America and shows no signs of slowing down.
Headline image from BetterCampus.com
