Canvas Design Tools

Middlebury Canvas course sites include a new toolset called DesignPLUS that allows faculty to design their own templates, as well as enhance the visual design and usability of their courses without needing advanced computer coding skills. Cidi Labs Design Tools integrates instructional design tools into Canvas to help course designers improve course design, accessibility, course readiness tracking and file management.

If you’d like to explore these tools within your Canvas site, you’ll need to first unhide them. To display the Design Tools from within Canvas, select “edit” on a page, and then use the keystroke combo Alt + Shift + D. You’ll notice that a new toolbar will display on the righthand side of your screen. To ensure that the toolbar displays without having to use the keystroke combo each time, when you have the design tools bar displayed, select the gear icon (settings) in the upper righthand corner of the toolbar set. When the Design Tool Settings section displays, select the options to Automatically launch tools and Show Launch button. This will make it faster for you to access design tools as you work.

We also recommend adding the Multi-Tool to your Canvas course menu. The Multi-Tool includes three separate tools: the template creator, the module builder, and the due date modifier.  Add the Multi-Tool to your Canvas course menu by going to Settings > Navigation, and dragging Multi-Tool from the hidden navigation items in the bottom list, up to the top list. Don’t forget to click Save at the bottom of the page to then save your changes! The Multi-Tool should then be accessible from your Canvas course lefthand menu.