What Is DesignPLUS?
Cidi Labs DesignPLUS is a timesaving, easy-to-use Canvas plug-in that helps to rapidly build and style high-quality courses that make learning engaging and accessible for all students. DesignPLUS expands course design, formatting, and management options. With DesignPLUS, UNF Instructors and CIRT Instructional Designers quickly build out course shells, create modules and assignments, adjust course due dates in one place, and much more.
- The Sidebar helps you create and style engaging, organized, professional-looking content without requiring any HTML or CSS experience.
- This Multi-Tool can be used to set up a module pattern and create all associated artifacts (quizzes, assignments, discussions, and pages) in one step.
- This Upload/Embed Image Tool enables you to upload, crop, resize, and embed images anywhere in your Canvas course. You can also easily pull in free, high-quality images from Pexels or Unsplash.
Scope and Cost
DesignPLUS is scoped at the institutional level and is available to all UNF faculty using Canvas. It is used by instructors who wish to elevate their course design capabilities, streamline content creation, and enhance the overall educational experience for their students. CidiLabs DesignPLUS empowers instructors who prioritize a user-friendly and visually appealing learning environment, providing them with a comprehensive suite of tools within Canvas to efficiently manage course elements, such as modules, assignments, and due dates.
DesignPLUS is also heavily used by CIRT’s Instructional Design Team, who leverage its robust features to craft sophisticated and engaging instructional elements, incorporating pedagogically sound principles. The tool serves as an indispensable resource in the design and development of online course templates, ensuring alignment with best practices in instructional design.
Canvas Integration
CidiLabs DesignPLUS does have a Canvas Integration (LTI) that is installed and available to all UNF faculty. The integration leverages the the Canvas API to allow users the ability to write custom CSS and JavaScript into Canvas assignments and pages.
Canvas Integrations Include:
- Access the Multi-Tool from almost any editable page inside Canvas (just look for the rocket ship icon in the upper-right corner of your browser).
- The Upload/Embed Image Tool enables you to upload, crop, resize, and embed images from inside the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE).
Requirements
DesignPlus is an in-browser tool that works best in Google Chrome. You must have an instructor or designer role in Canvas to use this tool.
Caveats
DesignPLUS Rich Content Editor tools are not available when working with New Quizzes, however New Quizzes content can be built via the Multi Tool’s Module Builder.
Support Report
The implementation of a grading system for CIRT support not only facilitates efficient resource allocation but also fosters transparency in our service delivery. By self-grading our support levels as A+, B+, and C+, we provide faculty with a transparent framework that outlines the expected level of assistance they can anticipate when reaching out for help.
A support grade of “A+” represents the best of our assistance capabilities. This grade signifies that our team has extensive familiarity with the app and/or integration. We have excellent internal documentation, and our support team feels comfortable troubleshooting most issues without having to reach out to the vendor for assistance. Because a majority of issues are handled internally, users of applications and/or integrations with an “A+” grade can expect swift and comprehensive resolutions when possible.
External Resources
To further empower UNF instructors, we provide direct links to the vendor’s support material, ensuring you have access to official resources and expert guidance. Furthermore, we curate and share external support documentation discovered online that may offer valuable insights or alternative perspectives. Our commitment is to provide you with a holistic support experience, combining our internal expertise with external resources to empower you in navigating the intricacies of this application.
Contact CIRT
For UNF faculty seeking to deepen their understanding of this application, schedule personalized training sessions, or initiate the installation process, we encourage you to reach out to the Center for Instruction and Research Technology at cirtlab@unf.edu (904-620-3927).
