Preparing for the start of the Fall term is the perfect time to explore the latest addition to your Canvas toolkit: the new DesignPLUS sidebar. This tool builds on your capabilities to design and enhance your online courses with a user-friendly interface that simplifies course creation and offers several new features to boost student engagement.
Feature Overview
Before we dig into some of the new features in the DesignPLUS sidebar, it may be helpful to start by describing the different tabs you have access to in the sidebar.
- Edit Current Element: This tab is used to modify existing course elements such as pages, assignments, discussions, and quizzes.
- Add New Elements: This tab allows you to add new components to your course content, making it easy to build and expand your course materials.
- Accessibility/Usability: This tab focuses on ensuring that your course content meets accessibility standards and is user-friendly for all students.
- Help/Tutorials: This tab provides access to resources and guidance to help you effectively use the DesignPLUS sidebar.
- Advanced: This tab is for more advanced customization and configuration of your course content, offering tools for experienced users. (You can unlock the advanced tools tab by selecting More Options > User Settings > and then enabling all Advanced Tools or just the ones that you would like access to.)
Brand New Interface
One of the most significant differences about the new sidebar is its interface, which provides users with an easy way to find and integrate a variety of tools to enhance students’ experience in your Canvas course. In the Add New Elements tab, you can easily find all of the DesignPLUS tools, just those that you have recently used, or search for specific tools in the new elements search bar.
Prebuilt Templates and Styling Options
Instructors can choose from a variety of pre-built templates and styling options, enabling the creation of visually appealing and cohesive course materials without advanced technical skills. In the Theme tool, you can preview and apply all of the old legacy themes along with a variety of new custom themes that are currently available.
Accessibility Features
The DesignPLUS sidebar includes integrated accessibility checks, helping instructors ensure their content is accessible to all students and compliant with accessibility standards. You can use this tool to check things like color contrast, alt text on images, and formatting on content headings.
New and Existing Tools
A few of the tools and features that can be integrated into your Canvas course from the DesignPLUS sidebar include the following.
🪗 Accordions
Accordions allow you to organize content in collapsible sections, helping to keep pages clean and reducing scrolling.
📁 Tabs
Tabs enable you to display content in a tabbed layout, making it easier for users to navigate through different sections without leaving the page.
💭 Knowledge Check Questions
Knowledge Check Questions provide quick, interactive questions that can be embedded within content to assess understanding and reinforce learning.
☝️ Dialog Boxes
Dialog Boxes offer pop-up windows that can display additional information or instructions without navigating away from the current page.
📑 Navigation Placeholders
Page Navigation Placeholders offer a sidebar with quick links to allow users to navigate easily between sections when there is a lot of content on a page.
📇 Module Overview Cards
Module Overview Cards present a visual summary of each module, giving students a clear and concise overview of the content and objectives.
These are just a few of the many tools that are available to you in the new DesignPLUS sidebar.
DesignPLUS Best Practices
Here are some best practices for using the new DesignPLUS sidebar in Canvas. By following these guidelines, you can streamline your course design and create a more engaging learning experience for your students.
Use the pre-built templates and themes provided by the DesignPLUS sidebar to maintain a consistent look and feel throughout your course. This helps students navigate your course more easily and provides a clean, professional appearance.
Take advantage of the drag-and-drop interface to quickly organize and reorganize course content. This can save time and make it easier to adjust the layout of your pages as needed.
Regularly use the accessibility checker built into the DesignPLUS sidebar to verify that your course materials meet accessibility standards. Address any issues as they arise to maintain an inclusive learning environment.
Enhance your course content with visual elements like banners, icons, and styled text to make the material more engaging and easier to digest.
Customize and organize the sidebar to keep your favorite tools and components easily accessible. This can improve your workflow and reduce the time spent searching for tools.
Getting Started with DesignPLUS
You might start by adopting one of the course templates that CIRT has developed to structure the content in your courses, then use the DesignPLUS sidebar to edit and refine the content, add interactive and visual elements, and make your content come to life.
If you are interested in taking a deeper dive into the use of the DesignPLUS sidebar, consider attending an upcoming CIRT workshop on the topic. In addition, CidiLabs offers a number of on-demand video tutorials on the new sidebar. You might also reach out to your designated Instructional Designer in CIRT for more help using this tool.
