If you liked ________ in D2L Brightspace

You’ll love ________ in Canvas

Similarities/Differences

Admin Tools

Settings

In Settings, you can easily update and view the different users and sections. You can also modify the navigation bar for your course here.

Announcements

Announcements

You can display important information for your course. Canvas can post messages to the students, and you can choose if you’d like them to have the option to respond privately or publicly. You can choose to display them at the top of your course homepage.

Assignments

Assignments

Assignments can include Quizzes, graded Discussions, and online submissions (i.e. files, images, text, URLs, etc.). Various submission types are available in Canvas – No submission, Online (has multiple options), On Paper, and External Tool. Assignments can be assigned to everyone in the course or differentiated by section or user.

Attendance

Attendance

After the Attendance tool has been enabled for your course, you can configure the attendance tool to meet the needs of your students. The Canvas Attendance tool enables instructors to record daily attendance using either a name list or a seating chart.

Calendar

Calendar

The Calendar in Canvas is like the one in D2L Brightspace but offers more options. It shows events, assignments with due dates, and to- do items, making it a useful resource for instructors and students.

Instructors and students can use a "personal" calendar for non-course events. Each personal, course, and group calendar is identified by a separate color that populates the calendar view.

Classlist

People

This tool is similar to D2L Brightspace, offering options like viewing student progress. It is also used to create groups and enroll others, such as students or TAs, into the course.

Content

Modules

Like D2L Brightspace, instructors design courses within the Modules area. Modules can include Content Pages, Assignments, Discussions, Quizzes, External URLs, and External Tools. In addition, links to other tools, uploaded files, and images can easily be added to a Content Page.

Course Home

Home Page

The Canvas Home Page is the first page students see for a course. Instructors can customize elements of their home page.

Course Navigation Bar

Course Navigation Menu

The Course Navigation Menu is a series of links on the left side (vs. D2L Brightspace at the top) of your course that helps you and your students access different areas within your course. If desired, the instructor can customize this to add or hide items from students. The Course Navigation Menu is always visible.

Course Overview

Syllabus

Canvas has a built-in Syllabus that makes it easy to inform students precisely about course requirements. Instructors can also set the syllabus as their course home page.

Create a file/Content Manage Files

Pages/Files

In Canvas, course files can be found in two separate areas: Pages and Files. Pages contain all the web (HTML) pages created within the course. Files are for all of the uploaded documents or images within the course. Note: These areas will not be visible to your students.

Discussions

Discussions

Canvas offers an integrated system for class discussions, enabling both instructors and students to start and contribute to multiple discussion topics. Discussions can be set as assignments for grading and are seamlessly integrated with the Canvas Gradebook, or they can function as forums. Additionally, discussions can be created within student groups.

Grades

Gradebook/Speedgrader

Gradebook helps instructors easily input and distribute grades. Like D2L Brightspace, instructors create grade items, edit them, and score them here. Gradebook will automatically generate a Grade Item for all activities including assignments, discussions, and quizzes that are marked as graded. Canvas also has Speedgrader, which allows you to view, grade, and add comments to student assignment submissions in one place using a simple point scale or complex rubric.

Groups

Group Sets

Both include a tool for instructors to make pre-set groups for assignments/projects.

HTML Editor

Rich Content Editor

The Rich Content Editor provides a condensed, more      intuitive toolbar that is grouped by common icons and interactions.

The content editor that is available anytime for creating new content. The Rich Content Editor is used in features that support the editor (Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, New Quizzes, Pages, Quizzes, or Syllabus).

Message Alerts/ Subscription Alerts/ Update Alerts/Chat/ Instant Message

Inbox

The Inbox is a messaging tool for communicating with a course, a group, an individual student, or a group of students. You can use the Inbox to communicate with others in your course anytime. Note: The Canvas Inbox is not email.

My Home

Dashboard

The Dashboard is the first thing you see when you log in. It displays courses and important notifications. Instructors and students can personalize their dashboard by assigning colors to specific courses, which are also reflected in the calendar.

Quizzes

Quizzes

Canvas has two quiz engines, classic and new. Both have a similar setup to D2L Brightspace and allow you to use various questions. In New Quizzes, instructors can print their quiz if necessary.

Rubrics

Rubrics

In D2L Brightspace and Canvas, rubrics can be built and stored separately from the assignment/assessment.

View as Student

Student View

Both allow instructors to switch back and forth to view their course from the student's view and test the functionality of links, videos, etc.

  *Adapted with permission from materials prepared by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Pointe