Canvas Tools | Office of Digital Learning

Whether it's a course design tool, the latest student engagement technology, or software to detect plagiarism, we provide academic technologies that support teaching and learning within the Canvas learning management system.

DesignPLUS

Create professional, organized, and visually appealing courses with the DesignPLUS course design tool in Canvas.
Hypothesis

Engage students and deepen learning with Hypothesis, an annotation tool in Canvas that helps make reading visible, active, and social.
Akindi

Use any copier or scanner to print and scan bubble-sheet tests through Akindi, a web-based scanning tool that offers increased flexibility for paper-based tests and streamlines grading.
Ally

Make your Canvas course more accessible with Ally, a tool to help identify and address inaccessible materials and automatically convert content into alternative formats students can access.

Course Design

Course design tools are a helpful way to organize Canvas courses with the student experience in mind. In addition to helping you create a visually pleasing course, these tools can improve accessibility, the way students navigate content, and the way your course displays across devices. They can also increase student engagement and promote a consistent, positive experience for students who access course content through Canvas.

DesignPLUS

The Cidi Labs DesignPLUS tool is a Canvas plug-in that simplifies the process of building and styling a high-quality course. Integrated as a sidebar in Canvas, DesignPLUS enables instructors to create professional, organized, and visually appealing courses.

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Register for a summer DesignPLUS webinar:

DesignPLUS Webinars

Quickly apply templates and pre-formatted content blocks to pages
Organize content so it's easier to navigate, access, and understand
Easily add content and upload, crop, and resize images
Incorporate visual design principles that improve the way students perceive the value of course content

DesignPLUS Overview

Browse key features of the DesignPLUS sidebar, see how it differs from Design Tools, and get links to additional resources.

Upgrading Content

Learn how to convert Design Tools course content to DesignPLUS by upgrading at either the page or course level.

QuickStart Wizard

Easily apply templates and pre-formatted content blocks to a new Canvas page with the DesignPLUS QuickStart Wizard.

Using the Accessibility Checker

Use the accessibility checker built into DesignPLUS to identify issues with contrast, heading styles, image alt text, links, math, and tables.

DesignPLUS Org Site

Enroll in the FSU DesignPLUS org site and learn how to get started with the DesignPLUS sidebar, use the QuickStart Wizard, add and edit content, and more.

Training & Consultations

Register for one of our virtual, hands-on workshops or an individual consultation to get an introduction to DesignPLUS and use the tool in a practice site.

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Accessibility

When course content is accessible, everyone benefits, not just those with disabilities. The tools below help instructors quickly identify and address accessibility issues in their Canvas courses. By using these simple yet effective tools, you'll have a better chance of ensuring all learners can access your course content.

Ally

Ally works in Canvas to improve the accessibility of your course, helping you meet federal accessibility standards and simplifying the process of converting course materials into formats all students can access.

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Scans pages, documents, images, and more
Scores content for accessibility and makes automated corrections where possible
Provides easy-to-follow options for addressing inaccessible files
Automatically generates alternative formats for student to access

Overview

Browse Ally's key features and link to additional information and resources.

FAQ

View frequently asked questions about Ally and what students can and can't see.

Course Report

Learn how to use Ally's course report to assess the accessibility of your course.

Easy Fixes

Check out simple ways to get started and immediately increase course accessibility.

Libraries

Get help from FSU Libraries to locate and support accessible course materials.

Consultations

Request a consultation and get hands-on help using Ally to improve course accessibility.

TidyUP

TidyUP helps instructors identify unused and duplicate course content. Removing this content instantly improves the accessibility of your Canvas course and reduces the amount of content you need to remediate.

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TidyUP Overview

Learn the basics for getting started with TidyUP, from enabling it in your Canvas course to scanning and reviewing unused or duplicate files.

Clean Up Your Ally Score with TidyUP

Use TidyUP to identify and remove content for a more accurate accessibility score in Ally.

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Student Engagement

Engaging students in the online learning environment helps them connect with the content, their instructor, and their peers. In addition to course discussion boards and breakout rooms in tools like Zoom, we offer the following tools to promote student engagement and connection.

Annoto

With in-video interaction and analytics, Annoto can help instructors involve students in course videos and provide insights on their participation. Annoto offers the following features:

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Explore the Annoto Quick Guide to learn more.

Time-tagged, in-video annotations
Interactive timeline
Student personal notes section
In-video quizzes and interactions
Analytics on student activity and engagement
Seamless integration with Kaltura

Overview

Browse Annoto's key features and learn how to enable the tool in Canvas before use.

Quick Start

View video tutorials on enabling Annoto and setting course and video preferences.

Case Study

Learn how Cindy Wilson, PhD and FSU Teaching Faculty, uses Annoto in her course.

Best Practices

See tips for using Annoto to encourage student engagement in course videos.

User Guides

Get step-by-step help with analytics, personal notes, comments, quizzes, and chat.

Annoto University

Visit the Annoto University channel to explore Annoto's features.

Hypothesis

An annotation tool available for use in Canvas through August 2025, Hypothesis helps make reading visible, active, and social. Students can annotate course readings and webpages for deeper, more engaging connection with the content.

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Comment and highlight directly over articles, websites, and videos
Share ideas, ask questions, provide insights, and respond directly to annotations
Tag peers in annotations to encourage deeper engagement and discussion

The video above is intended to give students a brief tutorial on annotation in Hypothesis. If you use Hypothesis in your course and would like to include this tutorial for your students, contact us at canvas@fsu.edu. We'd be happy to assist!

Hypothesis Overview

Learn how to get started with Hypothesis and access additional resources for instructors and students.

Annotate with Hypothesis

Need ideas for incorporating annotation in your Canvas course? Here are 10 ways to engage students with Hypothesis:

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Academic Integrity

We offer several tools in Canvas that can help you promote academic integrity in course assignments and tests. See Ensuring Test Integrity for additional resources on designing and administering assessments, including an overview of proctoring options offered through the Office of Digital Learning.

Akindi

Akindi is a web-based scanning tool that streamlines grading and offers increased flexibility for instructors who use bubble-sheet form scanning for paper-based tests. With one-click grade syncing in Canvas, Akindi simplifies the process of grading for both paper-based and online multiple-choice assessments. Enhanced data protections ensure the privacy and security of both test and tester data.

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Use any copier or scanner to print and scan forms from the comfort of your office or home
Upload your Word or PDF document for simple test creation
Randomize and weight questions and choose to prevent backtracking
Schedule test delivery times and monitor student progress in real time
Easily view scores, reports, and analytics

Honorlock

While in-person proctoring is the university’s preferred method for administering a high-stakes assessment, the Honorlock Live Pop-In service is available for distance learning courses and low-stakes quizzes. In addition to monitoring and recording exams, a live proctor "pops into" the exam session via webcam if a high level of unusual activity is detected.

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Using an Online Proctor

Before getting started with Honorlock, review information about how it works, where to send students if they have questions, and how to address student privacy concerns.

What to Tell Students

Be sure to disclose costs associated with testing through Honorlock when communicating with students, as well as information about how Honorlock monitors exam sessions.

Instructor Resources

Get detailed information on using Honorlock for proctored testing, determining if it is an appropriate solution for your exams, and requesting that it be enabled in your course.

Student Resources

See detailed instructions for testing with Honorlock and get access to online tutorials and technical support.

Turnitin

Turnitin is a plagiarism deterrent service that integrates with Canvas. When students submit their assignments to Turnitin, similarity reports show which portions may have been improperly cited or plagiarized.

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Turnitin Overview

Browse Turnitin's key features and access instructor and student resources.

Creating Assignments

Get instructions on how to create an assignment using Turnitin Direct.

Viewing Reports

Learn steps for viewing Turnitin originality reports for submitted student work using Canvas SpeedGrader.

Grading Turnitin Assignments

Learn how to grade Turnitin assignments using Canvas Speedgrader.

Submitting Assignments

Do you have a student using Turnitin for the first time? Share these assignment submission steps.

Turnitin Draft Coach

Before submitting an assignment, students can detect similarities and get grammar help through Turnitin Draft Coach.

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Video

Video is a great way for instructors to engage students and reinforce learning. Whether you teach in-person or online, video can help you introduce yourself to your students, create course tours, capture mini lectures or interviews, demonstrate how to use technology or lab equipment, review and discuss tests, create collaborative assignments, and prepare content that helps you ensure learning continuity in the event of a campus closure.

Kaltura

Kaltura enables instructors to create and share an unlimited number of videos and audio recordings within Canvas.

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Use the express capture feature to record your own video or upload an existing one
Automatically convert videos into multiple formats
Ensure accessibility with easy-to-edit, machine-generated closed captions
Enhance learning with in-video links ("hotspots") to other topics in the video or external resources
Create video quizzes to reinforce student learning

Kaltura Overview

Browse Kaltura's key features and access links to additional information and resources.

Express Capture

Learn how you can easily record your own short videos, then embed them in your Canvas course.

Editing Videos

Explore the different ways you can edit your Kaltura videos in Canvas or through Kaltura's direct video editing tool.

Adding "Hotspots"

Learn how to add hotspots in your video that link students to reading materials or other parts of a video.

Creating a Video Quiz

Reinforce learning and engage students with a multiple-choice, true/false, or open-question video quiz.

Editing Captions

Ensure the accessibility of your course videos by editing Kaltura's auto-generated captions.

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Conferencing

Web-conferencing tools not only provide scheduling and location flexibility but can encourage collaboration and enhance communication with students. Invite a guest speaker, take a virtual field trip, conduct an assignment review or tutoring session, hold office hours, or record asynchronous course content.

Zoom

Zoom is a web-conferencing tool that can be accessed both inside and outside of Canvas. Whether you use it for class meetings or virtual office hours, the articles below will help you take advantage of Zoom's powerful feature set. We recommend allowing plenty of familiarization time before your first session — even if you've used online conferencing/webinar tools before.

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Overview

Browse Zoom's key features and access links to additional information and resources.

Best Practices

Follow these best practices for using web conferencing in your course.

Example Scenarios

Explore the many ways you can use web conferencing to enhance learning.

Breakout Rooms

Pre-assign students to Zoom breakout rooms for group activities and discussions.

Virtual Office Hours

Use Zoom to hold virtual office hours for individuals or groups.

Attendance Reports

Learn how to get basic attendance information for your Zoom meetings.

Canvas Conferences (BigBlueButton)

BigBlueButton is Canvas's built-in web-conferencing tool. Use it for synchronous virtual lectures and office hours. Because of its powerful feature set, we recommend allowing plenty of familiarization time before using BigBlueButton in your class — even if you've used web-conferencing tools before.

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Overview

Browse BigBlueButton's key features and access links to additional information and resources.

Getting Started

Get all the basics for getting started with BigBlueButton, from setting up and recording conferences to uploading presentations and launching polls.