Canvas: DesignPLUS

DesignPLUS by Cidi Labs is an add-on tool in Canvas that helps you create and style engaging, organized, interactive professional-looking content without requiring any coding experience. When you access DesignPLUS through a Canvas page, you open a sidebar with a suite of additional formatting and editing options.

 

STELAR instructional designers have been using Cidi design tools for many years to create templates for styling Canvas courses and now use the upgraded tool called DesignPLUS. If you have used the STELAR templates, your courses have been formatted using this sidebar and you are able to edit your content within the template structure without opening design tools. We are now offering access to this powerful suite of tools to faculty who would like to take greater ownership of the look and feel of their courses.

 

To get started, open a Canvas page in edit mode and use the key commands below to access the DesignPLUS sidebar.

 

If your course was built using the previous (legacy) version of design tools, you will need to upgrade to use any new features. If you are not yet ready to upgrade, you can use the key commands below to toggle back and forth between versions (D stands for Design and V stands for Version).

 

Alt+Shift+V (PC)

Option+Shift+V (Mac)

 

The sidebar will look like the screen capture below when you are in the upgraded version.

 

This article will direct you to resources and support for navigating the DesignPLUS interface, including the upgrade process. Use the Click to Request Service button to reach out to our instructional design team for help. 

 

NOTE: Please review the Canvas site and/or attend a workshop before scheduling with an instructional designer.