Design PLUS is a toolbar from Cidi Labs that allows instructors to create highly customizable and accessible pages that can be used for assignments, content, and course homepages.
When you make use of Design PLUS to create a homepage, you can go beyond text and images. Check out the Design PLUS showcase to see how other institutions have made use of the sidebar for their online courses. For examples from UIS faculty and staff, see the Sample Canvas Course Designs by Dr. Brian Chen, Public Health.
According to Ghai & Tandon, "visually pleasing designs can enhance usability, credibility, user satisfaction, and trustworthiness . . ." (2022). Learn more about the research that supports the use of course design and home pages to improve student learning outcomes.
Try the Canvas Syllabus Template!
Check out the accessible and easy to manage Canvas syllabus template. It is an easy way to get started using the Design PLUS toolbar and improve the look and function of your course.
Enabling Design PLUS in Canvas
- Go to a page and click the "Edit" button.
- Open the DesignPLUS toolbar with the keyboard shortcut:
- Windows: Alt + Shift + D
- Mac: Option + Shift + D
- If you do not want to use the keyboard shortcut every time, you can click on the kebab menu on the DesignPLUS toolbar and choose "User Settings."
- Choose whether you want the DesignPLUS toolbar to always launch (first option) or whether you want the button to appear when editing a page (second option).
Design PLUS Training
View the Design PLUS training videos to get started. The Design PLUS User Guide also provides step-by-step instructions for creating content. Contact COLRS to set up a Canvas course sandbox for you to practice in.
Add the UIS Syllabus and Page Templates to a Canvas Course
Edit a Canvas syllabus area or content item (Page, Classic Quiz, Discussion, or Assignment). In the Design PLUS toolbar, go to the Add menu (+). Select the Template Content tool button.
In the Template Content panel:
- Decide the location (Top or Bottom).
- If desired, opt to overwrite the page with the template.
- Select your template.
- Course Content (content in the current course you wish to reuse or edit for this new page)
- Templates > Local. Choose a Syllabus template or among General templates (home pages and other page formats)
- Once you click on a template, it is inserted into the textbox editor and ready for you to edit and save changes.
Delete Items from a Template:
- Add or Delete content blocks
- Add or Delete accordion panels (policies on the syllabus template)
Examples of Content with DesignPLUS
Home Page
On the home page, DesignPLUS allows you to add icons and images that will break up content and make your online course warm and welcoming.
Syllabus
The formatting features in Canvas without DesignPLUS are somewhat limited. DesignPLUS allows you to break up your content while still making use of accessibility features.
Pages
Depending on how much content you have on a page in Canvas, it can be really overwhelming for students and harder to keep track of where they are in the lesson.
Without DesignPLUS
With DesignPLUS
With DesignPLUS Accordion
With DesignPLUS Tabs
How COLRS Can Help
- Access templates directly in the DesignPLUS toolbar by following the instructions for inserting template content in the DesignPLUS user guide.
- Join us on Zoom for office hours.
- Schedule a one-on-one appointment with one of our eLearning Specialists (Emily Boles, Carrie Levin, or Taylor Lester).
- Email us at colrs@uis.edu to request help with page design.