DesignPLUS for Canvas
What is DesignPLUS?
Cidi Labs DesignPLUS is a Canvas add-on that expands your options for course design, page formatting, and content management.
Once you invest in learning DesignPLUS, it can reduce the time to develop an online course with more engaging and aesthetically pleasing content. DesignPLUS can be used to build out course shells, create modules and assignments, adjust all course due dates in one place, and much more.
Does DesignPLUS make a difference in learning?
The following white papers and case studies are helpful for considering the pedagogical value of DesignPLUS.
Visual Design
The Importance of Visual Design in Online Courses
[Cidi Labs, PDF]
This guide uses before and after design comparisons to illustrate the added value of using DesignPLUS.
Case Studies
Eight case studies from Cidi Labs
This set of case studies highlights the results and impact observed at Case Western Reserve University and other schools.
First Gen Students
Design Tools Influence on First Generation Student Grades
[Utah State U., PDF]
Details the origins of DesignPLUS at Utah State, accessibility considerations, and initial student outcomes.
What are some examples at the University of Delaware?
This seminar used DesignPLUS to create a visual identity for the course, starting with the home page. Course navigation was limited to Syllabus and Files. Future iterations of the course can build upon this design foundation.
This course used common design elements across the home page, syllabus, module overviews, discussions, assignments, and module summaries. Once the design template was in place, editing pages required a similar effort to basic Canvas page editing.
This course makes extensive use of the module overview page to visually structure objectives, reading, video, and other activities with due dates.
This external program leveraged one master course template that was customized for different groups of healthcare providers. The program was built for 4 instructors teaching 20 participant cohorts. The course design is intended for non-traditional students without previous Canvas experience.
New versions of the UDIT Canvas Template are available each semester from the Commons button in the Canvas sidebar. It includes a basic set of modules and calendar entries that can be edited to suit. Note: the DesignPLUS formatting is not evident until the course template is imported into a Canvas@UD course.
What’s new for 2024?
Cidi Labs has upgraded its design tools to enhance the course creation experience. Its new sidebar offers a more intuitive and user-friendly interface. While the legacy sidebar presented a compact list of options, the new DesignPLUS sidebar features improved visual organization with clear iconography and descriptive labels.
This redesign reduces complexity by spacing out elements and categorizing tools more effectively, making it easier to find and use the features. From adding new elements to accessing recently used tools, the new sidebar helps to streamline the course design process enabling more focus on content creation and less on navigating the interface.
For full details, view the DesignPLUS Version Comparison from Cidi Labs
How do I get started using DesignPLUS at UD?
I’m already using DesignPlus. How do I access the new toolbar?
As of June 2, 2024, Cidi Labs DesignPLUS is available in two versions for all Canvas@UD users who have editing access in a course:
- Design Tools is the original legacy version and will be retired in 2025.
- DesignPLUS is the new version with an expanded feature set.
To access the new toolbar, follow this illustrated tutorial, Configuring NEW Design Tools Sidebar Launch Settings.
| Your situation | Our recommendation |
|---|---|
| I typically work with an ATS instructional designer on the design of my course. | Ask your instructional designer to review your course content using Cidi Labs Preview Content feature. |
| I downloaded and modified the UDIT Canvas Template (available from Canvas Commons) and/or I have a course that has used Design Tools in the past. | Visit the New DesignPLUS Sidebar: What’s New? shared Google Doc from Cidi Labs. |
| I would like to learn on my own how to use DesignPLUS sidebar to improve Canvas courses. | Cidi Labs offers a sequenced, video series of their DesignPLUS Sidebar Training Emails, direct to your inbox, and multiple on-demand, searchable video tutorials. |
| I’m interested in working with an IT-ATS instructional designer to make my course better organized and more visually engaging. |
Submit a Canvas Course Design Form, select Other for Request Type, and make a note of your interest in applying DesignPLUS to your course. |
Learning resources available from Cidi Labs
- The Cidi Labs DesignPLUS product page is your gateway to all the Cidi Labs learning resources, including regularly-scheduled interactive training sessions.
- The demonstration Canvas course lets you browse a DesignPLUS-enriched course as a student and learn how to:
- More before-and-after design transformations are available from Cidi Labs.
- Cidi Labs provides an 8-part video library to help learn DesignPlus, ranging from Creating a Basic Page to Using the DesignPLUS Multi Tool.