Looking to stay up-to-date on Canvas? Here are the highlights of new Canvas features introduced during Q3 2024 (July – September). For a comprehensive list of Canvas updates, see Instructure’s Canvas Releases page. 

  • Rich Content Editor in SpeedGrader: You can now format text in SpeedGrader, including section headings, bold/italics, hyperlinks, and lists. 
  • Assign Pages and Modules to Students and Sections: You can now assign Pages and Modules to individual students or entire sections. To learn more about using this feature for differentiated instruction, read Cheri Madewell’s blog post, “New in Canvas: Releasing Modules and Pages to Students.” 
  • Lucid in Canvas: Visual collaboration tools LucidChart and LucidSpark are now integrated with Canvas, allowing you and students to collaborate visually, brainstorm, and create visual documents such as concept maps, flowcharts, and wireframes. Learn more in Eva Grouling Snider’s blog post about the Lucid integration. 
  • Mobile Offline Mode (Canvas Student app): Ball State students using the Canvas Student mobile app can now download Canvas courses for offline access. Offline access only allows students to view course content. They cannot take quizzes, post to discussion boards, or submit assignments offline. The next time their device is connected to the internet, all offline courses will update with the latest content. 
  • Enhanced Rubrics: You can now enable Enhanced Rubrics in your courses for a more intuitive and user-friendly way to create, edit, and apply rubrics. Go to Settings > Feature Options > Enhanced Rubrics, then change Disabled to Enabled. 
  • Discussion Summary: Using Generative AI, Canvas can now summarize responses on a Discussion, focusing on your specific needs. To turn on Discussion Summary in your course, go to Settings > Feature Options > Discussion Summary, then change Disabled to Enabled. 

Additionally, look for the following upcoming Canvas changes: 

Look for an update about Q4 2024 changes at the end of December. We will keep you updated on all things Canvas! 

What are you excited to try out from these new features? Weigh in through the comments section below. 

  • Eva Grouling Snider

    Eva joined the Division of Online and Strategic Learning in 2021. Previously, she taught professional writing courses in the English Department, including graphic design and web development. She launched Jacket Copy Creative (now known as Compass Creative), an immersive learning course in which students helped market the English Department (and now the entire College of Sciences and Humanities). She also served as a director of advertising at a social media advertising agency in Muncie. Her interests include UDL, digital accessibility, and design. She’s often busy “hacking” Canvas to do cool things.

    View all posts