As you probably know, Canvas is a cloud-based application that does not require local users to schedule downtime for upgrades.  Instead, new features are added incrementally.

As you start your new semester, you might want to try some of the new features.  You do so by going to the course settings and then “feature options” to turn on specific features. As you can see, some are in “beta” mode, to allow you to use as early adopters, though these features continue to be improved.  It’s completely up to you whether you want to opt in to use these new features.

Canvas New Features

Here are a few new features that we have tested and enjoyed:

  1. “New grade book”, which gives more options to customize your views, which is helpful if you have many items and students.
  2. “Dashboard image”, which allows teachers to add a relevant image for their course to direct students’ attention to your course.
  3. “Duplicate calendar events”, which makes it easy to copy calendar items.  Please also remember you can duplicate assignments, pages, and rubric criteria, features that were not available when we started using Canvas.

If you have any questions about any of these features, please ask us at the Adams Center.