Author: Nadia Khan

DesignPLUS for Canvas

DesignPlus Flex Workshop Recordings

DesignPLUS is a user-friendly Canvas plug-in that helps you build polished, engaging, and accessible courses efficiently. DesignPLUS is licensed for all faculty at MiraCosta College using Canvas.

DesignPLUS includes four primary tools:

  • Sidebar – a suite of rich content editor tools that help you create organized, accessible, engaging, and visually polished content in Canvas with ease.
  • QuickStart Wizard – design tools available when you are editing new content in Canvas (a new page, assignment, discussion, etc) to quickly add visual design elements or adopt existing templates.
  • Cidi Labs Multi-Tool – a time-saving tool that lets you quickly set up an engaging home page and create accessible templates for reuse across Canvas. It also can help you quickly build repeatable, consistent module structures. You can also adjust due dates and delay announcements using this tool.
  • Upload/Embed Image Tool – a tool that enables you to discover, add, edit, and place course images in Canvas

DesignPLUS Sidebar

When you are editing Canvas content, select the sidebar icon at top right to launch the Sidebar tool, which will then appear on the right. The Sidebar tool includes many enhancements to the Rich Content Editor in Canvas, enabling you to easily add a variety of attractive and engaging content elements.

Getting Started with the Sidebar

Learn more about the DesignPLUS Sidebar (Tap to open a list of resources).

Sidebar Basics

Sidebar Resources and Guide

Sidebar Training Videos

How do I build a basic page?

How do I build a home page?

DesignPlus Accessibility Tools

DesignPlus Accessibility and Usability Tools Overview

DesignPlus User Guide Canvas Course

DesignPLUS QuickStart Wizard

The QuickStart Wizard button appears when you open a new page, assignment, or syllabus for editing. Activating the Wizard gives you access to templates for the entire page, or pre-defined content blocks of different types to help you customize the page.

Getting Started with the QuickStart Wizard

Cidi Labs Multi-Tool

The Cidi Labs Multi-Tool shows up in the left course navigation menu of your Canvas course. You will be asked to authorize Cidi Labs to access your Canvas account. Once the Multi-Tool is set up, you can select from a variety of tools to help rapidly develop and update your courses. Watch the Multi-Tool orientation video to learn more about what it can do for you.

Getting Started with the Multi-tool

To learn more, see Multi-Tool FAQs.

DesignPLUS Upload/Embed Image Tool

This tool enables you to manage course images directly in Canvas. Upload, crop, resize, and embed images anywhere in your course, or quickly add free, high-quality images from Pexels and Unsplash. To access the Upload/Embed Image (U/EI) tool, go to apps through the Rich Content Editor (RCE). The first time you access the tool, you will be asked to authorize Cidilabs to access Canvas so this tool is available for you. Watch the Upload/Embed Image orientation video to learn how this tool works.

Getting Started with the Upload/Embed Image Tool

To learn more, see Benefits of using the Upload/Embed Tool or Adding the Upload/Embed (U/EI) Tool to the Rich Content Editor (RCE)

Additional DesignPLUS Support

DesignPLUS Customer Support: support@cidilabs.com

DesignPLUS Knowledge Base and FAQs

DesignPLUS User Guide

DesignPLUS Library of Designs and Templates

For support or training, contact instructional designer, Nadia Khan: nkhan@miracosta.edu

Accessibility Support Workshops and Training

The Online Ed team in collaboration with MiraCosta College’s Access Specialist bring the 2025-26 Accessibility Support Workshop series focusing on Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning. Recordings from this series are below.

Fall 2025

Spring 2026

YouTube Migration Tool in Canvas

For a distraction-free, seamless learning experience, you can migrate embedded YouTube videos in Canvas into Studio, whether they were added with embed code or through the YouTube LTI.

In September 2025, Canvas Studio implemented the YouTube Player for Education. Starting September 22, 2025 any existing or new YouTube videos added to Canvas may display ads. To avoid this you can migrate the videos manually to Canvas Studio or use the YouTube Migration tool in Canvas. The YouTube Migration tool helps teachers identify videos in their course that may display ads.

What happens when you migrate YouTube videos into Studio?

  • No ads or pop-ups will appear during playback.
  • Overlays (like recommendations, channel info, or “watch later” buttons) are removed.
  • You gain Studio tools, including analytics to see how students watch your videos.
  • Captions are preserved (only for videos with ‘public’ visibility).

Migration options

YouTube Migration Tool

Watch this video to learn how to use the Migration Tool in Canvas to migrate any YouTube videos in your course.

Scan Embedded YouTube Videos

You can use the migration tool via the Course Navigation Menu. It is only visible to teachers and appears at the bottom of the course navigation menu on the left.

In Course Navigation, click the YouTube Migration link [1]. To filter embedded YouTube videos, click the Scan Course button [2].

A list displays the Canvas resources where the YouTube videos are embedded [3], the content type [4], and the number of YouTube content detected for each Canvas resource [5].

To migrate the videos into Studio content, click the Review button [6].

To learn more about the YouTube video migration tool visit the YouTube Player for Education FAQs page. In addition the Canvas resource on how to migrate embedded YouTube videos page provides step-by-step instructions and additional resources.

Important!

  • Only embedded videos and videos added through the YouTube LTI can be migrated through the Migration tool. YouTube links (which are external) cannot be migrated.
  • The migrated videos will only be visible in the Studio ‘Course Collection’; these will not be visible/available through the Studio user library. However, YouTube videos directly added to Studio will be available in the user library.
  • Migrated YouTube videos will NOT import in a different Canvas account when shared through Canvas Commons. These will, however, import within the MiraCosta instance of Canvas.
  • Captions will NOT automatically appear for migrated videos set to ‘unlisted’ visibility. Captions will need to be created or uploaded for such ‘unlisted’ YouTube videos. Caption will automatically appear for any migrated YouTube video set to ‘public’ visibility.

For more information or if you have questions, please contact Nadia Khan: nkhan@miracosta.edu

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