Intermediate/Advanced Customizing Canvas Information

Welcome! This session is designed for educators and course designers ready to elevate their Canvas content in the intermediate to advanced track. In this session, you will learn how to customize your courses using HTML snippets, build reusable course templates, and effectively utilize accessibility tools to ensure your content is clean, engaging, and inclusive for all learners.

Presenter Biography | Dana Thompson

Dana brings over a decade of edtech leadership as an instructional design subject matter expert specializing in accessibility, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, and student engagement. An expert Canvas LMS administrator, instructional designer, and instructor, Dana leverages Canvas to build accessible, custom coursework, design robust assessments, and drive learner success. She stays at the forefront of the platform's latest features to empower educators with high-impact, inclusive online learning strategies.

Topics for the Intermediate/Advanced Customizing Canvas:

Accessibility Best Practices

This topic focuses on designing Canvas content that is inclusive, usable, and compliant with accessibility standards for all learners. Participants learn how to utilize built-in tools and design principles to ensure digital course materials, including text, images, and tables, are fully accessible to students using assistive technologies.

Take Aways:

Inclusive content design
Built-in accessibility tools

Customizing Canvas

This topic focuses on leveraging HTML snippets and design tools within Canvas to break free from basic page layouts. Participants learn how to format content dynamically, create clean visual hierarchies, and personalize course interfaces to make learning materials more engaging and intuitive.

Take Aways:

Custom HTML styling
Enhance readability

Working with Templates

This topic explores how to design, save, and deploy standardized page structures across your Canvas courses. Participants learn how using well-designed templates saves time, ensures visual consistency, and creates a familiar, easy-to-navigate experience for students across modules.

Take Aways:

Efficiency and consistency
Easy sharing and scalability

Engagement Strategies

This topic focuses on techniques for keeping learners actively involved and connected within your Canvas courses. Participants learn how to design interactive elements, leverage multimedia, and structure content to foster meaningful student participation, collaboration, and continuous motivation throughout the learning journey.

Take Away:

Interactive design
Sustained student motivation

Getting Started

To get started, please select the "Next" button located at your bottom right hand corner to progress through this module. Each page has the topic overview and an embedded Goggle Slides deck used during our in-person training. Happy learning and reviewing!

OTAN Canvas Project

The OTAN Canvas Project is committed to meeting educators where they are. We offer multiple pathways for Canvas professional development, including in-person workshops, live virtual sessions, recorded presentations, an on-demand training portal, and conference sessions, so that teachers, administrators, and support staff can learn in the way that works best for them.

Learn more: Visit OTAN Canvas Project