Have you tried these learning tools in your classroom?

Instructors use Canvas, Iowa State's learning management system, to deliver information to their students in a variety of ways. Canvas is a hub for integrated learning tools -- apps within Canvas -- that can make teaching more engaging, efficient and accessible.

Inside talked with Lindsay Dew, team manager for learning technology support at the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), to understand more about the learning tools instructors use most frequently and others that are new or could benefit instructors across campus.

"These tools help an instructor personalize their courses," she said. 

Popular learning tools in Canvas (available at no cost to faculty and students)

• Top Hat: A student engagement platform where instructors can deliver polls, quizzes and activities in real time helping to increase participation and check for understanding.
• Gradescope: A grading tool built for efficiency and consistency, especially in large courses. Gradescope uses predictive artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted grouping of similar responses and reusable parameters, which can significantly reduce grading time while ensuring fairness across student work.
• DesignPLUS: A course design toolkit that helps instructors build visually appealing, consistent and accessible course pages. Faculty select from professional-looking templates or build their own, use design tools to highlight important content and run accessibility checks to ensure courses are inclusive and easy to navigate for all students.
• TurnItIn Originality: An academic integrity tool that checks student work for authenticity by comparing submissions against a vast database of publications, websites and prior student papers. It generates a report that highlights matching text, helping instructors identify potential plagiarism and guide students toward proper citation and ethical writing practices.

"Canvas integrations like these give faculty dynamic ways to engage students, simplify grading, enhance course design and support academic integrity," Dew said.

New option

• UDOIT: This free tool scans pages, assignments and other content for common issues with digital accessibility. It provides reports and one-click fixes, helping instructors build courses that are inclusive and easy to navigate. 

"UDOIT is a resource for accessible course design," Dew said. "It is a great thing as instructors are building their course to keep accessibility in mind, especially as the federal deadline for digital accessibility approaches in April."

Tools to try

Dew said the following platforms "help faculty spark richer discussions, build collaborative learning and create interactive content -- all supporting more engaging and effective courses."  

• Packback: An AI-supported discussion platform designed to spark curiosity and encourage deeper thinking. Packback guides students to ask thoughtful, open-ended questions and provides instant feedback on quality. Instructors benefit from higher-quality discussions and reduced moderation time. Instructors work with the ISU Book Store to use the platform and set student fees.
• Piazza: A Q&A and discussion board tool that fosters collaborative learning. Students can ask and answer questions anonymously or openly, and instructors can endorse correct responses. Piazza reduces repetitive emails while building a strong peer-to-peer learning environment. Instructors work with a vendor to use the tool and determine student fees.
• H5P: A content creation tool that helps build interactive quizzes, timelines, flashcards and videos. Embedding H5P activities into Canvas can make content more engaging and give students opportunities for active practice. It's available through an individual instructor license.