Unlocking the Power of Canvas: Advanced Features Every Teacher Should Know
- Jan 9
- 2 min read
By Connor Scruggs, Bussey MS
Canvas is more than just a digital space for assignments—it’s a full learning ecosystem designed to make teaching smarter, feedback faster, and learning more personalized. Once you’ve mastered the basics, it’s time to explore the advanced features that help teachers work more efficiently and create richer learning experiences.
Below is a tour of some of Canvas’s most powerful tools, complete with visual examples and tips for implementation.
1. New Quizzes: Beyond Multiple Choice
What It Does: Canvas’s New Quizzes tool goes far beyond traditional tests. It supports question types like categorization, ordering, hotspot, and stimulus-based questions—all within an interactive environment.
Why It Matters: You can assess higher-order thinking, not just recall. Plus, the new analytics let you see which concepts students are struggling with in real time.
Pro Tips:
Use item banks to randomize questions for test integrity.
Add stimulus questions (a short text or graph with related questions) to support data analysis and critical thinking.
2. Integrations & External Tools (LTIs): Supercharge Engagement
What It Does: Canvas integrates seamlessly with dozens of popular learning apps. These Learning Tool Interoperability (LTI) integrations let you embed interactive lessons, videos, and assessments directly inside Canvas.
Why It Matters: Students stay focused in one digital space, and teachers can leverage tools they already know and love.
Popular Integrations:
Google Workspace: With Google LTI, you can see students progress on an assignment when they do not submit. This is one of the most common external tools to use on Canvas.
Pro Tips:
Integrate one or two tools first to keep your course organized.
Use embedded tools within modules for smooth student navigation.
3. Canvas Analytics: Data-Driven Teaching
What It Does: Canvas Analytics offers detailed insights into student performance, participation, and interaction. You can view data for the entire class or individual students.
Why It Matters: Data helps you spot trends, intervene early, and adjust instruction before grades suffer.
Pro Tips:
Combine with Outcomes for data-informed differentiation and when to reteach a specific TEK.
Wrapping Up: Teaching Smarter with Canvas
The advanced features in Canvas aren’t just “extras”—they’re the key to saving time, creating consistency, and improving learning outcomes.
When used strategically, tools like New Quizzes, Integrations, and Analytics work together to create a dynamic, data-informed, and student-centered classroom.
Next Steps:
Pick one advanced feature to explore this week.
