DesignPLUS in Canvas
SFSU has expanded Canvas LMS capabilities with a new learning design toolkit from Cidi Labs called DesignPLUS. DesignPLUS empowers instructors to create student-centered, interactive and accessible learning experiences in their courses that enhance engagement and learning outcomes without needing any sophisticated design skills. With this toolkit, instructors can go beyond standard Canvas capabilities to quickly build and style courses to support their pedagogy and promote student success.
Academic Technology's Instructional Designers have scheduled onboarding sessions throughout Fall 2026 to get you started with DesignPLUS in Canvas. To see how your faculty peers at SFSU have started using DesignPLUS to enhance their courses, view the showcase below.
Onboarding Sessions
Ready to get started with DesignPLUS? Academic Technology is offering a series of onboarding workshops for SFSU faculty. Each of the three sessions build upon one another and are best taken in order. More sessions and topics will be added to meet the campus community’s training needs, so stay tuned for more updates.
DesignPLUS Onboarding Series | Session 1
| Date | Time | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, Nov. 16, 2026 | 10 — 11 a.m. | Register here |
| Friday, Nov. 20, 2026 | 10:30 — 11:30 a.m. | Register here |
| Monday, Dec. 7, 2026 | 10 — 11 a.m. | Register here |
DesignPLUS Onboarding Series | Session 2
| Date | Time | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026 | 1 — 2 p.m. | Register here |
| Friday, Nov. 20, 2026 | 1 — 2 p.m. | Register here |
| Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2026 | 10 — 11 a.m. | Register here |
DesignPLUS Onboarding Series | Session 3
| Date | Time | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Nov. 20, 2026 | 9 — 10 a.m. | Register here |
| Friday, Nov. 20, 2026 | 2:30 — 3:30 p.m. | Register here |
| Friday, Dec. 11, 2026 | 10 — 11 a.m. | Register here |
Faculty showcase
Academic Technology conducted a pilot training program for the DesignPLUS toolkit over summer 2026. Learn more about how faculty are using the toolkit to support their course instruction and student experience in Canvas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Each session is one hour. There are three sessions in the series.
Knowledge in each session builds on the previous sessions, so we recommend you attend sessions in sequential order. You are welcome to attend a session in another series if you have attended the previous sessions.
Recordings will be available to participants after each session.
The toolkit is available to all SFSU faculty with a Canvas course.