Canvas Discussions and Announcements Redesign

On July 20, 2024, Canvas will automatically update its Discussion and Announcement tools with a new user experience. If your summer session class extends to or beyond this date, we recommend enabling the Discussions/Announcements Redesign option before your class begins to maintain a consistent user experience. To enable this option in your course, select Settings > Feature Options, and then set the Discussions/Announcements Redesign option to Enabled.

New vs. Legacy Experience

In this updated experience, the tool will maintain its current functions and features while also introducing an enhanced interface and additional features, such as:

• Improved search with highlighting
• Edit History
• Flexible viewing options: Inline and split view
• Role Labels
• Quoting
• Reply Reporting and notifications to Instructors
• Full and partial anonymous graded discussions
• Sort options (Newest to Oldest, Oldest to Newest)
• Filtering (All, Unread, Read)

Interface Modifications

For individual discussion and announcement topics, the interface has been expanded to maximize space and ensure responsive views. The following modifications have been made to individual topics:

• The topic “Edit” command has been changed from a button on the topic page to an option in the "Manage Topic Options" menu.
• The toolbar has been moved to the top of the discussion and announcement thread.
• Threads are sorted from newest to oldest reply. Newest replies will be at the top of the first page instead at the bottom of the last page.  Currently, they are sorted from oldest to newest.
• A “Groups” button and menu has been added to group discussions to allow instructors to navigate to the topic in each group.
• The instructor's view of group discussions no longer includes a summary of the read and unread replies in each group.
• The controls for marking threads and individual replies as read or unread have been moved to the reply Options menu.

Feature Comparison Chart

Additional Resources

• Dive into the Discussion Redesign Video
• Canvas Announcements
  • Announcement Redesign Guides for Instructors
  • Announcement Redesign Guides for Students
• Canvas Discussions
  • Discussions Redesign Guides for Instructors
  • Discussions Redesign Guides for Students

Categories: Science and Technology