Canvas Collaborations

How to Use Canvas Collaborations

Canvas Collaborations is a feature that allows students and faculty to work together on shared documents within the Canvas learning management system. This guide will walk you through the steps to create, access, and use Collaborations.

For Faculty

  1. Navigate to your Canvas course.
  2. Click on the “Collaborations” link in the course navigation menu.
  3. Click on the “+ Collaboration” button.
  4. Choose Google Docs for the collaboration type.
  5. Select ‘Authorize Google Drive Access’. This will connect the Collaborations document with your Google Drive Account so that it can be save in your files.
  6. Set a title for the collaboration and select the sharing options.
  7. Click “Create Collaboration.”
  8. To add students to the collaboration, click on the collaboration title and then “Add Users.”
  9. Select the students you want to add and click “Add Users.”

Note: The collaboration document will be saved in your Google Drive under ‘My Drive’. Please make sure you do not delete this document as students are working on it.

For Students

  1. Navigate to your Canvas course.
  2. Click on the “Collaborations” link in the course navigation menu.
  3. Find the collaboration you want to work on and click on its title. Your instructor will set your collaboration up at the start of the course if it is a part of your course assignment(s).
  4. If prompted, log in to your Google account.
  5. You can now edit the document simultaneously with your group members.

Note: If you would like to keep your collaborations document at the end of your course, be sure to make a copy and save it to your ‘My Files’ in Google Drive.

Tips for Using Collaborations

  • Use the chat or comment features within the collaboration tool to discuss changes and ideas.
  • Remember to save your work frequently.
  • If you encounter issues, try refreshing the page or checking your internet connection.

Additional Resources