As many course instructors are already aware, Pitt’s learning management system (LMS), Canvas, is integrated with several other tools and services. These are known as Apps or Integrations. If you’ve ever used Zoom, Panopto or a textbook publisher tool from within Canvas, you’ve used an integration. So, how do those integrations get there and what can you do with them?

Decisions about what to integrate with Canvas are managed by the Teaching Center and Pitt IT to ensure that any services we’re including in the LMS are FERPA-compliant, accessible, and adhere to Pitt’s standards for data security. In addition to those more technical considerations, potential integrations are also assessed for cost (either to students or to the institution), demand, and whether they duplicate functionality that’s already available. While there are literally hundreds of educational technology tools out there that can be integrated with Canvas, keeping the list of available tools constrained improves the student experience while using the LMS. Many students take five or more courses per semester—if each of those courses uses a different set of integrations, that quickly adds burden for students who must learn to use many new tools. It also becomes increasingly difficult for our educational technology support professionals to provide high quality training and support as integrations proliferate.

While keeping the total list of integrations in Canvas manageable, we encourage faculty to request a review of integrations they feel would be valuable to teaching and learning at Pitt. This review can take some time, so requests should be made during the term prior to when full integration is desired. Additionally, if the integration requires a vendor contract and payment, a funding stream must first be identified, and a contract signed before we can complete the integration.

At Pitt, we have 50 integrations installed in Canvas, of which 37 are available for general use at all schools and campuses, with 19 requiring no payment from either student or teacher. A complete list of available integrations can be found at the Educational Software Help Resources site. Here you’ll find a sortable and searchable list of integrations with information on who can use them and how, as well as the form to request evaluation of a new integration. We have much more detailed guides and information on the most popular integrations (check links to other integrations from the Flip page) also available.

Integrations are added to, and work with, your Canvas course in a wide variety of ways.  Some simply create a convenient menu item for students to click, while others are deep integrations that connect with your roster, gradebook and assignments, seamlessly passing information back and forth between a number of systems. There are various support models at work as well, with some vendors preferring to provide direct support to faculty users, while others are fully administered and supported by staff here at Pitt.

If you are interested in learning more about a specific integration, please reach out to Educational Software Consulting and we can set you on the path towards leveraging these innovative and convenient tools in your courses.