Canvas Pilots
There are a lot of new features rolling out in Canvas, many of which focus on using Artificial Intelligence responsibly and ethically. As part of this process, Valpo faculty have been invited to participate in new feature previews, early adopter programs, and pilots. You will see some of these opportunities and information below. Note, this page will be updated based on tool and feature availability. Most of these features will either remain available or are available through June 30, 2026. Please reach out to the CITAL Team if you are interested in other features not listed.
IgniteAI
Ignite AI is the umbrella term for many new features in Canvas. Recently, Instructure offered a webinar focused on the history and philosophy behind the development of these new features. You can access the recording here:
New & Next Showcase: IgniteAI in Action
You can find out more about each individual feature below. However, one of the biggest features is the introduction of the IgniteAI Agent. Below is a video and slide deck related directly to this new function:
Resources: Slide Deck
Other features being rolled out include the following:
| Canvas Feature | Nutrition Facts |
| IgniteAI Agent | IgniteAI Nutrition Facts: Agent |
| Translations for Inbox | IgniteAI Nutrition Facts: Translations for Inbox |
| Translations for Discussions & Announcements | IgniteAI Nutrition Facts: Translations for Discussions & Announcements |
| Insights for Discussions | IgniteAI Nutrition Facts: Insights for Discussions |
| Grading Assistance | IgniteAI Nutrition Facts: Grading Assistance |
| Generator for Rubrics | IgniteAI Nutrition Facts: Generator for Rubrics |
| Question Authoring for Quizzes | IgniteAI Nutrition Facts: Question Authoring for Quizzes |
| Item Authoring for Assessments | IgniteAI Nutrition Facts: Item Authoring for Assessments |
Please note that while most of these features are currently available in Canvas, some may be rolled out after some initial testing by CITAL staff. Specifically, translation features are currently available only in the Canvas Inbox and not for discussions or announcements yet due to the possible impact on language courses. Once we have good documentation on how to allow faculty to choose to enable these tools, we will pass that along. Also, please remember, many of these tools can be hidden or disabled by faculty in their courses.
FAQ
- Are these tools currently available?
- Some are already available, and you will see them in your Canvas courses. Others will be coming online soon. Watch this page for updates. We will also be using the Canvas banner notifications as well.
- Do students have access to AI tools?
- No, currently students do not have access to any of the AI features, except for search. The search allows all users to more easily find information in their courses.
- What about privacy and environmental impact?
- See the nutrition facts above about how privacy and security are handled with each of these tools. Additionally, keep an eye out on this page for a video recording about IgniteAI, including many executives from Canvas. Their approach, in short, is to use the “smallest viable model” for each specific task and as much as possible only rely on renewable sources of power. However, they do acknowledge that this is not always currently possible.
- Is there an additional cost?
- Currently, these tools are included in our pricing for Canvas. In the future, some may be at a premium, but Canvas has indicated that tools related directly to access and equity will likely remain as included services.
- Am I required to do anything to participate?
- While you are not required to do anything specific to use these tools, if they are part of an early adopter program or there is feedback requested, faculty are encouraged to participate to improve the tools.