Guides for External Apps in Canvas

External Apps, also known as LTI tools or third-party tools and apps, can be integrated into Canvas courses to enhance the experience for students and instructors. This page includes the External Apps that have been approved for use in Canvas at Georgetown University.

Please note that the Georgetown Service Center and Canvas Support cannot support all External Apps within Canvas. While we are dedicated to providing an effective online space for teaching and learning, the available apps in Canvas are too numerous for us to adequately support.

The sections below show you how to enable External Apps in your course, what apps are available to use, and connect you to specific app user guides.

How do I enable External Apps in Canvas?

Some External Apps are pre-installed and visible by default in your course, while others are hidden. Hidden apps will need to be enabled manually by the instructor. Apps can be enabled and used in different areas of a course. Some apps are only enabled and accessed using the Course Menu, Assignments, Modules, or Rich Content Editor (RCE). Where as, some apps can be enabled and used in all these areas in your course.

What External Apps are available in Canvas?

We’ve organized the available External Apps into categories, included brief descriptions about each one and listed where they can be enabled in your course. Click the name of the External App to access user guides and get support. Faculty and staff at Georgetown can request a new app at any time, but the review process can take several weeks.

LockDown Browser
Enabled in: Course Menu
A custom web browser that locks down the testing environment, and prevents students from accessing external web resources while taking quizzes in Canvas. When enabled item is only visible to instructors on the course menu. Student access a Lockdown Browser enabled Canvas quiz to install LockDown Browser.

Google Assignments
Enabled in: Assignments, Modules, RCE
Bring the collaborative tools of Google Apps to your course, instructors can embed content from thier Google Drive into their course pages, instructors and students can create and share Google docs, sheets, slides, and more.

GoReact
Enabled in: Assignments, Modules
An interactive cloud-based video software for feedback, grading and critique of student video assignments.

Gradescope
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments
Grade and manage paper-based handwritten assignments and exams, which can be scanned and uploaded to Gradescope by the instructor or by individual students. Scores can be synced to Canvas and students can view feedback.

Plagiarism Review (Turnitin)
Enabled in: Assignments
Check students’ work for improper citation or potential plagiarism by comparing it against numerous online databases, and provide inline comments and grading via Canvas’ SpeedGrader.

SCORM
Enabled in: Course Menu
Allows instructors who have created multimedia assessments in tools like Adobe Captivate or Articulate Storyline to deliver those packages in Canvas. When enabled on the course menu this item is not visible to students.

Turnitin External Tool
Enabled in: Assignments
Check students’ work for improper citation or potential plagiarism by comparing it against numerous online databases, and provide inline comments and grading via Turnitin’s Feedback Studio.

Ed Discussion
Enabled in: Course Menu
A discussion platform for threaded discussions that allow instructors and students to interact asynchronously by posting text comments and questions, files, and more to discussion forums.

Google Assignments
Enabled in: Assignments, Modules, RCE
Bring the collaborative tools of Google Apps to your course, instructors can embed content from thier Google Drive into their course pages, instructors and students can create and share Google docs, sheets, slides, and more.

Hypothesis
Enabled in: Assignments, Modules
Students and instructors can add comments and start conversations in the margins of their texts (PDFs), and external webpages; as well as see and comment on each other’s annotation.

Lucid
Enabled in: Assignments, RCE
Lucid is a suite of visual applications. Lucidspark and Lucidchart form the Lucid for Education Learning Suite, providing a collaborative and creative space for diagramming and design.

Perusall
Enabled in: Course Menu
Students and Instructors can annotate over and start conversations around online textbooks, articles, PDFs, and external webpage. Students can automatically receive grades on their annotations.

Piazza
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
Students can ask questions in a forum-type format. Instructors are able to moderate the discussion, along with endorsing accurate answers.

VoiceThread
Enabled in: Assignments, Modules
Students and instructors can create rich asynchronous conversations around uploaded media like images, documents, presentations and videos.

Yellowdig
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
A discussion platform to communicate and collaborate about class content and share a broad array of learning resources (e.g., videos, news articles, blogs and more).

Zoom Conferencing
Enabled in: Course Menu
Instructors use the Zoom Conferencing tool in their Canvas courses to schedule course meetings and hold online office hours. Student use the Zoom Conferencing to join meetings created by instructor(s) in the course.

Course Evaluation
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
Use for Main Campus courses that use the evaluation system, BLUE. The School of Medicine and Law Center run their own evaluation systems.

Law Course Eval
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
This app is only available for courses in the Law School. For assistance with this tool Law School faculty and students should contact: lawevaladmin@georgetown.edu

BN Bookstore
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
Instructors can link their course with the campus bookstore, where students can search for textbooks selected for your course, and be able to purchase those materials.

Cengage
Enabled in: Assignments, Modules
Instructors can link their Cengage Learning material to their Canvas course. When enabled on the course menu this item is not visible to students.

FlatWorld Homework
Enabled in: Assignments, Modules
Instructors can link their FlatWorld Homework material to their Canvas course.

Lingco
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
Instructors can link their Lingo language learning material to their Canvas course.

Macmillan Learning
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
Instructors can link their Macmillan Learning products and materials to their Canvas course. This includes the polling tool iClicker Cloud.

McGraw-Hill Campus DI / Connect
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
Instructors can link their McGraw-Hill Campus product and materials to their Canvas course.

MyLab and Mastering
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
Instructors can link their MyLab and Mastering materials to their Canvas course.

Pearson Access
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules, RCE
Instructors can link their Pearson products and materials to their Canvas course.

W. W. Norton
Enabled in: Assignments, Modules
Instructors can link their W.W. Norton materials to their Canvas course.

Panopto
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules, RCE
Record lectures and presentations using your computer. Recordings (and other media) can be uploaded from your computer and shared with students in your Canvas course. Add quizzes and sync results to the Canvas Gradebook.

ShareStream – Media Manager
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
Primarily used as an interface for faculty to organize media files and folders, copy media, and upload new media files. Can also be used for media playback.

ShareStream – Pick-n-Play
Enabled in: Course Menu
Primarily used for media playback and adding engagement activities like student media assignments. It can also be used to copy media from one course to another and upload new media files too.

ShareStream Tools
Enabled in: Assignments, Modules, RCE
Embed ShareStream media files to Canvas course Pages, Assignments, or anywhere the Rich Content Editor appears in Canvas.

GU Library
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
Dynamically redirects users to the appropriate Georgetown library websites based on school:
– Law Center directs to Law Library
– GUMC directs to Dahlgren Memorial Library
– Qatar campus directs to GU-Q Library
– Main campus and all other schools direct to Lauinger Library

Library Guide
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
Instructors can link to content from LibGuides, E-Reserves, LibCal, and LibAnswers directly into course Modules, Assignments, or on your course menu.

Library Guides
Enabled in: Assignments, Modules, RCE
Instructors can link to content from LibGuides, E-Reserves, LibCal, and LibAnswers directly into course Pages. Note: The DML Library Guides is recommended for use only as a module item.

You will notice the following course menu items are included in every Canvas course by default, as mandated by various working committees out of the provost’s office: Accessibility Resources, Health Resources, University Policies.

Accessibility Resources
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
Redirects instructors and students to the Georgetown accessibility website.

Daily Student COVID-19
Enabled in: Course Menu
Redirects instructors to GUFaculty360 and provides a daily course-specific summary of students in isolation or quarantine for reasons related to COVID-19 and; therefore, unable to attend class in person. When enabled on the course menu this item is not visible to students.

Health Resources
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
Dynamically redirects instructors and students to the appropriate Georgetown heath resource websites based on school and course role.

Photo Roster
Enabled in: Course Menu
Shows instructors the name, GoCard photo and Georgetown email address of students who are enrolled in the course. When enabled on the course menu this item is not visible to students.

University Policies
Enabled in: Course Menu, Assignments, Modules
Redirects instructors and students to the Georgetown policies website.

Request a Tool

Do you have a tool that has an integration to Canvas? We can make that happen!

Since apps in Canvas can send data to third-party or vendor systems, such as student-identifying information and student grade data, it is critical to ensure that data sharing is done securely and in accordance with University policies to preserve ownership of the data, safeguard confidentiality and integrity, and protect students’ rights. Also, any tool or app that is widely used at the university needs to have documented compliance with our accessibility policies.

The UIS Edtech team will configure new External Apps in Canvas only after a review of the tool, including a data security and privacy review have been made. Canvas Sub-account admins, instructors, designers, and TAs do not have permissions to configure new External Apps in courses.

Please plan accordingly and make your request as far in advance as possible. Working with vendors to complete required agreements can take weeks and even months.

Request an External App in Canvas

Note: Prior to any contracts being signed by any GU department or entity, UIS must be given access to the requested tool in order to complete a thorough review and analysis.

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Check out the Get Help and Training & Support pages for more resources.