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If you've ever wished you could organize your students into groups without creating a mess in your course setup, Canvas has finally answered your prayers. The new Differentiation Tags feature is here, and it's about to make the organization of students in your online classes a whole lot simpler.
Think of Differentiation Tags as invisible sticky notes you can put on students' names. You create these tags, assign students to them, and then use them to organize your course. The best part? Students can't see them. It's your own private organizational system.
For example, you could create a tag called "Needs Extra Time" and add students to it. Then when you create an assignment, you can give that entire group an extra week to complete it: no need to type in each student's name individually.
Here's the thing: Canvas has always had Sections and Groups, but they come with baggage.
Sections are set in Colleague and, while we can combine similar sections into one course, the students only have division through the section number. Groups are meant for students to work together; they can see who's in their group and collaborate. That's great for team projects, but not when you're trying to quietly organize students by their needs.
Tags are different. They're yours to create and manage however you want, and students never see them.
Let's get practical. Here are some everyday situations where tags can help:
Managing Accommodations: Create a tag for students with extended time accommodations. When you create an assignment, just assign it to that tag with the adjusted due date. No more manual entry for each student, every single time.
Different Learning Paths: Have some students who are struggling with a concept while others are ready to move ahead? Create "Review Group" and "Advanced Group" tags. Assign different materials to each group without anyone knowing who's in which group.
Easier Communication: Need to email just the students who missed the last class? Tag them, then use that tag to send a message through Canvas Inbox. Everyone else's inbox stays clear.
Project Interests: Teaching a unit where students choose topics? Create tags like "Environmental Focus" or "Technology Focus" and use them to share relevant resources with each interest group.
Quick Gradebook Checks: Want to see how your students with accommodations are doing? Filter your gradebook by that tag and get an instant view of their performance.
Differentiation Tags are officially turned on in your class! To access them:
That's it!
But there are a few caveats...
About Due Dates: If a student is in multiple tags with different due dates for the same assignment, Canvas gives them the latest (most generous) due date. And if you set an individual due date for a specific student, that always wins (such as an individual student override).
Moving Courses Around: Right now, if you copy a course, the tags don't come with it. You'll need to recreate them.
Differentiation Tags aren't fancy or complicated. They're just a simple, practical tool that lets you organize students and personalize their learning experience without jumping through hoops.
No more typing the same student names over and over. No more trying to remember which students need what accommodations. No more sending announcements to the entire class when you only need to reach a few people.
The tools that make the biggest difference aren't always the flashiest ones. They're the ones that quietly take care of the mundane tasks so you can focus on what matters most: teaching.
We are excited for you to try out this new tool and can’t wait to hear what you think about it! As always, reach out to us at canvashelp@durhamtech.eduwith any questions, comments, and/or feedback!