{"id":2989,"date":"2025-07-17T01:48:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T01:48:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/?page_id=2989"},"modified":"2026-04-04T02:30:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T02:30:27","slug":"d2l-to-canvas-feature-comparison","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/d2l-to-canvas-feature-comparison\/","title":{"rendered":"D2L to Canvas Feature Comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This document covers tool names, equivalents, & important notes to help guide both faculty & support teams during the transition.  Use this reference to understand how key D2L tools map to equivalent Canvas features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D2L Tool\/Feature<\/th>Canvas Equivalent<\/th>Notes\/Details<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Content<\/strong><\/td>Modules<\/td>Canvas Modules organize content in a linear format, replacing D2L\u2019s Content tool.<\/td><\/tr>
Dropbox (Assignments<\/strong>)<\/td>Assignments<\/td>Both platforms use the same term; Canvas assignments can be submitted online, on paper, or as no submission.<\/td><\/tr>
Quizzes<\/strong><\/td>Quizzes \/ New Quizzes<\/td>Canvas has Classic Quizzes and New Quizzes. Some D2L question types may not transfer directly.<\/td><\/tr>
Discussions<\/strong><\/td>Discussions<\/td>Very similar function, but Canvas discussions are more visually integrated and user-friendly.<\/td><\/tr>
Grades<\/strong><\/td>Gradebook<\/td>Canvas Gradebook supports SpeedGrader and integration with rubrics.<\/td><\/tr>
Rubrics<\/strong><\/td>Rubrics<\/td>Canvas Rubrics are built into the LMS and integrate with assignments, discussions, and quizzes.<\/td><\/tr>
Checklists<\/strong><\/td>To-Do List \/ Requirements in Modules<\/td>Canvas does not have checklists, but To-Do lists and Module requirements provide similar functionality.<\/td><\/tr>
Calendar<\/strong><\/td>Calendar<\/td>Both tools offer similar features; Canvas calendar integrates with due dates automatically.<\/td><\/tr>
Class Progress<\/strong><\/td>Analytics \/ New Analytics<\/td>Canvas offers course analytics and progress tracking for students.<\/td><\/tr>
Course Builder<\/strong><\/td>Modules + Pages<\/td>Canvas does not have a separate course builder tool; you build directly within modules.<\/td><\/tr>
News<\/strong><\/td>Announcements<\/td>Canvas Announcements provide course-wide messaging and can be pre-scheduled.<\/td><\/tr>
Email<\/strong><\/td>Inbox (Conversations)<\/td>Canvas Inbox serves as an internal messaging system for all users.<\/td><\/tr>
Groups<\/strong><\/td>Groups<\/td>Both support group workspaces, discussions, and assignments.<\/td><\/tr>
Surveys<\/strong><\/td>Quizzes (Ungraded) or 3rd Party Tools<\/td>Canvas does not have a built-in survey tool; use ungraded quizzes or Google Forms.<\/td><\/tr>
Intelligent Agents<\/strong><\/td>New Analytics + Manual Communication<\/td>Canvas does not have automated agents; use New Analytics and message students manually.<\/td><\/tr>
Release Conditions<\/strong><\/td>Module Requirements & Prerequisites<\/td>Canvas has limited release conditions compared to D2L but offers basics via module settings.<\/td><\/tr>
HTML Editor<\/strong><\/td>Rich Content Editor (RCE)<\/td>Canvas’s RCE supports HTML and integrates with accessibility checkers and multimedia tools.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This document covers tool names, equivalents, & important notes to help guide both faculty & support teams during the transition.  Use this reference to understand how key D2L tools map to equivalent Canvas features. D2L Tool\/Feature Canvas Equivalent Notes\/Details Content Modules Canvas Modules organize content in a linear format, replacing D2L\u2019s Content tool. Dropbox (Assignments) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":165,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2989","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/165"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2989"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4058,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2989\/revisions\/4058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}