For all my friends who love Actively Learn, it now integrates into Canvas and will offer some benefits when you do. First, it will roster your students from Canvas, no need for codes anymore. Second, when you create an assignment in Actively Learn and sync it to Canvas, it will appear in your Canvas assignment list. Move this into modules, or assign it directly from assignments. Third, it will also allow you to grade in Actively Learn and transfer the grade directly to Canvas. Doesn’t this sound fantastic! Well read on for how you can add Actively Learn in your course.
Steps for Adding Actively Learn to Canvas:
- Open your course, if you do not see Actively Learn in the course navigation, please open settings, then navigation. Enable Actively Learn.
- From the Course Navigation choose “Actively Learn”
- Click the Actively Learn icon (this will open a new tab)
- If you have your Actively Learn account created with ISD it should auto-log you in. If not, please create your free educator account and use “Office” to sign up.
- In Actively Learn, next to Classes in the left sidebar click the +
- Choose “Import Courses from Canvas”
- Check your desired courses
- Choose the grade level
- Choose “Import”
- You will now see the courses in the left sidebar.
Adding Content from Actively Learn to Canvas
- Choose “Content” from the left sidebar or search by your content area
- Choose an article or content and then click the + to assign to class
- Check the course you would like to assign it to and make sure to also check “sync to Canvas”
- Choose “Assign”
- Return to Canvas and open “Assignments” from your Course Navigation
- The assignment from Actively Learn will default to the top Assignment group and appear at the bottom of the list.
- You can drag the Actively Learn assignment to a different Assignment Group as needed
- If you are using modules, you can add it there using + then Assignment and find it in the list.

Student Access and Use
Students will access Actively Learn from Canvas using the same course navigation link. It should auto-log them in and automatically add them to your course. You will not see students in your course until they initiate this process.
While the assignment is assigned in Canvas, it will be completed in Actively Learn. This is an external app that opens independently from Canvas. Students who have pop-ups blocked might need to allow Actively Learn to open. Once in Actively Learn, students have all the same abilities to use Actively Learn as before (comments, annotate, answer questions, etc.)
Grading and Syncing
Once the assignment is completed and you have graded it in Actively Learn, you open the Actively Learn Gradebook tab and there is a button “Sync Grades with Canvas.” You may select one assignment or more to transfer grades.

As always, if you have questions about using Actively Learn or Canvas, please contact your Ed Tech Lead or Ed Tech TOSA.

