Free Canvas extensions to organize your assignments

Laken Kincaid, Editor-in-Chief

Mar 22, 2024

Many John Carroll students are familiar with Canvas but may want to spice up what they are looking at.

As midterms pass, assignments can start to pile up on the laptops of students regardless of their field of study. Studies show that when someone is better organized, their grades are often higher than their unorganized peers. When grade-point averages and extra credit begin to all feel like chaos whirling around their brain, it is important to stay organized amidst the hustle and bustle of college life.

While a Canvas dashboard can seem daunting when it is stacked to the top of your screen, there are tools available to keep all of your tasks in check. From night mode to making scrolling through modules at night easier on your eyes to gamifying your deadlines, these Google Chrome extensions can alleviate some stressors associated with an overwhelming end-of-term.

1. Tasks for Canvas

Laken Kincaid — Tasks for Canvas helps students remember assignments and due dates.

This extension makes it easier to visualize your assignments and pressing due dates. With an easy-to-use dashboard that appears on the side of your class roster, you can easily identify what papers are coming up regardless of their subject. Also, checking discussion posts and tests off your to-do list is even more satisfying with a color-coordinated ring layout, showing how close you are to taking it easy for the rest of the week. You can also create “custom” tasks which help you allot time for more soft tasks like studying or group project meetings

2. Canvas+

Canvas+ improves convenience and customization through color choices and other additions.

More on the practical side, Canvas+ offers multiple amenities including dark mode for desktop users. This extension also has a search bar, allowing you to easily search for the work you need. Other fun options include panel color customization and a quicker way to email professors and classmates. While only a few small changes, this tool can make classwork and planning easier in the long run.

3. Better Canvas

Better Canvas allows students to become artists by giving them the opportunity to design their pages.

Do you want to get creative within the learning management system? Better Canvas offers seemingly endless customization options including changing the picture, title and color of your desired courses. Along with this quirky avenue for self-expression, this extension also reorganizes your dashboard to make it easier to determine which classes have rising due dates and which you can pump the breaks on.

Although looking at Canvas can be a downer for most students, these easy-to-install tools make the long days in a lab or staring at an Excel sheet a bit more palpable.

About the Contributor

Laken Kincaid, Editor-in-Chief

Laken Kincaid is the Editor-in-Chief for The Carroll News from Beckley, West Virginia. They are a senior at John Carroll University who is double majoring in political science and communications (digital media) and minoring in leadership development. Laken has written for The Carroll News since the start of their freshman year and has previously served as a staff reporter, campus section editor and managing editor of the paper. They have received 18 Best of SNO awards, a Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence award for Region 4 and two honorable mentions from the College Media Association. They have also been recognized by universities like Georgetown for their investigative reports. Additionally, they also write political satire for The Hilltop Show and feature stories on global poverty for The Borgen Project. In addition to their involvement with The Carroll News, Laken is involved with the Kappa Delta sorority, the speech and debate team, the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion, the Improv club and other organizations. They also serve as the news director for WJCU 88.7, John Carroll's own radio station, and as the president for John Carroll's Society of Professional Journalists chapter. Laken also started their own national nonprofit organization known as Art with the Elderly which they have won the President's Volunteer Service Award and the Humanity Rising Award for. When not writing, Laken can be found doing graphic design for their internship with Union Home Mortgage or working as a resident assistant and peer learning facilitator on campus. Laken also enjoys skiing and watching true crime documentaries. In the future, Laken hopes to become a political journalist for a national news organization or to be a campaign commercial editor for politicians. To contact Laken, email them at [email protected].

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