{"id":6541,"date":"2026-02-19T19:58:52","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T19:58:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/?p=6541"},"modified":"2026-03-05T21:59:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T21:59:19","slug":"enable-beta-tools-in-designplus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/enable-beta-tools-in-designplus\/","title":{"rendered":"Enable Beta Tools in DesignPLUS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>You can enable early-access beta tools from Cidi Labs in the DesignPLUS Sidebar. If you enjoy testing new tools and sharing feedback, follow the steps below to get started. Please keep in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Expect bugs:<\/strong> These features are still in active development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Limited documentation:<\/strong> Help guides may be incomplete until the final release.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-default advgb-dyn-f75e5f3b\" style=\"background-color:#251c5c;color:#251c5c\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#enabling-beta-tools\">Enabling Beta Tools<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#providing-feedback-to-cidi-labs\">Providing Feedback to Cidi Labs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"enabling-beta-tools\">Enabling Beta Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-advgb-infobox advgb-infobox-wrapper has-text-align-left advgb-infobox-a4a03194-f610-4386-a574-dbe9e9ab51ea\"><div class=\"advgb-infobox-wrap\"><div class=\"advgb-infobox-icon-container\"><div class=\"advgb-infobox-icon-inner-container\"><i class=\"material-icons-outlined\">warning<\/i><\/div><\/div><div class=\"advgb-infobox-textcontent\"><h3 class=\"advgb-infobox-title\">NOTE<\/h3><p class=\"advgb-infobox-text\">This is a one-time procedure. You do not have to enable this setting each time you want to use beta tools in DesignPLUS. The beta tools option can be enabled\/disabled at any time.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Log in to any Canvas course.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click on the <strong>Assignments<\/strong> course navigation link on the left-hand side of the screen.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click on the \u2795 <strong>Assignments<\/strong> button at the top right corner of the screen.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This new assignment will <strong>not<\/strong> be saved. It is only being used to enable the DesignPLUS beta tools.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click on the \ud83d\ude80 <strong>rocket ship icon<\/strong> at the top right corner of the screen to launch the DesignPLUS Sidebar.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Alternatively, press the keyboard combination: Alt\/Option + Shift + D.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At the top of the DesignPLUS Sidebar, click on the <strong>three vertical dots icon<\/strong>, and select <strong>User Settings<\/strong> from the available menu choices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Several \u2611\ufe0f checkbox options will appear on the screen. Find and select the \u2611\ufe0f checkbox for <strong>Enable Beta Tools<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There is no <strong>Save<\/strong> button to confirm your selection. Any selections made here are immediate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Exit out of the assignment and\/or course. There is no need to save the assignment.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>These screenshots from the DesignPLUS Sidebar show examples of where you might see a <strong>BETA<\/strong> label after enabling the beta tools.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"388\" height=\"384\" src=\"http:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/02\/DesignPLUS_BetaLabel1.png\" alt=\"This is a screenshot of the &quot;Interactive&quot; section within the DesignPLUS Sidebar by Cidi Labs, displaying a grid of buttons for various tools. A large dark purple arrow points specifically to the &quot;Match Items&quot; button in the second row, which features a green &quot;BETA&quot; banner across its top-left corner. Other visible tool buttons include Accordion, Dialog Box, Expander, Fill-in-the-Blank, Flashcards, Flip Cards, Module List, Order Items, Popover, Quick Check, Select All, Sort Items, Tabs, and Tooltip; several of these, like Flashcards and Order Items, are marked with a green &quot;NEW&quot; banner.\" class=\"wp-image-6550\" srcset=\"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/02\/DesignPLUS_BetaLabel1.png 388w, https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/02\/DesignPLUS_BetaLabel1-300x297.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 388px) 85vw, 388px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"399\" height=\"154\" src=\"http:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/02\/DesignPLUS_BetaLabel2.png\" alt=\"This is a screenshot of the DesignPLUS Sidebar interface, specifically showing the &quot;Design Assistant&quot; panel. The blue header bar for the panel contains the text &quot;Design Assistant&quot; and a green tag with a flask icon and the word &quot;BETA&quot;. A large dark purple arrow points directly to this &quot;BETA&quot; tag. Below the header is the &quot;Accordion Builder&quot; tool with instructions to &quot;Enter a topic or passage from which to create panels.&quot; To the right of the main title, there is a button labeled &quot;AI Transparency&quot; with a sparkle icon.\" class=\"wp-image-6551\" srcset=\"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/02\/DesignPLUS_BetaLabel2.png 399w, https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/02\/DesignPLUS_BetaLabel2-300x116.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 399px) 85vw, 399px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"providing-feedback-to-cidi-labs\">Providing Feedback to Cidi Labs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you would like to provide feedback to Cidi Labs on any beta tool in the DesignPLUS Sidebar, you can contact them via their support form or via their Slack channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cidilabs.com\/support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Support | Cidi Labs<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cidilabs.com\/slack-invite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Join Us On Slack | Cidi Labs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<style class=\"advgb-styles-renderer\">#advgb-infobox-a4a03194-f610-4386-a574-dbe9e9ab51ea, .advgb-infobox-a4a03194-f610-4386-a574-dbe9e9ab51ea {background-color: #f5f5f5;padding: 20px 20px 20px 20px;border: 0px solid #e8e8e8 ;border-radius: 0px;}#advgb-infobox-a4a03194-f610-4386-a574-dbe9e9ab51ea .advgb-infobox-icon-container, .advgb-infobox-a4a03194-f610-4386-a574-dbe9e9ab51ea .advgb-infobox-icon-container {background-color: #f5f5f5;padding: 0;margin: 0;border: 0px solid #e8e8e8 ;border-radius: 0px;}#advgb-infobox-a4a03194-f610-4386-a574-dbe9e9ab51ea .advgb-infobox-icon-container i, .advgb-infobox-a4a03194-f610-4386-a574-dbe9e9ab51ea .advgb-infobox-icon-container i {color: #251c5c;font-size: 70px;display: block;}#advgb-infobox-a4a03194-f610-4386-a574-dbe9e9ab51ea .advgb-infobox-textcontent .advgb-infobox-title, .advgb-infobox-a4a03194-f610-4386-a574-dbe9e9ab51ea .advgb-infobox-textcontent .advgb-infobox-title {color: #333;padding: 0;margin: 5px 0 10px 0;white-space: pre-wrap;}#advgb-infobox-a4a03194-f610-4386-a574-dbe9e9ab51ea .advgb-infobox-textcontent .advgb-infobox-text, .advgb-infobox-a4a03194-f610-4386-a574-dbe9e9ab51ea .advgb-infobox-textcontent .advgb-infobox-text {color: #333;padding: 0;margin: 0;white-space: pre-wrap;}<\/style>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You can enable early-access beta tools from Cidi Labs in the DesignPLUS Sidebar. If you enjoy testing new tools and sharing feedback, follow the steps below to get started. Please keep in mind: Enabling Beta Tools These screenshots from the DesignPLUS Sidebar show examples of where you might see a BETA label after enabling the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/enable-beta-tools-in-designplus\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Enable Beta Tools in DesignPLUS&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4255,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[244],"tags":[236,246,121,269,485,247,63],"class_list":["post-6541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cidi-labs","tag-beta","tag-cidi","tag-designplus","tag-enable","tag-feedback","tag-labs","tag-tools"],"author_meta":{"display_name":"Chris Hofer","author_link":"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/author\/chofer\/"},"featured_img":null,"coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/category\/cidi-labs\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Cidi Labs<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Cidi Labs<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/category\/cidi-labs\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Beta<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/category\/cidi-labs\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Cidi<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/category\/cidi-labs\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">DesignPLUS<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/category\/cidi-labs\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Enable<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/category\/cidi-labs\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">feedback<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/category\/cidi-labs\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Labs<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/category\/cidi-labs\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Tools<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Beta<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Cidi<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">DesignPLUS<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Enable<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">feedback<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Labs<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Tools<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 months ago","modified":"Updated 1 month ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on February 19, 2026","modified":"Updated on March 5, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on February 19, 2026 7:58 pm","modified":"Updated on March 5, 2026 9:59 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4255"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6541"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6541\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6825,"href":"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6541\/revisions\/6825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu\/ed-tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}