Alternatives to Canvas @ Yale

The following alternative solutions are not administered by the Poorvu Center’s Educational Technology team that manages Canvas @ Yale. Adopting one or more of these tools will require you to work with other units at the University.

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Multipurpose Solutions

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a cloud-based team communication and collaboration app that is part of the Office 365 suite of applications. The core capabilities in Microsoft Teams include persistent messaging, video meetings, file sharing (including real time co-authoring of files) and collaborative work spaces that can be integrated other Office 365 services and extensions that integrate with third-party applications.

  • Create different channels to communicate and collaborate
  • Share files and create a library for just your team on OneDrive
  • Integrates with your Outlook calendar

For more information, go to the Yale ITS site on Using Microsoft Teams.

CampusPress (WordPress)

Yale University’s multi-site WordPress instance hosted by CampusPress.

  • Multipurpose tool with capabilities for:
    • Website creation
    • Blogging
  • Can be made publicly available or can be locked to Yale NetID site members.

For more information, visit the Yale CampusPress site.

Yale Connect (CampusGroups)

Yale Connect serves as an online community hub, allowing users the ability to update an organization’s membership and leadership, save an organization’s important documents, post events on one centralized event calendar, and manage event registration.

  • Used for student organizations and groups.
  • Allows for posting / sharing content, creating events, and messaging.

For more information, email yaleconnect.support@yale.edu.

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File Sharing

OneDrive

Microsoft’s cloud storage solution that Yale has an enterprise license with. 

  • Cloud storage
  • Used for sharing files.
  • Has ability to set granular permissions on each file and folder.
  • Create different sharing permissions for different groups of users.

Learn more about tools for file sharing and collaboration from ITS.

Interfolio

Used for faculty search or review, promotions and tenure cases. These use cases will not be allowed in Canvas due to their sensitive nature. All search / review and promotion / tenure cases must use Interfolio or another Yale approved system specifically designed for these tasks.  

For more information, please visit the Interfolio - Introduction and Tips site.

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Communication

Mailman

This web-based software for managing group email lists offers these features:

  • Supports public or private archives
  • Provides the ability for individuals to subscribe or unsubscribe from a list
  • Offers list owners a robust set of customizable features
  • Available to anyone with a Yale NetID and Yale email address
  • Members of a mailman list can include both Yale and non-Yale email addresses

For more information, check out the ITS information page on Mailman Lists.

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Scheduling Tools

Calendly

Calendly is a scheduling tool that connects to your calendar to help you schedule meetings by creating sign-up menus for participants to select appointment slots you create and manage. Calendly produces a link that you can share that allows people to select a time for that meeting that works for them, and is a free slot in your calendar.

NOTE: This is not Yale affiliated or supported. Individuals must create and manage their own accounts.