Canvas @ Yale

Canvas Updates for Fall 2025

Updated on

Notable changes to Canvas @ Yale environment, last updated 05/22/2025.

Canvas Updates

Canvas's core functionality is continuously updated throughout the year. Here are some of the more notable changes you should be aware of.

Discontinuing Attachment Button in Discussion and Announcement

To streamline the user experience and create consistency across all Canvas features, the dedicated “attach” button in Discussions and Announcements will be removed on July 19th, 2025. Users can continue to upload images, videos, and files via the RCE toolbar.

To learn more about this update, please review Instructure's community blog on the topic.

Canvas External Application Updates

External Tool Depreciation: FeedbackFruits

After extensive review of community adoption and feedback, access to create and use all FeedbackFruits tools will be removed at the end of the Fall 2025 semester in December in our Canvas @ Yale instance for all users. If you are currently using a FeedbackFruits tool, please use the Fall 2025 semester to begin migrating your content out of FeedbackFruits to a different tool we have integrated with Canvas.

For more details about this tool depreciation and resources on alternative tools to migrate your activities to, please reference our Canvas @ Yale news article: FeedbackFruits Tool Removal at End of Fall 2025 Semester

Configurable Custom AI Agents in Ed Discussion

Ed Discussion, available in Canvas, supports the addition of custom AI agents which faculty can use in their Ed Discussion space using Ed Discussion's Bots++ functionality. These custom agents can be given custom system prompts as well as specific course material content to inform responses to students.

For more details about Bots++ and how to configure it for your Ed Discussion space, please review our support article, Ed Discussions: Adding an AI Chatbot with Bots++

Instructors can enable a redirect link to the Clarity Platform, Yale's secure chatbot, in their Canvas course navigation for all Fall 2025 course sites. To learn more, please review our support article, Enabling the Clarity Platform Link in Your Canvas Course Site.

At this time, the Clarity Platform is not integrated directly with Canvas @ Yale for deeper interaction or functionality. Enabling the redirect link in your Course Navigation does not:

  • Pass your Canvas course roster to Clarity
  • Create a custom chatbot agent that you can configure
  • Read or have access to any of your Canvas course content to reference
  • Provide you insights or logs to what your students may be using Clarity for in your class

The Clarity Platform redirect link in the Course Navigation just provides a more convenient place for faculty and students to get to Clarity.

Educational Technology Pilot: PressBooks

PressBooks is currently in a 3-year pilot. This is a joint pilot shared between the Center for Language Studies (CLS), University Library, and Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. CLS faculty are working to create Open Educational Resources in Pressbooks, which they can then embed directly into Canvas @ Yale with the Pressbooks LTI tool.

While the focus for support on PressBooks is focused on CLS faculty, there are a limited number of book licenses that can be applied to other users who want to use or create open educational resources.

For more information about using PressBooks, please check out our resources:

Next Article Canvas Updates for Fall 2024
Email: [email protected] Email Us