How to Download/Import a Resource from Canvas Commons

The Teaching and Technology Center shares resources that can be downloaded into your course, or your department might use Commons to share common course resources. Follow these instructions to help you narrow down your searches and prevent common mistakes.

Navigation bar with the Commons option circled
Figure 1
  1. Log into your Canvas account.
  2. Resources can only be downloaded from the Canvas instance that they were uploaded from. If you can't find what you are looking for, make sure that you are in the right Canvas instance. NOTE: Resources that are provided by the TTC are only available in the Instructional instance. To make sure you are in the Instructional instance, open a course that  you have been enrolled in through PASS or one of your sandbox courses. If you are in the instructional instance, the URL address will start with https://uwplt.instructure.com/courses/xxxxxx. (If your address starts with https://uws-td. you are in the Training & Development instance, or if it starts with  https://uws-ce. you are in the Continuing Education instance).
  3. On the Canvas global navigation bar, click on the Commons option (see figure 1).
  4. The first time you access Canvas Commons, you will be asked to authorize it to access your Canvas account. Click “Authorize” to proceed. It is important that you do this step as soon as possible as this will include you in the list of active UW-Platteville Canvas Commons users, making it possible to share resources with you in our campus Canvas Commons network.
  5. Once you are in Commons, you will see numerous resources (Canvas pages, modules or entire courses, shared by anyone in the US who is using Canvas). To focus on the resources specific to UW-Platteville use one of the following methods:
    1. Click the Filter button in the top-right corner of the screen.
    2.  Arrow pointing to the Filter option.