Wattle vs Canvas - CBE Education

Our current Learning Management System (LMS), Wattle, and the new LMS, Canvas, offer different functionalities and tools. While Wattle includes a range of highly specific features, Canvas delivers similar or equivalent functionality through a smaller set of more flexible tools.

The table below maps each Wattle tool to its closest Canvas equivalent. The Canvas column outlines the corresponding functionality, and where a direct equivalent does not exist, details on integration plans, suitable alternatives, and implementation instructions are provided.

The ‘Content Transfer’ column indicates whether Wattle content can be transferred to Canvas, including the destination location where applicable. Please note that teaching period-specific content—such as student assignment submissions and discussion posts—is not transferable to Canvas.

Wattle	Canvas	Content Transfer	Canvas Guides
Announcement	Announcement These are close equivalents.	Teaching period-specific content from Wattle is not transferable to Canvas.	How do I add an announcement in a course?
Assignments	Assignments   These are close equivalents.	Assignment questions are directly transferable to Assignments, but not attached files in assignment description.	How do I create an assignment?
Attendance	Attendance Attendance is not currently available, but may become available later.	Teaching period-specific content from Wattle is not transferable to Canvas.
Block (within a Book)	Pages Each Block within a Book on Wattle is equivalent to a Page on Canvas.	Wattle Blocks are transferable to Pages in Canvas.	How do I create a new page in a course?
Book	Modules   These are close equivalents. Module comes with Pages.	Book activities from Wattle are transferable to Canvas as separate Pages within a Module.	What are Modules? How do I add a Module?
Book Chapters	Pages These are close equivalents.	Wattle Chapters are transferable to Pages within Modules.	How do I create a new page in a course?
Chat	Chat Chat may be available later. For now, use Inbox.	Teaching period-specific content from Wattle is not transferable to Canvas.	What is the Inbox?
Choice	Quizzes Quizzes is the nearest equivalent to Choice. To use Quizzes for this purpose, select ungraded survey under ‘Quiz type’.	Choice activities are transferable to the respective Modules in Canvas.	How do I create a survey in my course?
Contact Block	Homepage In the Canvas template, the convenor’s contact details can be added to the Home page, while the instructors’ details can be added to Teaching Team page.	Contact Block is not transferable to Canvas.
Course Format (Collapsed Topics, Topic Format, Weekly Format, Tiles Format)	Modules These are close equivalents.	All Course Formats are transferable to Modules in Canvas and will appear in the List format.	What are Modules? How do I create Modules?
Course/Class Summary	URL URL is the nearest equivalent. To use URL for this purpose, add a link to your ANU course summary page as an external URL (module item).	The Course Outline in Wattle is not transferable to Canvas.	How do I add an external URL as a module item? How do I use the Syllabus as an instructor?
Database	Discussions Though Discussions is not a direct equivalent, it can perform similar functions. To use Discussions for this purpose, get students to post every item as a new post. Students can upload multiple files, media, links, etc.	Database is not transferable to Canvas.	How do I create a discussion? How do I reply to a discussion? How do I mark a discussion reply?
Dialogue	Discussions Discussions is the nearest equivalent. To use Discussions as a Dialogue equivalent, create them in anonymous mode.	Teaching period specific content in Dialogue is not transferable to Canvas.	How do I allow students to create anonymous course discussion topics?
Direct Messages	Inbox These are close equivalents.	Teaching period specific content from Wattle is not transferable.	How do I use the Inbox as an instructor?
Echo360 Active Learning	EchoVideo EchoVideo will be integrated to Canvas by early 2025.	Echo360 content will still be available on your Echo account, and account and will be accessible from Canvas once integrated.
External Tool (LTI)	These tools are expected to be available on Canvas from early 2025: Turnitin, EchoVideo, Leganto, MyTimetable (Allocate+), HTML5 Package (H5P), Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) plug-in, and Assessment Extension App.	Any non-teaching period specific content in these external tools will likely remain available in those tools.
Feedback	Quizzes Quizzes is the nearest equivalent. To collect feedback, create an ungraded survey within Quizzes in anonymous mode.	Some question types in Feedback are transferable to Survey under Quizzes on Canvas. Also appear in the respective Modules.	How do I create a survey in my course?
Files	Files These are direct equivalents.	Files in Wattle are transferable to Canvas as an attachment in the respective Modules and as files in Files.	How do I upload a file to a course? How do I bulk upload files to a course?
Folders	Folders These are direct equivalents, and these Folders can be found within the Files tab.	Folders in Wattle are transferable to Canvas as Pages. The files within these Wattle folders will display as hyperlinks in a Canvas Page, and these files sit within Files.
Forum	Discussions These are direct equivalents.	Forum activities are directly transferable to Discussion on Canvas. Also appear in the respective Modules.	How do I create a discussion?
Glossary	Pages Pages is the nearest equivalent. To create a new glossary using Pages, watch the video in the link provided.	Wattle Glossary is transferable to Canvas. All entries are displayed on one Page. The Glossary description is not transferable.
Grades and Gradebook	Marks Both terms refer to the same functionality.	Teaching period specific content from Wattle is not transferable to Canvas.	How do I use the Gradebook?
Groups	Groups Groups in Canvas have additional functionality compared to Wattle. Each Group has its own homepage for sharing posts and files.	Teaching period specific content from Wattle is not transferable to Canvas.	What are Groups?
H5P	H5P H5P is expected to be available within Canvas in early 2025.	A selected range of H5P content types in Wattle is transferable to Canvas manually.	Copying H5P activities from Wattle to Canvas
Leganto	Leganto Leganto is expected to be integrated with Canvas by early 2025.	Leganto reading list in Wattle is accessible through Leganto in Canvas.
Lesson	Modules Modules is the nearest equivalent. Modules can contain files, discussions, assignments, quizzes, and other learning materials.	All Lessons and sections within Lesson (e.g. question pages or content pages) are not transferable to Canvas.	What are Modules? How do I create Modules?
OU Wiki	Pages Pages is the nearest equivalent. To use Pages for this purpose, create a Page and allow students to edit the page.	OU Wiki is not transferable to Canvas.
Page	Pages  These are direct equivalents.	Page content is directly transferable to Canvas, but not Page Description.	How do I create a new page in a course?
Participants	People   These are close equivalents.	Teaching period-specific content from Wattle is not transferable to Canvas.	How do I edit user roles in a course?
Proctorio	Proctorio Timing for Proctorio to be integrated with Canvas is to be determined.	For now, Proctorio is transferable to Canvas as an assignment. The transferred version (both Proctorio and Proctorio Quiz) cannot serve the purpose of invigilation.
Question Bank	Question Bank These are direct equivalents.	Wattle Question Bank is directly transferable to Canvas Question Bank.	How do I create a question bank in a course?
Quiz	Quizzes  These are direct equivalents.	Some question types are directly transferable to Quizzes, while others (random short-answer matching question, drag and drop, etc.) are not.	How do I create a quiz with individual questions? How do I create a quiz with a question group to randomize quiz questions?
Reading List	Leganto Leganto is expected to be available in Canvas by early 2025.	Leganto reading list in Wattle is accessible through Leganto in Canvas.	More information about Leganto Reading List
Reports	New Analytics These are close equivalents.	Teaching period-specific content from Wattle is not transferable to Canvas.	What is New Analytics?
Scheduler	Calendar  Calendar is a close equivalent. To use Calendar for this purpose, set your appointment slots on your Canvas site’s Calendar.	Teaching period-specific content from Wattle is not transferable to Canvas.	How do I add a Scheduler appointment group in a course calendar?
Text and Media area (formerly known as a Label)	Pages These are direct equivalents.	Content in Text and Media area from Wattle is transferable to Pages in Canvas.	How do I access Rich Content Editor?
Tiles Format	Modules These are close equivalents.	Tile format from Wattle is transferrable to Canvas into the List-format as Modules.	How do I add a module?
Turnitin Assignment	Turnitin Turnitin will be integrated to Canvas by early 2025.	Assignments and rubrics created in Turnitin in Wattle will not be transferred to Canvas.
URL	URL in Module These are direct equivalents.	External URLs in Wattle are directly transferable to Canvas as External URLs, a module item. By default, Canvas will try to open this as an embedded webpage.	How do I add an external URL as a module item? How do I add hyperlinks to external URLs in the Rich Content Editor?
Video recording Echo360	EchoVideo Studio Pages: Record Media These are close equivalents.	Echo360 Plugin recorded videos are transferable via a link to Echo360. The video data is housed on Echo360.	How do I record media using the Rich Content Editor?
Workshop (Peer assessment tool)	Peer review Assignment Peer review Discussion These are the nearest equivalents to Wattle Workshops.	Wattle Workshop content is not transferable to Canvas.	How do I create a peer review assignment? How do I create a peer review discussion?