Canvas@Illinois, Onedrive Collaboration

This article summarizes the use, behavior and expectations when using Onedrive collaboration within a Canvas@Illinois course.

For the Spring, 2023, semester, Microsoft OneDrive (part of the Offic365 suite) is installed and available to use within a Canvas@Illinois course. Below are helpful instructions on use, and notes on behavior of this integration, including caveats regarding WHO can take advantage of this.

Activate OneDrive Within Your Canvas Account

  • Visit “canvas.illinois.edu” and navigate to your course
  • Select “Office 365” on the navigation menu and login if necessary
  • Authorize the application within your Canvas account if requested
  • Note:  Logging on to Office 365 and “authorizing” the application adds an “approved integration” called “Office 365 Prod Iad” to your Canvas account. You can view this by viewing your Canvas account settings:  Account > Settings > Approved Integrations
Use Collaborations Within Your Canvas Course
  • Enter “Collaborations” in your course
  • Create new Collaboration (+Collaboration)
  • Choose either “Word”, “Excel” or “PowerPoint” as a Type
  • Give it a name (optionally provide a description)
  • Add People or Groups as Collaborators

What To Expect, etc.

  • Once authorized, creating your first Collaboration within a Canvas course will create a “Canvas” folder and a course sub-folder under it. The course sub-folder will be created by the name of the Canvas course in which it is created, minus the spaces
    • If there is already a “canvas,” “CANVAS,” “caNVas,” etc., etc., folder, it will use it as it does not care about capitalization, only spelling
    • If a course sub-folder is already created with the same name (but from a different course), the new course sub-folder will contain additional text to keep both folder names unique
  • Being invited to collaborate on a document will NOT create a canvas sub-folder for the document. Only the collaboration creator has native access to the document outside of Canvas
  • If you are unenrolled from a course, and are the creator of a collaboration, the Canvas folder and course sub-folder remains in your OneDrive account
  • An email notification is sent when you are added to a collaboration, or when someone accepts your invitation
  • There is no level of collaboration available. Each person has the same edit rights on a document
  • The collaboration document(s) end up in your Office 365 history
  • Only “affiliate-lms” accounts created through AITS affiliate identity process can take part in Office Collaboration
    • Non-Identity accounts can VIEW documents (if they have been added to the collaboration), but cannot EDIT, nor will they see live UPDATES happening
    • Non-Identity accounts cannot create a new Collaboration

What Else Can be Done with Office365 in Canvas

  • While authorized in Canvas, you can navigate your OneDrive account through the course menu and add files to/from the course and OneDrive

How to Deauthorize OneDrive in Canvas for Your Account

  • Log on to Canvas
  • Click your account (picture in the upper left corner under the block “I”)
  • Click Settings
  • Scroll down to “Approved Integrations” and locate “Offic365 Prod IAD”
  • Click the trash can to the right of this and approve



Keywordsonedrive collaboration canvas   Doc ID123320
OwnerCanvas C.GroupUniversity of Illinois Technology Services
Created2023-01-09 10:19:04Updated2023-08-16 11:11:13
SitesUniversity of Illinois Technology Services
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