Date

June 18, 2025

Type

Owner

Joel Vanner

What are Differentiation Tags?

Differentiation Tags are a new feature in Canvas that allows you to create custom sets of students within your course. Once applied, these tags enable you to personalize learning by controlling access to specific assignments, quizzes, pages, discussions, or modules. You can also vary due dates or availability windows for the different sets of students.

Whether you’re supporting accommodations, organizing clinical cohorts, or offering enrichment opportunities, Differentiation Tags provide a simple, flexible way to meet students where they are, all within a single course.

Differentiation Tags do not replace accommodation settings in Canvas quizzes. Use the quiz moderation tools for that functionality →

Remember, tags and tag sets are hidden from students, meaning you can use them for your personal organizational and academic/instructional purposes.

How do Differentiation Tags differ from sections or groups?

	Differentiation Tags	Sections	Groups
Purpose	Personalize content visibility and due dates for individuals or custom student sets	Organize enrollments, created via Colleague (our SIS) & data from the registrar	Facilitate collaboration among students within a course
Who Creates Them?	Instructor-created, see instructions below	Created automatically by our SIS when the courses are created	Instructor-created at any point during the course, students can be given the option to create them
Student Visibility	Invisible to students	Visible in student’s user profile and in their notifications	Visible, students know their group, can view their group members, and access them via Canvas’s global navigation
Best For	Assigning differentiated content: - accommodations - enrichment - make-up work - clinical cohorts	Assigning by course schedule (Monday vs. Wednesday class)	Peer projects, discussions, and file sharing
Content Assignment	Works with Assignments, Quizzes, Pages, Discussions, Modules, and Gradebook filters	Works with all Canvas tools, including SpeedGrader and Gradebook filters	Only supports group-specific assignments and discussions
Gradebook Filtering	Yes, filter by tag	Yes, filter by section	No, gradebook filtering not available, except for group assignment grading
Due Date Customization	Yes, set unique due dates per tag The latest due date will be prioritized when a student belongs to multiple tags or sections with different due dates for the same assignment. If there is an override for that individual student, that will take precedence.	Yes, per section	Not applicable
Overlap Allowed?	Yes, there is no limit to the total number of tags a student can have, however, a student can only be assigned one tag per tag set	No, a student belongs to one section per course enrollment	Yes, students can be in multiple groups (via different sets)

How can I use Differentiation Tags?

You can use standalone tags for quick, one-off needs or tag sets for structured and scalable differentiation.

	Standalone Tags	Tag Sets
Definition	A standalone tag applied to one or more students	A set of related tags
Purpose	Quickly flag or group students for individualized content	Organize structured, multi-level differentiation
Flexibility	High, create and apply tags as needed	Moderate, requires planning and structures setup
Visibility to Students	Invisible to students	Invisible to students
Best Used When	You need simple grouping	You want to differentiate a learning path or skill level in a more scalable way
Canvas Location	People in course navigation > Manage Tags	People in course navigation > Add Tag Set + Variants
Filtering in Canvas	Filter by individual tags in the Gradebook and on the People page	Gradebook filters appear grouped by tag set name
Example Use Cases	- Needs Extra Time - Make-Up for Quiz 4 - Remote Student - Transfer Cohort	Set: Reading Level Tags: Needs Support, Standard, Advanced Set: Clinical Group Tags: AM, PM, Online

Each course is limited to 40 tags total and 10 variants per tag set.

Differentiation Tags can be selected in the “Assign To” field of assignments, quizzes, discussions, and modules. They also appear as a filter in the Gradebook. Once created, tags are reusable across all course components where differentiation is supported.

Selecting Differentiation Tags in the “Assign To” field:

Canvas “Assign To” dropdown menu showing a list of Differentiation Tags including “Needs Extra Time,” “Advanced,” “Needs Support” (highlighted), “Standard,” and “Remote Student,” each grouped by tag set where applicable.

Selecting Differentiation Tags in the Gradebook:

Canvas Gradebook filter menu with “Student Groups” selected under the Filters section. Other filter options include Modules, Status, Submissions, and Start & End Date.

Canvas Gradebook filter dropdown expanded under “Student Groups,” showing Differentiation Tags: “Needs Extra Time,” “Reading Level” (with “Advanced,” “Needs Support” highlighted, and “Standard”), and “Remote Student.”

How do I create, assign, or remove Differentiation Tags for students?

Only users enrolled in a course as a teacher or TA role can create, edit, or delete Differentiation Tags.

In your Canvas course, navigate to the People section by selecting “People” in the left course navigation.
Select the “Manage Tags” button.

Screenshot of the Canvas “People” page showing student information rows and a highlighted “Manage Tags” button, indicated by a purple arrow and box.

Select the blue “Get Started” button or select the blue “+ Tag” button if this is not your first time using differentiation tags.

anvas “Manage Tags” screen displaying an illustration of a panda in a hot air balloon, with a title “Differentiation Tags,” explanatory text about tag use, and a blue “Get Started” button highlighted by a purple arrow.

Canvas “Manage Tags” panel displaying existing tags: a tag set titled “Reading Level” with variants “Advanced,” “Needs Support,” and “Standard,” and a single tag “Needs Extra Time,” each assigned to 0 students. A purple arrow points to the blue “+ Tag” button near the top.

Creating a Standalone Tag

Enter the name for the tag (1) and then select the blue “Save” button (2).

Creating a Tag Set

Enter the names for the tag variants in the set (1). Use the “+ Add another tag” button (2) to add more tags. Use the trash can next to the tag name to delete a tag. Enter a name for the tag set (3) and then select the blue “Save” button (4).

Canvas “Create Tag” window showing the creation of a tag set named “Reading Level” with three tag variants: “Needs Support,” “Standard,” and “Advanced.” Purple markers label the tag fields as steps 1 and 2, the tag set name as step 3, and the blue “Save” button as step 4. A banner at the top notes that tags are not visible to students.

To tag a students, check the box next to their name (1), select the blue “Tag As” button (2), and select the tag they should receive (3). Bold headings in the list indicate a tag set name (like “Reading Level” below). Repeat this process to add tags to other students, or add more tags to the same students.

Canvas interface showing a selected student row and the “Tag As” dropdown menu expanded. “Needs Support” under the “Reading Level” tag set is highlighted. Purple labels mark the “Tag As” menu as step 2 and the selected tag option as step 3.

Once a student has a tag, a tag icon will appear next to their name. Select the tag icon to view the tags associated with that student. To remove a tag from a student, select the “X” next to the tag.

Canvas user row showing “Example Student Joel” with a purple arrow pointing to a tag icon next to the student’s name, indicating applied Differentiation Tags.

How do I edit or delete Differentiation Tags from my course?

Only users enrolled in a course as a teacher or TA role can create, edit, or delete Differentiation Tags.

In your Canvas course, navigate to the People section by selecting “People” in the left course navigation.
Select the “Manage Tags” button.

Select the pencil icon to edit, or the trash can to delete, a tag or tag set.

Canvas “Manage Tags” panel showing three tags: a tag set “Reading Level” with variants “Advanced,” “Needs Support” (assigned to 1 student), and “Standard,” plus single tags “Needs Extra Time” and “Remote Student.” A purple arrow points to the pencil (edit) icon next to the “Reading Level” tag set.

At this time, Differentiation Tags will not copy between Canvas courses or export with Canvas course packages.

Where can I learn more about Differentiation Tags?

This Instructure Community article provides answers to common questions about Differentiation Tags.

Where can I get support for Differentiation Tags?

Faculty and staff have access to 24/7/365 phone and chat support through the Help menu in Canvas.

QILT is here to help you and answer any questions you may have. Schedule a consultation with the team!

Faculty, staff, and students have access to 24/7/365 phone and chat support through the Help menu in Canvas.

Visit the Faculty Advancement in Teaching Excellence Canvas site for teaching resources, opportunities for engagement, and spaces to connect with colleagues about teaching!

Differentiation Tags in Canvas