PRE-APPROVED · FREE EDUCATOR PLAN · NOT CONNECTED TO CANVAS

Onshape — CAD in the browser, with Canvas as the front door

Onshape is professional 3D CAD that runs in a browser, free for teachers and students. It has its own Classes & Assignments, and it does not connect to Canvas. So the job is simple: Onshape does the design work, Canvas holds the link and the grade.

Idea starters, not finished practice. None of this is an expectation. What belongs in a design or engineering course is your call. I support the tools around it.

Start with what you are trying to do

Set up your class

Free Educator account, then a class and an assignment inside Onshape.

TAKES fifteen minutes, once

GETS YOU a class students can join

Put it in Canvas

Paste the Onshape assignment link into a Canvas assignment. Grades are entered by hand.

TAKES two minutes per assignment

GETS YOU one place students look

Fix what broke

A student on a personal account, a browser that struggles, a document shared the wrong way.

TAKES one minute

GETS YOU the likely cause

Ask someone who uses it

Two RJ teachers already run Onshape through Canvas.

TAKES one Teams message

GETS YOU a real example

01 Set up your class in Onshape

Onshape is on RJ’s approved list as an on-demand provider, so families have already acknowledged it. The Educator and Student plans are free. Sign up with your RJ email and have students do the same, so their work stays tied to school. Onshape education plans →

STEP 1

Create your Educator account

Sign up at onshape.com with your RJ email and choose the Educator plan. It includes Classes & Assignments.

STEP 2

Build a class and an assignment

Students can start from a blank document or a starter document you provide. Choose Allow collaboration or Restrict editing to the individual student.

STEP 3

Copy the assignment link

Every Onshape assignment has its own link. That link is what goes into Canvas. Classes & Assignments →

02 Put it in Canvas

Onshape says it plainly: Classes & Assignments does not integrate directly with Canvas. There is no app to install and no grade passback. The working pattern:

Create a Canvas assignment with the instructions and due date.
Paste the Onshape assignment link into the description.
When students submit in Onshape, Onshape saves a snapshot of their document at that moment.
Review and comment in Onshape, then enter the grade in Canvas.

Onshape on using it with an LMS →

Want it connected school-wide? Onshape’s paid Education Enterprise plan adds single sign-on and admin tools, but still no Canvas gradebook link. That would be a purchasing and data-agreement decision, so message Jason Beyer if your department wants it.

03 Where it breaks

“A student’s work isn’t in the class.” Almost always a personal Onshape account. Have every student sign up with their RJ email and join from your class link.

“It’s slow or won’t load.” Onshape supports Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari, recommends 8 GB of memory, and doesn’t support phone browsers (there are iOS and Android apps). Close other tabs first. System requirements →

“Can I share this with someone outside RJ?” Documents made on education plans are private and watermarked. That is a feature for student work, not a bug.

Where to send a problem. Onshape itself goes to Onshape support. A Canvas assignment that won’t show the link is mine. Who to ask →

04 Grow down the pathway

Same tool, four altitudes. Nobody is expected to be anywhere on this.

LEVEL I

Foundations — everyone is in the class

Students use RJ accounts, join from your link, and submit in Onshape. The grade and the instructions live in Canvas.

LEVEL II

Enhance — start from your part

Hand out a starter document so every student begins from the same model. Class time goes to design decisions, not setup.

LEVEL III

Deepen — the snapshot shows the thinking

Mark submissions Needs Revision with a comment, and ask for a second submission. The two snapshots show what changed and why.

LEVEL IV

Innovate — the design answers a real constraint

Students design a part that has to fit, print or cut on the Maker Lab equipment, then explain the trade-offs they made to get there.

Deepen is built into the tool. Snapshots plus Needs Revision turn a CAD file into a record of revision.

05 Ask a colleague

The fastest help is a colleague who already does this. These teachers link Onshape into their Canvas courses, based on Canvas data from September 2026.

Ask	Why they’re the one to ask	Reach them
Dan Woodley	Runs Onshape in the Maker Lab alongside 3D printing and the laser cutter.	TEAMS DAN WOODLEY
George Mitsuoka	Links Onshape work into his Canvas course this semester.	TEAMS GEORGE MITSUOKA

Use Onshape well? Message Jason Beyer and you’ll be listed here.

06 Their resources, and ours

From Onshape

Onshape Learning Center (free courses) →
Education plans →
Using Onshape with an LMS →
Onshape privacy center →

From here

Tool Reference →
Data Privacy Agreement & Approved Student Services (MyRJ) →
Student privacy at a private school →
Who to ask →

Onshape does the design. Canvas holds the link and the grade.

Jason Beyer · Educational Technology · Regis Jesuit High School · A.M.D.G.

HelpDesk@regisjesuit.com · 303.269.8080 · LAST VERIFIED — 16 SEP 2026