Overview

TidyUp is a course cleanup tool by CidiLabs integrated directly into Canvas. As courses are copied from semester to semester, they often accumulate "clutter"—unused files, duplicate folders, and outdated pages. TidyUp scans your course to identify these items, allowing you to delete them in bulk and ensure your course remains efficient, organized, and within storage limits.

Why use TidyUp?

• Identify Unused Content: Quickly find files, pages, assignments, and modules that aren't being used or linked anywhere in your course.

• Save Storage Space: Stay under Canvas course storage limits by removing bulky, redundant files.

• Improve Student Experience: Ensure students only see relevant, up-to-date content.

• Easy Maintenance: Clean up your course in minutes rather than hours of manual searching.

• Improve Course Accessibility: Focus your accessibility efforts on the course content you are actually using.

How to Access TidyUp

1. Log in to Canvas and navigate to your course.

2. Go to Settings > Navigation.

3. Locate TidyUp in the list of disabled items, drag it to the top section to enable it, and click Save.

4. You will now see the TidyUp link in your left-hand Course Navigation menu.

How to Run a Course Scan

Once you have enabled TidyUp in your course navigation, follow these steps to identify your course clutter:

1. Select TidyUP from your Canvas course navigation menu.

2. Select the Scan Course button to get started.

   • Note: You can choose to scan all file types or limit the scan to selected types by using the Custom option.

3. Wait for the scan to complete. Depending on how much content is in your course, this may take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes.

4. Review the results. As soon as the scan is finished, you will see tabs where you can view all of the files, folders, and Canvas content in your course to determine what can be safely removed.

Faculty Resources

Use the following resources to learn how to use the tool effectively:

• TidyUp User Guide: The official comprehensive guide covering all features and settings.

• Training Video Series: Short video tutorials that walk you through the scanning and deletion process.

• CidiLabs Knowledge Base: A high-level overview of the tool's capabilities and benefits.

• Best Practices for Course Cleanup: Tips on how to safely identify what to delete and how to manage your course content long-term.

Best Practices

To ensure a smooth cleanup process, we recommend the following:

• Run a Scan First: TidyUp identifies "unused" content based on whether it is linked in your course. Always review the list before deleting.

• Check Before You Delete: If you aren't sure about a file, use the "View" icon to preview the content.

• Bulk Delete with Caution: While TidyUp allows for bulk deletion, it is best to do this in small batches to ensure you aren't removing something you intended to use later.

• TidyUp at the End of Term: The best time to use TidyUp is at the end of a semester or right after importing content into a new shells for the upcoming term.

Support

If you encounter technical issues or have questions about using TidyUp at Utah Tech:

• Utah Tech IT Support: Visit help.utahtech.edu or contact your UT Online Learning Designer.

• CidiLabs Official Support: For specific tool errors, you can visit the CidiLabs Support Portal.