Course description

A good worksheet or slide gets out of the way: learners can see what to do, read every word and get on with the learning. A cluttered one costs them time and confidence. This course shows teachers, teaching assistants, tutors and workplace trainers how to make clear, accessible resources in Canva, quickly, and how to build a kit of master templates so every new resource starts in the right place.

It's a full course, not a quick tour. There are 10 sections and 55 written lessons, and every lesson ends with a practical task you can do with your own resources or an example. You follow Rachael, a Year 4 teacher in Stoke-on-Trent, and Gavin, her teaching assistant, through a school year: the answer lines that were too close, the pale yellow that vanished on the board, the "easy" label a learner spotted, the spelling mistake in thirty copies, and the kit of twelve masters she finished in July. Alongside them, Fatima, a trainer in Blackburn, rebuilds a staff induction from a 64-slide deck. Every section has a practice pack with a worksheet, model answers and a cheat sheet, plus planners, checklists, layout diagrams and three working spreadsheets: a resource audit, a contrast checker and a resource library.

What you'll learn

• Getting started: Canva's plans and who is eligible for Canva for Education, a quick recap of the basics, the 8-point resource checklist, an audit of what you already use, and folders and names you'll keep.
• Worksheets and handouts: planning a worksheet, a clean A4 layout, text learners can read, pictures that do a job, knowledge organisers and booklets.
• Slides for teaching: slides that help people learn, a lesson deck template, step-by-step worked examples, slides people can read from the back of the room, presenting with backups, and handouts.
• Visual timetables, displays and signs: timetable cards and now-and-next boards, labels and routine cards, displays, word mats, and printing large.
• Accessible and dyslexia-friendly design: contrast and colour, dyslexia-friendly text, layout and reading order, alt text, and plain language.
• Differentiation with versions of one resource: planning versions, making them quickly in Canva, scaffolds that help, learners new to English, and large print and individual needs.
• Printing and photocopy-friendly design: designing for the photocopier, page set-up, the right download, checking before you print a class set, and saving paper.
• Sharing, collaboration and interactive activities: sharing with colleagues and learners, learners' data and photos, collaborative and interactive tasks, Canva Live, and learners designing in Canva.
• Workplace training materials: planning training, slides and facilitator notes, job aids, workbooks, certificates and feedback forms, and keeping a team's materials consistent.
• AI, copyright and your resource kit: Canva's AI tools used carefully, copyright and licences, sharing or selling resources, and two final projects: a complete resource set and a reusable resource kit.

Who it's for

Teachers, teaching assistants, tutors and workplace trainers in the UK who make their own resources and want them clearer, more accessible and quicker to make. You should already know the Canva basics, such as starting a design and adding text; Section 1 has a short recap. The free plan is enough for nearly every task. The lessons explain Canva for Education eligibility, learners' data and photos, AI tools, copyright and Canva's licence as general information, not legal advice, and your school's or employer's policies always come first. Everyone in the course is fictional.

What will I learn?

• Plan and build worksheets, knowledge organisers and booklets that learners can read, follow and write on
• Make lesson and training slides that support learning and can be read from the back of a real room
• Design visual timetables, labels, routine cards, displays and word mats with one consistent style
• Make resources accessible and dyslexia-friendly, with checked contrast, clear text, alt text and plain language
• Make two or three versions of one resource for different learners, with scaffolds that help and neutral labels
• Design for the photocopier, choose the right download and check a resource before printing a class set
• Share resources safely with colleagues and learners, run collaborative activities and protect learners’ data
• Build workplace training materials, use Canva’s AI tools carefully, understand licences, and keep a reusable resource kit

Frequently asked questions