Lucidspark is approved for academic use and is integrated with Canvas (LMS).

What is Lucidspark?

Lucidspark is a whiteboarding tool from Lucid Software Inc. It allows users to brainstorm and collaborate on a digital, infinite canvas with tools such as sticky notes, tables, and charts.

Within USask, Lucidspark can only be accessed through Canvas.

What is the purpose of Lucidspark?

The primary purpose for Lucidspark is to collaborate with others on a virtual whiteboard. Some of the ways it can be used include:

  • Brainstorming and sharing ideas
  • Outlining or planning projects
  • Organizing information
  • Real time collaboration between instructors and students
Lucidspark and Lucidchart are two similar, Canvas integrated products with slightly different purposes. Some of the features that distinguish Lucidspark from Lucidchart include:
  • Lucidspark is mainly for brainstorming, ideation, and collaborative thinking,
    • Lucidchart is focused on diagramming and visual communication.
  • Lucidspark is recommended for interactive collaboration,
    • Lucidchart is recommended for documenting and solo projects (but can still be used for collaborative work).

Why use Lucidspark?

Lucidspark is an excellent way to add an active learning experience to your lectures or used as a tool to help students organize information, especially when doing group work.

Lucidspark also,
  • allows for live engagement with material on a virtual, infinite whiteboard.
  • allows options for virtual classroom management such as breakout rooms, timers, and voting tools.
  • has a simple interface and Canvas integration making it an easy-to-use tool for collaboration and sharing of ideas.
  • encourages creativity through active learning.
  • can be used for asynchronous activities that allow students to develop ideas over time.

Learning Technology Ecosystem (LTE) Principles

Lucidspark most directly address these LTE goals:

Active and social - Learning is a process of meaning-making, constructed through learning with others, and as a part of an intentional, deliberate system within a course and across experiences. 

Designed to enable connection - Learners exist in accessible networks, and connect to the experiences, concepts, people, and ideas that they need.

Best Practices

DO

DON'T

 Create active learning experiences. Don't forget to lock/hide content because the whiteboards can be manipulated by anyone with access (students could edit or delete content that doesn't belong to them).
 Digital Brainstorming – make use of the infinite whiteboard to have all students work together on visual projects using tools such as sticky notes, shapes, and textboxes. Don't expect it to be fully intuitive for new users. Plan time to allow for practice with the tool.
 Encourage collaboration between students. Don't overload the whiteboard with too many assets.
Create presentations using Paths or Follow Me tools. Don't use for high-stakes summative assessments.
Make use of Polling Tools for formative assessments and quick decision making.
Track student contributions in real time.
Use Canvas integrated tools to create Lucidspark activities for more engaging discussions.

Support for Lucidspark

Technical Support

(Why isn't this working?)

Vendor Supported

Training Support

(How do I learn to use this tool?)

Vendor Supported

Teaching Support

(How do I teach with this tool?)

Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning Supported

Vendor Supported
  • Email GMCTL for support to design learning activities with this tool.

Tool Evaluation

Technologies are evaluated based on their alignment with the Learning Technologies Ecosystem Principles. Click to see explanations of each principle and a justification of the rating. You can also view a complete blank rubric to see more details or read about the assessment process.

Learning must be found easily at any time, and all learners and teachers have equitable access, regardless of culture, language, ability etc. 
More Information

Rating: Works well

  • Cost of use for USask students:
    • Free and integrated into Canvas.
  • Platform/device:
    • Works on any up-to-date device and browser.

Learning is a process of meaning-making, constructed through learning with others, and as a part of an intentional, deliberate system within a course and across experiences.
More Information

Rating: Works well

  • Collaboration:
    • The main goal of Lucidspark is to collaborate and share ideas with others.
    • It is designed to be a live and active learning experience.

  • Sharing:
    • Lucidspark has many options for sharing work, but also for keeping it private when needed.

Learning is refined and extended through prompted and supported opportunities to focus on understanding and next steps.
More Information

Rating: Moderate concerns

  • Reflection and revision:
    • A Lucidspark whiteboard is a living document which helps facilitate change and growth, but does not have a great system for reflection. By nature, it is a fast-paced, always moving forward tool.

Learning is most effective when systems are designed to help learners find, create, and/or repurpose significant content for the value of themselves and others.
More Information

Rating: Moderate concerns

  • Creating:
    • Lucidspark is good at creating whiteboard content and charts that can easily be remixed by other collaborators.
  • File format:
    • Lucidspark can export in common formats including PDF and PNG.

Learners create and control spaces for learning, understanding and retaining ownership, and purposefully choosing how and when they share.
More Information

Rating: Moderate concerns

  • Archiving, saving, and exporting data:
    • Lucidspark tracks whiteboard versions and can be reverted to an older version if needed.
    • Lucidspark can export in common formats including PDF and PNG.

  • Data privacy and ownership:
    • Lucidspark is designed to be a collaborative and active learning environment meaning that it is not ideal for privacy.
  • Sign Up/Sign In:
    • Users do not need an account to join a Lucidspark, but they do need to have one if they want to make their own whiteboard project. They can easily make one through their Canvas account.
  •  Customization:
    • The tool has very few options for customization.

Learners need to work in a system that is fluid and requires a minimum number of steps in systems that are intuitive and integrated.
More Information

Rating: Works well

  • Interface:
    • Lucidspark is a straightforward and intuitive software, but additional learning is recommended to make the most out of the tool.
  • Additional Downloads:
    • Users do not need any additional downloads.
  • Functionality:
    • The tool works well on any device.

Learners exist in accessible networks, and connect to the experiences, concepts, people, and ideas that they need.
More Information

Rating: Moderate concerns

  • Scale:
    • Lucidspark accommodates large class sizes and can be scaled down with breakout rooms.
  • Flexibility of Media:
    • While a collaborative tool, Lucidspark only allows for text based communication and requires an additional app to add video or audio communication.
  • Engagement:
    • The main purpose of Lucidspark is to create opportunities for engagement with the material and with other users.

Learning and feedback are iterative, and assessment comes from multiple sources, including self, peers, teachers, and outside experts.
More Information

Rating: Moderate concerns

  • Feedback:
    • All feedback in Lucidspark will be public and it is not a good tool for summative assessment. It is a great tool for formative assessment.
  • Engagement:
    • Lucidspark is an excellent tool for creating engagement with the course content and for creating active learning experiences.