Overview
The Canvas LMS integration seamlessly syncs real-time academic and enrollment data from Canvas into Element451. This guide will walk you through the setup process, from configuring Canvas settings to completing the integration within Element451.
This is a one-way integration. Element451 reads data from Canvas but does not write back any data.
Overview of the Setup Process
To get started, you’ll work through four main steps:
Step 1: Create a Developer Key in Canvas
To allow secure communication between Canvas and Element451, you’ll first need to create a Developer Key in Canvas. This generates a Client ID and Client Secret you'll use later in the setup.
Log in to your Canvas account as an Admin.
Navigate to the Developer Keys section in your Canvas admin settings.
Click + Developer Key and select API Key.
Set the following Redirect URI:
https://api.451.io/clients/integrations/canvas/oauth2Save and Enable the key.
Copy the Client ID and Client Secret—you’ll need these in Step 3.
🔗 For more detailed instructions, see Canvas’s guide on creating developer keys.
Step 2: Enable Live Events in Canvas
Canvas Live Events allow Element451 to receive real-time updates on things like course activity, enrollments, and user changes.
Your Canvas instance must have Canvas Data Services installed to enable live events.
Follow Canvas’s guide to install Data Services:
Set up Live Event Streams using Amazon SQS.
Element451 uses the Amazon SQS Data Stream for optimal performance.
Subscribe to the following Live Events:
Event Category | Events |
Assignment | While assignment events are not required right now, we recommend enabling them to support future expansion. |
Course | Created, Updated, Completed, Progress, Deleted |
Course Section | Created, Updated, Deleted |
User | Created, Updated, Deleted |
Enrollment | Created, Updated, Deleted |
Grade | Course Grade Change |
Step 3: Provide Credentials to Element451
Once you have enabled your live events in Canvas, you’ll need to provide the following credentials (generated in Step 1 above) to your Element451 implementation specialist or support contact:
Client ID
Client Secret
Self-service integration setup is coming soon. For now, our team will complete the backend configuration for you.
4. Authenticate the Integration
This is your final step! You’ll need to authorize Element451 to access your Canvas data using OAuth. More on permissions can be found here.
The user performing the authentication must meet the following conditions:
Be a Canvas Admin
Have read access to:
Courses
Course sections
Users
Enrollments
Assignments and grades (optional but recommended)
Element451 only needs read permissions. No data will be written back to Canvas.
Next Steps
Once authentication is complete, Element451 will begin syncing data from Canvas based on the configured Live Events. This data lives in Courses (Data + Automation > Courses), where you can view course records from your LMS.
Now that your course data is flowing into Element, you can begin using it to:
Build targeted segments
Trigger workflows + communications
Assign tasks or academic support resources
Personalize student experiences in StudentHub
To explore how to make the most of your LMS data, check out our Getting Started with Courses article.
LMS integrations are available as a premium add-on. To learn more about adding the feature, contact the Element451 customer support team.