From the outset I hope everyone know how much I love Canvas. I love the mobile apps. They are great and people like @peytoncraighill @rseilham an @KristinL do an outstanding job covering and promoting the app(s). First there was the Canvas app. Then SpeedGrader, Polls and Magic Marker. Next up was the Parent app and then finally the Teacher app. I have been a part of the Canvas family for five years now and I have seen so much grow in the mobile strategies.
However, since my role is that of a Sub-Account Admin, I just don't get a lot of use out of the mobile apps. I do not teach and I am not a student, which leaves me with having to login through Safari when I am out of the office and get that frantic email from a faculty member that something isn't quite right in their course. If you haven't tried using Canvas through the mobile browser, particularly on a smaller screen phone, you may not be quite aware of how cumbersome it can be.
I would love for the great folks at Canvas to maybe make a new addition to the app family. To help those of us that support our faculty and students. To help use get out from behind the desk and be out there with them when they need us.
I guess the the question then is what would that look like?
Well... I think that it would have to work a lot like the teacher app. Maybe just replace the To Do option on the bottom of the screen with the Admin option as the To Dos are typically course related and not "real" to dos for the Admin. I know some people may be both, but that is why this would just be used for those administrative tasks and not for teaching. You would still have the teacher app for that.
Here are some quick mock-ups I made this morning:
Home screen with a quick link to the Admin area on the bottom tool bar.
Admin page that lets you select which Account/Sub-Account to view.
The Account/Sub-Account page.
The Courses drop-down menu could load the navigation menu as a selection option.
I know it is much easier to make the mock-ups then it is to make the app, but I think there are many Canvas admins that would love to be able to work through an app then through the mobile browser.
What say you CMUG? Is it time for a Canvas for Admins app?
