Module access to specific groups, sections or students

Idea created by Douglas Harriman on Aug 12, 2015

Comment • 33

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+423 more

It would be great if I could give Modules unique gating rules specific to individual students or groups or sections within the course, similar to how I can create unique assignment due dates for different students and sections.

This idea was considered when developing our product plan for Q2 2019 and is not expected to influence development within Canvas at this time.
This idea will remain open for vote.
If this idea is in the top 10% by vote next cycle it will be reconsidered.

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33 Comments

Renee Carney Aug 13, 2015 8:31 AM
Douglas Harriman

Looking at the title of your idea, are you seeking 'module _access_ to specific...' or should it be 'module _prerequisites & requirements_ for specific....' ?
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John Buchner Aug 13, 2015 9:40 AM
I like this idea, but as a work around, can you create an assignment for a group or individual (maybe a survey?) that has to be completed before access to further content is granted.

So it would be
Module For Specific Group
Survey assigned to specific students: Required to advance
More Content

They only people that would see the content is then those who complete the survey, which is a a defined subset by you?
(I don't do much with modules, I don't know that this would work.)
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- Ethan Pullman @ John Buchner on Jun 15, 2018 8:34 AM
  Hi John
  
  The workaround suggested works if you're talking about students enrolled in one course BUT some of us build a suite of modules that can be linked to various courses (rather than imported/exported). Another reason you'd want a module assigned as a whole (rather than by item) is the ability to have an entire module due on a day rather than having to make each item within it show up on the course summary. Think of it as a way to show course summary in "modules" reflecting weeks, topics, or any other way of listing the organization of content other than assignment by assignment (which causes a headache in how you name them, since it lists items within a specific date alphabetically, rather than by topic). Anyhow, there are many reasons why Modules should stand alone.
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biray@instructure.com Sep 2, 2015 7:01 AM
This idea is now open for vote.
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Kevin Gordon Oct 2, 2015 3:58 PM
Yes, this is a FANTASTIC idea! It would allow us to create different tracks or branches within the same course for different student groups.
This seems the logical next step after differentiated assignments. At the very least, Canvas should introduce differentiated Pages.
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Kevin Gordon Oct 2, 2015 4:12 PM
Please vote for my similar suggestion:

Differentiated Pages

Thank you!
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Richard Feffer Oct 4, 2015 3:19 PM
AGREED... Independently - I had asked the same question... so there is definitely a need for this feature...
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Gregory Beyrer Oct 20, 2015 3:11 PM
I am teaching a course right now and a student asked me for early access to the next module, which is scheduled to be released at the same time and day of the week as other modules. I don't want to unlock the module for everyone as I do not want to overwhelm the rest of the class, but I also want this student to be able to fit my course around her other commitments. It would be far better for her to work ahead than to catch up, as next week she will not have internet access. This idea would be a great way for me to help this student.
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- Tiffany Maglasang @ Gregory Beyrer on Sep 15, 2017 3:57 PM
  THIS IS FROM 2 YEARS AGO. Come on Canvas!
  My modules are set to open up each Sunday, which is good for most of the class. But, for one student, who is going to be out for surgery, I would like to give her the ability to work ahead, and I can't figure out how to do that without giving it to everyone?
  
  Canvas Help told me: "module dates are set at the course level and cannot be edited at the student level, the system will not allow to have separate dates for single users. This explains why you are unable to set up these parameters."
  
  and then referred me to this idea post... Come on Canvas!
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  - Gregory Beyrer @ Tiffany Maglasang on Sep 15, 2017 3:12 PM
    Thank you Tiffany Maglasang for replying to my post. Just this morning I had the same situation occur again. A student is going out of the country and wants to be able to access the module that will be made active when she will be absent. I decided to change my design just for that module by adding requirements to the prior module, adding that one as a prereq, and changing the release date. She's a strong student and I don't want to lose her contributions to the class and so I was willing to give her early access, but my changes are now available to *all* students. Luckily it is late in the class so the risk to properly structured learning is low.
    
    Thanks Renee Carney for mentioning MasteryPaths as a potential solution. That is a bit more functionality than is needed for a situation like this, which is simply giving an individual student differential access to a module. The logic is similar to what we can already do with graded items.
    
    It will be great once this is available in Canvas.
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    - Tiffany Maglasang @ Gregory Beyrer on Sep 15, 2017 4:28 PM
      Hi Gregory Beyrer, I also had to change my modules to use "prerequisites" and "requirements" for the entire class, in lieu of the lock dates on my modules, to allow her to work ahead... which then allows everyone to work ahead... Luckily, I may have found a little bit of a workaround that will keep the rest of the class from trying to do a month's worth of work in a week, by only giving her "early access" to the assignments in each module, and then setting the assignments as "requirements" to access the next module.
      
      This workaround is more complex than what it needs to be, and I'm not sure that it will actually work, because if a student doesn't complete their discussion board or quiz for Topic 4, it won't let them move on to Topic 5, per my "requirements"... So, I will probably have to go and manually unlock each module on Sundays for the next several weeks... Since you can't have both prerequisites and an unlock date (i.e., if they don't meet the requirements, unlock the module after xyz date)... :-(
      
      I agree, the MasteryPaths is a lot more complex than what our situations (*exceptions*) call for. It seems like adding in this functionality for modules should be simple since it is similar to what they already have available for assignments...
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      - Linnea Thompson @ Tiffany Maglasang on Dec 1, 2017 11:59 AM
        Tiffany Maglasang and Gregory Beyrer:
        
        Here is the work-around I use for this "student needs early access" situation. It is slightly ridiculous, but it sounds like it may be less frustrating than what you're doing now.
        
        I create a Module at the very top of my class called something like "gatekeeper-ignore". It has one no-submission one-point "this assignment does not count toward the final grade" Assignment in it called something like "gatekeeper-ignore". I set the Module Requirements to the "gatekeeper" module to be "score at least 1 on gatekeeper-ignore". (You may want to include an explanation that this is not a real assignment that students need to do in the assignment description for the assignment.)
        
        Leave the gatekeeper-ignore assignment blank in the gradebook for students who you do not want to have work ahead. That way, they will not have completed the requirements for the "gatekeeper" Module. (I've found that blanks bother students less than zeroes.)
        
        Put in a "1" for students you do want to be able to work ahead. They will then have met the module requirements for your gatekeeper Module.
        
        Then, down in your "real" Modules, for any future Module you do not want your general students in yet but you do want your "work ahead" student (or students) in, set a Prerequisite of "gatekeeper-ignore" Module. (You will have to remove this Prerequisite when you are ready for the rest of the class to be in that Module.)
        
        I only do this in terms/classes when it's needed, but it's the fastest "on the fly" solution I've found so far given that Canvas lacks this needed feature. You can get much more complicated with a bunch of different gatekeeper modules and prerequisites for different sets of Modules if you need to for some reason, but it gets pretty hacky pretty quickly and I don't recommend going too far down the rabbit hole with this since it does make the top of your "Modules" page a bit cluttered.
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        Gregory Beyrer @ Linnea Thompson on Dec 1, 2017 1:08 PM
        Linnea Thompson Thank You for that creative use of module requirements and prereqs. That is a quick solution that works on the fly, and making a one-point assignment works well for that purpose.
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Kimberly Leslie Nov 5, 2015 10:39 AM
I just suggested a feature that might meet this need, but I'm not sure
Module Settings - Allow students to complete just one of several PREREQUISITES
- https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/3672#comment-28379
In my mind, this would allow individualized student pathways with out teachers needing to necessarily create different groups.
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Deanna Muller Nov 12, 2015 10:02 AM
I voted for the module to be specific for an individual. That way, no one can tamper with their work.
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Shauna Vorkink Nov 20, 2015 11:55 AM
I frequently get questions from teachers asking if there is a way to use Modules to build different "tracks" of learning. My work around in the past has entailed some kind of assessment quiz at the beginning of the material. Based on the score each student earned, I would point them to the correct starting spot in the materials and go through and excuse them from any work they were able to bypass (due to their score). One of the downsides to this approach is that you can't take advantage of the majority of requirement and prerequisite options!

I definitely think that the ability for Instructors to have another avenue to develop personalized learning paths for students is highly desirable! ~Shauna
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Matt Turner Nov 27, 2015 2:07 AM
We have courses which are taught twice, once in each semester to one group and repeated in the second. There may be subtle differences to content between the semesters for example a seminar group may have a different teacher. We have tried managing this with semester groups divided into sections, and this works for assignments, but not for content. At the moment we have the option of copying the course to create two broadly similar clones or in some other way directing the student navigation through the course and hoping that they don't get lost. Being able to assign and lock down content through modules would solve this especially as the content needs to be available for students after they have finished the course.
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Elizabeth (Online Learning) Jackson Dec 2, 2015 10:31 AM
This would be a very handy feature for me. We have a manually created course that is used for students needing test accommodations. I create separate sections for each instructor who wishes to use the course for testing for a student with accommodations, and make sure that things are very locked down for security/privacy reasons. I also make sure the tests are for just that student's particular course section only, but it would be great if I could also make Modules available to just people in a certain section. That would lock it down even more.
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Sam Denniston Dec 8, 2015 2:10 AM
+1

This would be a very useful way to differentiate on content rather than just assignments. I may, say, have students that I want to complete a remedial module (e.g. one that helps them improve written expression).
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Heidi Ross Dec 9, 2015 1:14 PM
I'd like to not only do this BUT also give an entire module a due date so I don't have to go assignments, discussion, quiz, 1 by 1 and set a date. If it's in the module it's due on X day.
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Kevin Gordon Dec 10, 2015 6:22 PM
I apologize for spamming you all, especially if you've already voted for my similar suggestion. But I only need 22 more votes to break the 100 vote threshold. If you support this, please vote for my similar suggestion:

Differentiated Pages

Thank you!
-Kevin
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Eric Mayo Dec 11, 2015 12:30 PM
This would be extremely helpful for us. Our police department uses Canvas to present content to officers located in seven different physical locations located across the state.

Some locations need more training materials than others and it would be nice to have modules only show up for specific groups.

Furthermore, some modules only apply to officers while others apply to officers and civilians.

We also have access to other LMS options, but so far canvas is much more user friendly. If we could get this issue resolved it would be a big step towards being able to use Canvas to meet all of our e-training needs.

Thank you,
Eric
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Sifat Sheikh Jan 14, 2016 12:13 PM
We really need this for our students. It would help to have it in place as soon as possible,
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csalazar Jan 15, 2016 4:36 PM
There is a significant project that we are working on early this year regarding personalized learning that will enable the workflows that are discussed here. This will be a big effort, but the implementation will likely be different than what is described here. We will be archiving this implementation of the feature, but are excited to show you what is coming soon.
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Renee Carney Oct 27, 2016 8:49 PM
Idea is currently in Product Radar Learn more about this stage...
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Renee Carney Nov 8, 2016 8:46 AM
Mastery Paths, was just announced in the Canvas Beta Release Notes (2016-11-07) and has great potential for this idea. Happy exploring!

We also encourage you to take a few minutes to join the Beta Release (2016-11-07) Collaborative Chat and test the possibilities with your community!
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Renee Carney Nov 15, 2016 11:59 AM
MasteryPaths official Production Releas is 2016-11-19! This new feature has great potential for this idea! Let us know what you think!
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Gary Oas Sep 27, 2017 12:50 AM
There is another use for such a feature which is not student-specific. We have parents enrolled in the class as "observers." It would be nice to be able to create a module for that set, which does not involve mastery paths, prerequisites, etc. Just a module for observers to view.

As I understand how it exists now, this is not really possible to implement in a transparent way with this new feature.
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Renee Carney Sep 5, 2018 10:20 AM
The Radar idea stage has been removed from the Feature Idea Process. You can read more about why in the blog post Adaptation: Feature Idea Process Changes.

This change will only impact the stage sort of this idea and will not change how it is voted on or how it is considered during prioritization activities. This change will streamline the list of ideas 'open for voting', making it easier for you to see the true top voted ideas in one sort, here.
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Aileen McKenna Oct 31, 2018 8:24 AM
I've also just asked for this and been directed here!

We currently have a course running which allows post-graduate clinical pharmacy students to tailor their learning to their current needs. For this, there are 9 total topics (cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, skin disease etc), of which each student picks only three to study. The course is run under the same module name and reference, but it is customisable for individual students, essentially.

For example, student A might want to learn more about topics 1, 2 and 3 so we allow them to study those and submit assignments related to those areas.
Student B might be working in a slightly different sector or area and so wants to study topics 3, 7 and 9
Student C might want to study 2, 5 and 6 etc.

We need the students to only be able to see the material that is relevant to those topics but there is currently no way to do this in Canvas. This course is also distance learning so we would like to get the students studying online as much as possible to use the interactive materials, quizzes etc. As an interim we will probably have to upload pdfs of the course material to the assignment section, which is less than ideal.

It would be wonderful if, in future, there is a way to allow only certain students to see specific modules within a Canvas course to keep their learning experience consistent throughout the year. I would also be interested to know if anyone has come up with a way around this in their own courses as a potential stop gap!
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Ariel Jagusztyn Dec 7, 2018 8:18 AM
My institution would also like this for assessment content that one section will take earlier than another but we don't want the other section to see.
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SUSAN STAAB Jan 22, 2019 9:56 AM
We are new to Canvas and are a bit disappointed that this feature is missing. We use this feature in several courses where we have graduate and undergraduate students enrolled.
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Fiona Chinn Mar 12, 2019 10:58 AM
I was very pleased to see that this had already been suggested - and then disappointed to realise it was suggested four years ago and is still not an option that is available to us. We are about to move our courses to Canvas from another VLE and this would have made things much easier for us. As the option is already there for other areas of Canvas I really can't understand why it's not been implemented within modules too.

I have looked at the mastery paths option, but it seems unnecessarily complicated and a lot of extra work for our administrators when all we want is an option, for example, to show module one only to section one and module two only to section two.
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Module access to specific groups, sections or students

Module Settings - Allow students to complete just one of several PREREQUISITES

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