[ARCHIVED] How do I filter out old courses from the drop-down menu in the to-do sidebar?

[gohan530]

I want to use the to-do list sidebar as my agenda/planner, but I don't know how to filter out my old courses from the drop-down menu. Does anyone know how to accomplish this? Or maybe this isn't even an option, in which case I hope that this filter can be added to future Canvas updates because it would make planning more efficient for busy students.

Update: I said to-do sidebar, but I mean the plus sign next to "today" in list view, not the to-do sidebar in card view.

[gnoack]

Is this in the Calendar?  If you have any courses favorited (starred) on the dashboard, they appear at the top of the list. You can also give these favorited courses a nickname and that name will appear in the list alphabetically.  This also effects what shows in other places you have to choose a course, such as the Inbox. 

[gohan530]

Hi @gnoack, thanks for the reply!

No, I am looking at the list view. I use list view and in the top next to today there is a little plus sign for adding to-do items to the list. I don't know if you can see my attached picture (you may have to right click it and open it in a new tab to view), but it shows exactly what I'm talking about. I do have my courses favorited and under courses which has filtered out old courses in list and card view, but not in this to-do sidebar for some reason. I also have all of my courses nicknamed, current and past classes, but aren't listed by nickname in this sidebar either. I was wondering if there is a way to only have favorited classes in this menu, and with their nicknames rather than their codes.

Best,

ST

[KristinL]

Sometimes, your institution will remove the old courses after a certain amount of time. It all depends on how the terms are closed. If you'd like to clean up your dashboard, calendar, and inbox options, the best place to do this is in Courses then All Courses. Like @gnoack said, you can remove the star (favorite) from the previous enrollments and make room for your new courses.

How do I customize my Courses list as a student? 

How do I view my favorite courses in the Card View Dashboard as a student? 

[gohan530]

Hello @KristinL, thanks for your reply!

I have removed the star from past classes, but this hasn't affected this to-do sidebar. In other words, I only see my current classes in list view, but when I try to create to-do items for the list and link them to specific classes, it gives me every class, or at least some random subset of all of my classes, rather than just listing my current courses. I think I may have phrased my question incorrectly. I realized that there is a sidebar in card view that says to-do. In list view it looks different. I'm not sure what to label this section then. It's at the top of list view, the plus sign, and it doesn't say to-do when clicked on, but when I save the item, it is categorized as a "to-do." The picture I have attached shows exactly what I'm talking about.

Best,

ST

Sometimes, your institution will remove the old courses after a certain amount of time. It all depends on how the terms are closed. If you'd like to clean up your dashboard, calendar, and inbox options, the best place to do this is in Courses then All Courses. Like @gnoack said, you can remove the star (favorite) from the previous enrollments and make room for your new courses.

[KristinL]

I know that with the list view, you see an archive of all of your old courses, but it is interesting that you see the codes and not nicknames. In the List View, did/do you see the name of the course in the "card" to the left of the item in the list?

[gohan530]

Hi @KristinL !

Oh no I do see the nickname in the "card" in list view, but I am talking about the drop-down menu I see when I try to add an item to the list. It gives me every course and with course codes (i.e. PSC 130) instead of my assigned nicknames.

[KristinL]

YES! I can confirm that experience. I used a student account and renamed a course. Turns out the original course name is what I see there too.I wonder why that is now too!

I would recommend reaching out to Canvas Support and asking for more information. How do I get help with Canvas as a student? 

[gohan530]

That's a good idea, I'll try that! Thanks so much!

[gnoack]

That's really interesting, I had forgotten that students have that tool.  Instructor's don't.  

There appears to be two ways to add items to your To-do list.  Your image suggests you are adding it from the Dashboard. 

Perhaps if you add it from the Calendar page, you would see a better list of courses.  For some reason, when adding from the calendar page you have the option to choose which Calendar it belongs to instead of course.  Maybe it will filter to your favorited courses. 

See:

Calendar add: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Student-Guide/How-do-I-add-a-to-do-item-in-the-Calendar-as-a-stud...

and 

Dashboard add: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Student-Guide/How-do-I-add-a-to-do-item-in-the-List-View-Dashboar...