[ARCHIVED] Time Zones

[dgilley]

I am teaching a course in the US this summer for students who are physically located in China. If I set the time at, say, 11:59 pm for me in my time zone, will CANVAS automatically convert that set time to 11:59 pm in the time zone where the students are located, in this case Beijing Standard Time? Or do I need to set it at 10:59 am my time so that it shows 11:59 pm BST?

[Stef_retired]

Hi,  @dgilley  Welcome to the Canvas Community! The date that displays to students will be a function of the time zone they have set in their own personal settings, but the time set on the assignment won't automatically change to 11:59 pm in their local zone; the date students see will be whatever time that translates into locally according to the time zone preference they have set. So if you want students to be able to submit until 11:59 PM BST, and assuming that all of your students are located in the same time zone within China, the easiest course of action would be to change the time zone for the course itself to align with students' time zone—and consider changing your own (in your personal user settings) as well so that it aligns with Beijing. 

I struggle with wrapping my brain around time zones and calculating local times, so I hope this isn't too convoluted a reply. Please let us know if you have questions about this!