[Assignments] Hidden notes in settings

[harris60]

Problem statement:

I often find things to change about assignments, but I can't make the change to a live course. I need some way to remember the change before I copy and replicate the course for the next semester.

Proposed solution:

In the settings for a page, assignment, quiz include a Notes field. This lets me add a note/reminder for the future. - Example: Rewrite/drop question number 14 before next class. Then I would want a course-wide search feature to find all items with notes. Before I publish a new course I would search and review all notes. p.s. Notes could also be used to communicate between multiple instructors who share a course, or to remember details about an assignment.

User role(s):

instructor

[KristinL]

Hi @harris60 -

Thank you for providing your idea. I spoke with the Product Team, and they thought you brought up some great points. Because of the complexities of making this available in many different locations within a course, they ultimately declined.

We discussed ways in which you could make notes, and we recommend that you create a sandbox course that they can then update on the spot. That way, you can have a published course with current enrollments and an unpublished course you're prepping for the next semester. You won't have to search for and review notes, and you'll be ready for the next term right away. Many schools' Canvas Admins are open to creating these for instructors, and if there is a policy that prevents you from gaining one, please consider our Free for Teachers version of Canvas LMS.

[cindywilson3]

Problem statement:

Instructors do not currently have a place to enter notes in assignments that are only visible to instructors. Lessons do not always go as planned, so it is necessary to have a dedicated space to make notes for future reference. We may use that assignment once per year, and without this space, we have no way of recording after-action thoughts about an assignment for future reference, such as what worked well and what didn't, how long activities actually took students, frequently asked questions, difficulties experienced by students, etc.

Proposed solution:

It would be very helpful to have an Instructor Notes section within Assignments that is only visible to the instructor. This is standard in other LMS's including the one that our district used in the past, and was very useful when we reuse course materials year after year. A notes section like this allows instructors to make notes about what worked well and what didn't, how long the assignment took students to complete, etc. These are important after-action thoughts that need to be recorded for future reference so we can improve our instruction from year to year. It would be most useful if it is located within the assignment. Thank you for your consideration.

User role(s):

instructor