[Calendar] Create a single course calendar entry across multiple classes

[linda_wagner]

When you have an event that applies to multiple classes it would be Great to enter the event once and have it post to multiple course calendars.

What I would like is a way to enter the same assignment for multiple

classes, without having to type it in 3 or 4 different times.  For example:

We use the ALEKS Math program. I want to enter an 'ALEKS' work day for all

my classes, without having to retype it.

[nick_juknelis]

For example, I have five separate music ensembles.  They have different assignments, different music, different curricular goals.  BUT, there is only one concert date for all the ensembles.  Is it possible to enter that performance information one time for all five classes?

[jswhite]

I agree that this is needed.  I teach multiple sections of the same course at a University.  When I add events, I am having to add them separately in each section.  This takes too much of my time.

Since you asked for specifics from Linda, I'll add mine here also.  Events in my class include the following types: 1. Deadlines to submit items to another office at the university. 2. Workshops that they may attend for extra credit (also elsewhere) 3. Dates that special guest speakers will be in my face to face class (I like to alert my online class to this so that they may attend if able).   There are other cases as well, but I think this gives the gist.

[breesean_pittma]

In addition, my school is currently piloting Canvas with Skyward as the SIS.  Instead of having different sections in a Canvas course to represent different periods, I have each class period as a separate course.  Therefore, I have 3 canvas courses that are identical with assignments/tests/dates/rubrics/tests -literally (and yes I actually mean literally) everything is the same.   Right now, I am creating the next module completely and importing into the other courses.  However, if I notice that there is a mistake or something I need to change.  I need to go into each course separately to fix this.  I would love if I could just fix 1 assignment, rather than 3 of the same.

[bjkniffin]

I teach an elective at two schools and have 34 separate classes listed in my courses. It would help so much to be able to add the same event to more than one calendar at the same time rather than having to type it over and over and over. There are times when I need to add something to everyone and other times when I need to add to one grade level. Please consider giving this option as it would save an abundance of time. Thank you!

P.S. It would also be nice to import content to multiple classes at one time. For any teacher of elective classes, having to import to each class separately takes more time than I want to be spending on this. There are many times that most teachers will want to import the same information to every course they have. Being able to do all things with multiple classes would be VERY APPRECIATED! Thanks for your consideration in this!

[breesean_pittma]

It seems as if you could change permission in courses --> assign to --> be able to add other courses

and in calendar --> in the calendar pull down --> be able to toggle multiple courses

[bestor]

I totally agree!  I teach several classes that share, for example, guest lecturers, common due dates, class holidays, my office hours, etc., and it is a real pain to have to enter the same thing two or three times, multiplied over the 13 weeks of a semester.  And, as things stand right now, if you designate an entry for a particular course, you cannot change it without deleting the whole entry and starting anew.

This aspect of Canvas needs attention!  Soon!

[allison]

Ooooh, this is a good one! Thanks for your comments! Tell me more about how often you run up against this:

Daily?

Weekly?

Monthly?

At the start of the semester?

Also, I'd be curious to know if anyone has tried importing assignments from existing courses to solve this problem. It's a bit of a workaround, but how much of the problem would that approach solve and where would that approach be lacking?

[bjkniffin]

Daily! This is very frustrating to have to type something over 34 times each day! Please fix this soon! Thank you!

[breesean_pittma]

The import is fine for big groups (like a whole module), but for some reason when I import the "post to SIS" unchecks, so then I have to go through the whole module to just click that one toggle.

I create an entire module at once to get around this issue, but it would be SOOO much easier to do just 1 entry.  This would also help if there is an change I have to make to an assignment/event, I would only have to do it once.

[curtain]

If one teaches more than one or two courses in higher ed there is at least the monthly need to add events to the calendars of multiple courses.  If you teach multiple sections of the same course and do not crosslist them this is valuable.  For our coordinators who work with running all the entry level Spanish or Chem or Biology or Human Nutrition courses with multiple TAs, etc often have the need to post events (scholarship, travel abroad, research info sessions, tutoring or remedial sessions, etc).