[Courses] Make the course list sortable

[jmc6]

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas LMS

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When you click on Courses and then All Course, Canvas lists them in some random order. As my number of courses builds up over the semesters, with many courses of the same name, I would like to be able to SORT my list of courses by Name, Semester, Recently used, etc.

So... please let us sort these courses so that we can easily find what we are looking for!

[Fursty]

I researched (or tried to)  a case opened  in 2016 by Professor  Cimbala for this very issue  (its buried in the threads above - hence this post)

Only to find that it was sent to Canvas's' "Cold Storage"  and obviously ignored !     

I am new to Canvas ...This "Cold Storage" behavior and thread does not give me much encouragement about Canvas, its respect for faculty or our universities decision to switch from Blackboard.  We were told "how supportive and reactive" Canvas was... sales pitch it appears............. sigh

So Canvas.... please unfreeze the idea put for by Professor Cimbala in 2016 and ...actually read it and respond? 

[Stef_retired]

 @Fursty , thank you for your engagement in the feature idea process. The idea in Cold Storage to which we believe you're referring, https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/4622 , garnered only nine votes during its six-month voting period and was therefore archived for lack of support. It received two comments from our team: one when it initially moved forward for voting, and a second when it was archived. Any member can re-submit an idea for a new round of consideration, as we're seeing here.

We move ideas to Cold Storage after they've reached the end of their voting lifecycle to create a better experience for our members who are searching for ideas in the Ideas forum.

Would you like to learn more about the evolution of the feature ideas process? You'll find a comprehensive rollup of the iterations we've made over the years in Adaptation: Feature Idea Process Changes‌. And the Canvas Community guide provides guidance on how the feature idea process works.

[Fursty]

Thank you for the clarification.

Understandably one can not make everyone happy, I get it.

However, there is a concerning absence of "basic" and remedial"  organizational tools - (submodules),  course filtering, and content sorting in Canvas; again ... I come from Blackboard and this is my first experience with Canvas.

Sad to say.... not too impressed with lack of faculty tools for organization of a course or common  sorting a listing of items that is already there!

To me-- is just shocking -- that it takes "voting" to obtain essential and remedial organizational tools that instructors need to be successful. 

That is like.... voting for browser page refreshes..... or voting for a URL bar ... really.   

These requests are not asking for much... but since 2016? ....

Something that is or should be a common feature and functionality in today web UIs... now needs to be voted on .... sigh.... not a very good first impression on my end for Canvas. 

I am overwhelmed with the the feeling that Instructors were and are an after thought in this "LMS"  .....and the tools we need to stay sane...  have now been.. politically relegated to "voting"....  which only server to give the consumer... and appearance of "listening" but in reality basic functions or instructors are not really that important; (2016) .....   

I just do not understand...  

[Stef_retired]

You're welcome,  @Fursty ; moving to a new LMS can be overwhelming at first. Our Ideas forum is by no means the only avenue for feedback from our members. You can read more about the ways we engage with our users to identify needs and prioritize development resources in the Discover section of  What is the feature development process for Canvas?

[dla0009]

Obviously Canvas is not going to change its process to get this matter corrected. The problem is too few faculty know about this voting process. I have already got the word out to all the faculty in my department. Others need to do the same. I think Canvas take action threshold is 150 votes. We only have less than 60 votes to go. SPREAD THE WORD.

[Stef_retired]

 @dla0009 , we're delighted to see that you're advocating for an idea! Please know that ideas are prioritized on a relative basis; there is no absolute number that represents a threshold for action. The How long are ideas open for vote? section of How does the feature idea process work in the Canvas Community? provides details.

[dla0009]

I stand corrected there is NO take action threshold.

More votes however seems to help more than intense frustration with Canvas and threats to find a new LMS so LET FACULTY KNOW about the vote.

[adrienne_and_sm]

Um... John, Ignoring you is NOT a nice thing for them to do.

 I am seeing flimsy excuses, no respect & no answers.

[tgideons]

Oh, my. This was suggested almost a year and a half ago? This is something Canvas could do in an afternoon. They really do not care at all about these suggestions threads. At all.

[jfountain]

Yes, please!  Being able to sort by all column headers would be ideal, but especially by Term.  We'd also like a way to filter the list by role so you are only seeing courses where you are Teacher or Observer.