Let us schedule a Publish Date / Time for Content Pages

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

Please allow us the ability to set a specific date and/or time for content pages to be published ahead of time.

 

It would be nice to be able to schedule those times in advance. There are times I don't want to publish something for students to see until after class and that requires remembering to go back and publish. Forgetting to do so only then creates chaos.  It'd be nice to just set those times once the page is designed and avoid those circumstances.

145 Comments
brenda_sirovich
Community Member

Could not agree more (with the suggestion or the 'absolute no brainer' comment; what could possibly be the downside?  

In the bigger picture, I fail to understand why Canvas does not view the organization as fit to make a determination regarding a suggested addition of or revision to a feature, based on recognition that an idea would clearly represent value added to the platform, requires little investment, and has no downside in sight.

The 'popularity contest' for suggestions should be operational only for one that is far out or experimental.

shaselwood
Community Novice

 @glondon ‌ - what do you think about this idea? Could be beneficial - yes?

glondon
Community Member

Definitely,  @shaselwood ‌!  I just had this question the other day from an instructor who teaches multiple sections of a face-to-face course.  He wanted to schedule ahead of time the release of course materials after the students had participated in the lecture.  This would certainly be a plus.

rodger-ling
Community Member

If you create a page of any sort and mark the "to do" option so it will show up on the to-do list and calendar, it shows up in those places whether or not the module for which it is intended is locked or not?

Steven_S
Community Champion

If you are using mastery paths, you could schedule the page to be released to students only after they have a certain score on a graded assignment that precedes the date that you want the page published.  They will not even know it exists before that point, and you can even schedule different pages to release to different students depending on their score in the graded assignment. 

Alternatively modules can be programmed to require students to view pages in order, and any assignment that can use availability dates can be placed before the page you want to restrict.  (For example, an ungraded survey can be set as not available until after class and the module settings can be used to require students to submit the survey and view the content page in order.) 

This second option is flawed if you use a graded assignment and lock out late submissions, because students will never have access to the page if they do not submit the assignment on time. This frequently causes my modules to be subdivided, into a part 1 & 2.  Part 1 ends in assignments that lock and part 2 opens after part 1 is due.  It complicates planning the modules and clutters the module list that students see, but it is functional.

ayoder
Community Novice

These are great work arounds!

Some of the teachers that I work with have basic skills in Canvas (we're in our first year).  These work arounds could be great for them after they've learned to not just file drop Smiley Wink

acland
Community Novice

I don't want a work around. Just add the feature. It can't be more than

five lines of code.

Steven_S
Community Champion

Daniel, as a simple instructor adding 5 lines of code is beyond my ability.  All I can offer is the solution that lets me teach my classes as I choose.

acland
Community Novice

Sorry, I thought I was sending to Canvas. Thanks for the suggestions.

sringsmuth
Community Participant

Yes! I don't know why some things in Canvas have this option and others, like Pages, do not.