[Student View] Bypass Prerequisites

[admin19]

Currently while in student view if you have prerequisites for a module you have to remove these in order to see an assignment or a module as a student. It would be nice to be able to view all assignments as a student without having to unlock all of the modules. Maybe as a "master" student or something similar. One example of how this would be helpful is in narrowing down which links have been flagged by the link validator.

[Stef_retired]

@admin19 Thanks for sharing this idea. Could you elaborate on the additional benefit that might accrue to the instructor from having such a feature? I ask because one of the critical purposes of Student View is to ensure that prerequisites, requirements, and module lock until dates are functioning as intended—and a teacher can navigate through the assignments in the course modules without encountering the impediment of prerequisites.

Is the goal to be able to navigate through the course as a student to see if specific modules/assignments/pages are published?

We'll keep this idea in Moderating status as we look forward to hearing more about the intent of the use case. Thanks!

[admin19]

Hi Stefanie,

I would want both to see the flow and lock of the modules and to see an assignment without unlocking all the modules before it. 

The issue occurs when I have a new assignment I am adding to the end of a course and all the modules before it have prereqs and are locked. In order to see if the assignment is working properly from the student view, I have to unlock the module it is in, remove the "complete" in order, and then view the assignment. Then I have to remember to place all the locks and prereqs back before publishing. If I had a master student where I could view any assignment from a student standpoint then I wouldn't have to do all the other steps.

If I don't need to see the individual assignment then I can use the standard student view to make sure the modules are locking properly etc. 

Maybe there is a way to do this that I have missed? 
Lisa

[Stef_retired]

@admin19 Lisa, how greatly does the instructor's view of the assignment differ from what a student sees? What specific details that aren't already visible to the instructor would a theoretical "master student" reveal?

[admin19]

For example, I was running a link check on my new course and there was an issue with several photos and links. In the instructor's view, I could see the photos and links, so I had to unlock the modules to use the student view to see which photos and links were broken. Then I had to go into instructor mode to fix it and back and forth until the issue was resolved. I used a second tab logged into Canvas to minimize the back and forth but then Canvas gets confused and places me in "student" view on both tabs. It's just a lot of back and forth and remembering to reset a module when an individual assignment could have a student view that would solve the issue and then maybe have a course student view. 

[Stef_retired]

@admin19 Thanks, that's a great example! I'll add that detail to the idea description and we will move this forward for broader discussion.

[walter_halil]

If I try to check an assignment using "Student View" prior to the availability date, I get a message stating: "This assignment is locked until..." and I'm unable to determine what the students will actually be able to access.

I need to be able to make sure all the links and media files work before the students try to access the assignments. Just because it works in "Instructor View" doesn't mean it's going to work when the students try to access the resource.

If something doesn't work for them the first time they often don't try again. We have many ELL's in our school and it's hard for them to communicate if there's a problem. As a result, sometimes I don't catch these issues until the assignment is over.

[admin19]

Walter- this is my issue exactly. The little student view glasses should allow me to see that assignment from the student view to make sure it is functional. If I am in Modules the student view can help me determine if the modules are locked correctly. It is such a hassle to unlock everything to access the student view. 

[jason_margolies]

We need to have a button in student view that allows teachers to go into an assignment as a student even if there are prerequisites.

Thanks!

[Steven_S]

I like the idea of having a checkbox on any page the test student tries to use that marks all prerequisites complete.  That is one approach to challenges such as the test student being unable to take a lockdown browser quiz.  Another approach that is more focused on troubleshooting problems experienced by students is Specific "real" student view 

A more direct match to the idea of marking all prerequisites (to the page you need to view) complete might be Set progress for "Test Student"