Continuing Canvas glitches

[jmerriam]

This is going to be a long post, so forgive me in advance. Starting about midway through the summer session, Canvas began doing totally weird and unexpected things. First me: About 4 weeks into this semester, I had 3 different students unable to access 2 different assignments, and one of them got a blank screen saying that there are no published modules for my course. Canvas support said my entire course was unpublished...but that's INSANE: of course I published it, or none of my students would have been able to see anything from the 1st day! BTW, when I looked at my dashboard when students were having problems, it showed my course was published and active.  And now, just today, my last Quiz was suddenly unpublished (NOT by me!), and all the grades were wiped out. I can't in good conscience ask everyone to take it over again, so I'll have to delete if from my total point calculations.

Now, from some of my fellow colleagues:

• I added a new assignment. The due date is not until October. The gradebook autofilled with zeros.
• My grade book did this too!! For assignments in the future. But not to ALL students, about 20 out of 25. And not in all my classes. 
• I have also had many weird things happen on Canvas this semester, as have some of my students. Students being given a zero on assignments as soon as the assignment is published - even after I turned off the auto feature that gives zeros when assignments are missing at due date. LOTS of glitches of various types.

• I have had lots of weird things happen in canvas this semester.  Things like dates I swore I changed not working. Modules unpublished when I published them. Another is if I use default grade and it only does it for a few students. 

• Unpublished assignments in my blueprint course are appearing on student calendars. When they click through, they get "access denied." Of course, students should not be able know the existence of unpublished assignments and they should not get a link to the blueprint course.  

Should I continue??????  Normally, I've had great luck with Canvas Support...but yesterday, when I reported the problem with my students not having access, the support person was very dismissive and rude throughout our conversation, and finally said I needed to read the support article about how to publish and unpublish! I've been working with Canvas for years...I know how to publish and unpublish!

Is my college alone in having all these issues? Is there someone "up the ladder" in Canvas I can send this report to?

[LyndseyMartin]

Hi @jmerriam - 

I'm so sorry to hear you're having these issues!

I would do a couple of things in this situation- first of all, I would check your browser. I know that might also sound dismissive, and I don't mean for it to- but sometimes if the browser needs updating, it might not be working with Canvas correctly. Also, make sure you're using one of the approved browser, since Canvas is web-based, it doesn't play nice with every browser. I'm pasting the browser info below. 

The next step is to talk to IT at your institution. This may be a known problem with some security software at the institution, and they may be able to help you out. 

And lastly, when it comes to escalating the issue, I would talk to the person who is the Canvas admin at your institution and they can bring your concerns to your CSM. 

Best wishes for a less-glitchy fall semester!

Desktop browsers

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• Chrome 139 and 40
• Firefox 141 and 142
• Edge 139 and 140
• Respondus Lockdown Browser
• Safari 17 and 18

Mobile browsers

View limited support guidelines

• Latest version of Safari (iOS) and Chrome (Android)

Canvas Mobile apps

• Android 8.0 or later
• iOS 15.0 or later

[jmerriam]

Thanks for your thoughts, Lyndsey...and you don't sound dismissive at all! I realize that many users don't realize they need to keep their browsers up-to-date...but I'm not one of them. While right at this instant I'm using loaner laptop from my computer repair company because my own went south (😢), I always set my own machines to automatically check for updates on all my programs, including my browsers.

I also realize that some folks don't know that Canvas doesn't "play well" with some browsers (I'm constantly having to remind my students of this!): I've always used Firefox, altho on this loaner I'm forced to use Chrome and Edge because that's all that's installed.  Just checked, and both are the most recent versions.

I've talked with IT, but they say it's obviously a Canvas issue...so that's a dead end. I've been reluctant to talk with our college Canvas admins only because in the past, they've not been nearly as helpful as Canvas Support has been.  But I'll take a deep breath and give that a try, and hope they can take it up the ladder. 

Since now I know it's not just me—and that some of these instructors are very knowledgeable tech-folks, and like me, have been using Canvas as long as the college has been using it—it's clearly something outside of our own computers and laptops that's the issue.

I'll keep digging.

Thanks again.

Joan