[Feature Request] Improve Content Release Control with Delayed To-Do List Visibility

[RDR1]

I am requesting a change to the Canvas feature "Add to Student To-Do List." Currently, when a page is added to the Student To-Do List in Canvas, it is immediately visible to students, regardless of its scheduled publish date. This can be problematic for instructors who want to control the release of content. For example, if an instructor schedules a page to be published on a specific date, students may see it in their To-Do List prematurely and start working on it before it's officially released.

I have not taken any steps to solve this problem yet. I am hoping that Canvas will be able to implement a feature that would delay the addition of a page to the Student To-Do List until its scheduled publish date. This would ensure that students only see the page in their To-Do List when it's actually available, preventing confusion and premature work.

[dbrace · Accepted solution]

Hello @RDR1,

In beta I just:

1. created a new page
2. used the "Add to student to-do" option, setting the date and time to "Nov 29, 2024, 11:59 PM"
3. saved the page but did publish it
4. acted as a student in the course (I actually tested with two different students), checked both (a) "Dashboard" and its "To Do" list and (b) the "Home" area of the course and its "To Do" list, and the new page that I created did not appear
5. after I published the page, it was visible in the two locations mentioned in #4
6. I went through the same process with another page that I created, this time using the "Publish at" option to automatically publish the page on "Nov 27, 2024, 8:26 AM", and the experience was as designed.

Have I done what you have described or am I misunderstanding you/something?

If you feel that you are experiencing a technical problem, I would recommend contacting Canvas Support directly using the options that are available at your institution.

If you feel that this is a feature enhancement/change, I would recommend that you follow the guidance at https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructure-Community-Guide/How-do-I-create-a-new-idea-in-the-Ins... to submit an idea in the Community.

-Doug