Inbox won't allow reply through Section end date

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Nancy_Webb_CCSF
Community Champion

Although students and teachers can write a new Conversation message between the course end date and the section end date, they cannot reply to a message.  I believe this problem started when this issue was fixed: Soft-Concluded Courses allow for Students to Reply to Conversations. - Instructure Community (canvas...

Prior to this fix, it was a problem that students could reply to teachers after the section end date and teachers couldn't reply back, and the solution is to prevent students from replying after the course concludes, matching the teacher experience.  Great!  But our courses don't conclude until the section end date, which is some time after the course end date. Section end date overrides course end date, and full communication should be allowed until then.  Students can still submit assignments, teachers grade.

End of semester is coming up and I know many teachers and students are going to panic when the Reply button disappears from the Inbox.  It doesn't really make sense to me that they can write a new message but can't reply.  I hope this is just a tweak to the programming.  This should be considered "unwanted behavior".  Engineers, if I have to write an idea I will.  

 

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Nancy_Webb_CCSF
Community Champion

Unfortunately, we now realize the fix works for Inbox replies up until the section end date. However it's not possible to create a new Inbox message after the course end date when the section end date is later.  I reported this and a Case was created, but it was never fixed and the case was closed.  Support says to uncheck Restrict students from viewing course after course end date in course settings, but our school locks that setting on.  Teachers have been frustrated at the end of every semester about this situation.  Our fix is to tell them to temporarily edit the course end date to allow enough time to communicate with students. 

Since the course does not conclude until after the section end date, if there is one, then all users should be allowed to use the Inbox for communication until that date.  Please help us, Instructure!

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