Inbox won't allow reply through Section end date

[Nancy_Webb_CCSF]

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.  

[ColtonSwapp]

Hello @Nancy_Webb_CCSF 

Thanks for posting this in the global Canvas Community! 

You might want to have Canvas support look into this further with your examples. Further testing might be required on their end since that was listed as a known issue.

I believe that if they are still able to compose a new message for the course after it has been hard concluded, when they go to send it, they should be getting an error message? 

[Nancy_Webb_CCSF]

Hi @ColtonSwapp , I have reported this to Canvas Support in October, but there is no real resolution, just a suggestion to allow participation after the course closes, which is not possible for our teachers since that is locked.  Seems like they don't agree that the section end date is what should control full Inbox participation, although it controls all other types of participation.

Always in the past, teachers and students had the ability to reply to a conversation message until the section end date.  Now they don't, and it doesn't seem like this is a wanted behavior.  I was hoping this discussion in the Community would get some action before semester end arrives and everyone who doesn't allow participation past section end date faces this problem.

[judith_paquette]

I don't want this feature, as students often reach out to me after the concludes and I've always been able to reply to them. 

I tried to change my END date, but it doesn't allow it once the course is set up.  I don't understand why Canvas allows students to send an email, but disallow a reply.  One work around is to go into Outlook and reply to the forwarded Canvas email.

[Nancy_Webb_CCSF]

FYI I heard from support that this issue has been given to an engineer but there is no time frame for resolution.  Perhaps as semester ends, there will be more complaints.  

[Nancy_Webb_CCSF]

Good news!  I was notified early this morning that a fix has been deployed.  So, teachers and students should now be able to reply to inbox messages up until the section end date.  Nice present for the holidays!  Thank you, Instructure support and engineers.

[Nancy_Webb_CCSF · Accepted solution]

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!

[efigueroa1]

Two years later, and sadly, this is still an issue. Professor contacted support; ticket was escalated; ticket was canceled with no explanation. Thank you @Nancy_Webb_CCSF for starting this post and @judith_paquette for your workaround idea!