New "To Do" option in Calendar

[jonesn16]

I don't know how long its been there, but yesterday I noticed a new option in my Canvas Calendar, next to Assignment and Event. Its called "To Do," but I seem unable to actually create a To Do item. I click Submit, it appears to attempt to save... and then it stays on this window. I looked at Instructure's https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-12911-415254669?sr=search&searchId=a690373d-eb01-4ad6-b3b4-...‌, but it doesn't seem to talk about this new thing. Or I'm on the crazy sauce. Anyone else see this option, and is it working for you?

[kblack]

Hi  @jonesn16 ‌ - You will be relieved to know that you are not on the crazy sauce, as a few others of us have seen this, as well.  I just remembered seeing this the other day, when the ever-resourceful  @KristinL ‌ dug up the solution!  Here it is:  https://community.canvaslms.com/thread/20745-to-do-in-calendar .

[KristinL]

Hi! This topic resurfaced, and I'd like to connect the conversations.

 item.

[erinhmcmillan · Accepted solution]

Hi, Nicholas, 

This feature is available for students as part of our new List View Dashboard but is not yet available for instructors. You can learn all about the List View options here: Canvas Release: Student Dashboard List View. Instructors can use the functionality to add to-do items to their students' to-do lists. Our teams plan to watch the adaptation of the student role for this feature and then eventually create the functionality for instructors.

Hope that helps,

Erin

[molse]

I love this idea, but it is frustrating that non-graded items do not appear on students' "to-do" lists. I have reading assignments that must be completed but are not assigned points and students are not seeing them on their to-do list tab on the Canvas app. Is there a way to add non-graded assignments to the "to-do?"

[KristinL]

Hi  @molse ‌ - If you take a look at the Canvas Release Notes (2018-08-04)‌ and then scroll down to the To-Do List feature,  you'll see a segment for Instructors. You'll be able to add non-graded assignments, surveys, pages, and discussions to your students' lists.

[molse]

Your second link doesn't work for me and when I scroll on the first link, I am only seeing info about the to-do list from the student perspective. Can you clarify?

[KristinL]

My apologies! 

Canvas Release: Student Dashboard List View 

Here's the part I'd like to highlight for you:

Instructor Functionality

Pages and Non-Graded Discussions

Instructors can set pages and non-graded discussions to display in the Dashboard List view.

When creating a page or non-graded discussion, instructors can select an option to add the item to the student’s Dashboard List view. This option allows instructors to help students remember to read a course page or participate in a non-graded discussion by a specific date.

Instructors can select the to-do date and time for the page or non-graded discussion to display in the list. If an item is differentiated by student, section, or group, the item only displays in the To Do list for students who have been assigned the item.

These options are only available for pages and discussions at the course level and are not available within pages and discussions for individual groups. Instructor cannot customize non-graded items on a per-student basis.

[molse]

Thanks! I saw that linked at a separate place, but it doesn't solve the problem. I have created multiple non-graded assignments (i.e. read this chapter in the textbook, it is worth 0 points, but there may be an in-class writing/quiz over what you've read), but there doesn't appear to be any way to add things other than graded assignments, pages, or discussions to the to-do list. This changes the work-flow for my course and my students. If reading assignments don't show up in their to-do list, that's a problem. 

[kmeeusen]

Hi  @molse 

What I have already started doing in my own courses to take advantage of this great new functionality, is to simply create a new page in my modules titled "Reading Assignments - Module XXXX", then add that page to the students' To-Do lists.

I hope this helps,

Kelley