Set an assignment due date without a time

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mahung
Community Novice

I have two separate lecture sections at different times combined in one Canvas class. When I make an assignment, it's usually due at the beginning of the next respective lecture. In Canvas I set an assignment due date but not a due time since it varies by lecture section. Canvas evidently requires a time be specified also or it assigns one. Is there a way around this?

1 Solution
James
Community Champion

 @mahung ,

Canvas does require a date and time together.

You do not have to specify the time, but if you leave it off, it defaults to either the start or end of the day depending on which field you're entering. The due date and available until date default to 23:59:59 (11:59:59 pm) in the timezone specified for the course. The available from date default to 00:00:00 (12:00:00 am midnight) at the start of the day. For quizzes, the show answers at and hide answers at also default to 00:00:00, so specify the date after you want the results to hide. Similarly, the date the course closes (from the course settings page) also defaults to 00:00:00, so if you change it, it needs to be the day after the course closes.

I teach multiple face-to-face classes that are combined within Canvas and when I have an assignment due in class, I just leave the time portion off, letting it default to the end of the day. My students know the policy for submissions because it is listed in multiple places, including the syllabus. The cannot turn in non-electronic assignments at 11:59:59 pm, so I don't worry about the date.

For electronic submissions in those courses where there are multiple sections, I make things due at the end of the day. This means that I need just one due date and time listed.

If you want to have multiple due dates, which includes times, then you can use differentiated assignments to set the time differently for each section. I personally find that too much hassle, but other people's tolerance for pain may be higher than mine. These lessons from the Canvas Instructors Guide explain how to assign due dates to different sections.

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