Zero user page views for over 3 days - that can't be wrong, can it?

[mbmacdonald]

I understand that page view data is not 100% accurate, and it is even stated that it should not be used to assess academic integrity (here: How do I view the page views for a user in an account?)

But I have a user whose page view report shows absolutely zero page views for over 3 days. That can't be wrong, can it? If the user had accessed Canvas during that time, *some* page view data would be logged, even if the timestamps were not entirely accurate, right? 

Thoughts?

[paul_fynn]

Hi @mbmacdonald 

It is entirely possible for a user to access Canvas without logging any page views, and one issue with Canvas App access is that users rarely log out - the app may be permanently connected so you don't get a login record either ...

Check what your course home page consists of - if it is set to modules view then even if the user accesses the course, it isn't going to generate a page view. If you have a home page "page" then this should trigger a page view - unless the access is via Canvas app, where you may see data lagging a day or to. 

Does that help at all ?

[mbmacdonald]

"It is entirely possible for a user to access Canvas without logging any page views" - I agree it is possible under certain circumstances, especially with mobile. But I think if the user is claiming to have *done* something (an assignment for example), then the chances that their record would show absolutely zero page views for a period of 3 days is pretty low. Even just navigating to the assignment would log as a "page view" -  I believe page views are not just for "Pages" but for any navigable destination in a Canvas course: assignment, discussion, even index pages. I believe even navigating to the "modules" index page would log as a page view 

Finally, any thoughts on whether it is likely for mobile activity to be logged as much as *3 days* after the actual occurrence? If the answer is yes, then I would say that this data is completely useless.

[MatthewClifft]

Hi Mbmacdonald,

With Page views, it should generally record each time a user connects to a new page in Canvas; regardless of how long that connection is as long as it can fully load. If a user didn't record a three day stretch of page views, it may be prudent to first confirm with them if they did actually access Canvas through that period of time. 

If they did, it's likely this is something you would want to bring to the attention of Canvas support, specifically if they mention taking a particular quiz or exam, as those forms of actions should definitely be recorded in the page views log, and should ideally match the API information of the item.

[paul_fynn]

@mbmacdonald have you tried testing this with a test account to see if you get the same behaviour - have you been able to identify the issue ?