Canvas deploys contain code changes that are intended to fix bugs, improve performance, and prepare for new features, but they do not affect customer workflows. These deploys take place every two weeks and can be tested in the beta environment before the production deploy date indicated in the title of this document. Intended changes in workflow are noted in the Canvas Release Notes published monthly.
Deploy notes may include notable fixed bugs, resolved fixes in Known Issues, and other updates that do not affect user functionality.
- Interface Updates
- Account Settings
- Course Availability Date Restriction
- Course Settings
- Participation Date Visibility
- Participation Date Restriction
- New Quizzes
- Return Button Workflow
- Save and Build Button Workflow (Beta Only)
- Fixed Bugs
- Accessibility
- Gradebook
- Account Settings
- Import to New Quizzes Feature Option
- Announcements
- Delayed Announcements and Safari Browser
- Assignments
- Concluded Enrollments and Assignment Enhancements
- External Apps (LTI) and Complete/Incomplete Assignments
- File Upload Restrictions and Assignment Enhancements
- Course Settings
- Course Availability End Date
- SpeedGrader
- Unlimited Attempts and Assignment Resubmissions
Account Settings
Course Availability Date Restriction
This update is part of the Course Availability Date Enhancements feature, originally included in the Canvas Release Notes (2021-03-20). Discussion about this change is welcome in Releases Q&A: 2021-03-20 Course Settings.
Summary
The course participation options in Canvas courses can be disabled for instructors.
Change Benefit
This change allows admins to disallow instructors to change start and end dates for individual courses. Additionally, admins no long need to rely on JavaScript files to hide the participation section.
Affected User Roles
Admins
In the Settings page, the Account Settings section includes an option to not let instructors modify course availability dates. This option is not selected by default.
When an admin selects the Don’t Let Teachers Modify Course Availability Dates checkbox and clicks the Update Settings button for the page, instructors will not be able to change the participation dates within their courses. This change applies to the entire account.
Note: Currently this setting only applies to course dates and does not apply to section dates.
Related Idea Conversation: Admin Control to Lock Course Starts and Ends Dates - Canvas Community
Course Settings
Participation Date Visibility
This update is part of the Course Availability Date Enhancements feature, originally included in the Canvas Release Notes (2021-03-20). Discussion about this change is welcome in Releases Q&A: 2021-03-20 Course Settings.
Summary
Term dates for the course display in the Course Settings page.
Change Benefit
This change allows instructors to view the start and end dates for the term, as set by their Canvas admin.
Affected User Roles
Instructors
When instructors view the Settings page for their courses, they can view the dates set for the availability dates in the course. If course participation is set to term, the term dates for student access display in the page.
If no dates have been created for the term (such as when the Default Term is used), the term start and end dates do not display any dates.
If dates have been created for the term, the term start and end dates for student access display in the page.
Note: Term dates can only be modified by a Canvas admin.
Participation Date Restriction
This update is part of the Course Availability Date Enhancements feature, originally included in the Canvas Release Notes (2021-03-20). Discussion about this change is welcome in Releases Q&A: 2021-03-20 Course Settings.
Summary
Course participation dates may be restricted within courses.
Change Benefit
This change allows admins to manage participation dates for all courses in the account.
Affected User Roles
Instructors
When instructors view the Settings page for their Courses, they can view the Participation section. However, if they are restricted from changing course availability dates, the Participation drop-down menu is disabled.
Instructors can view the dates specified for student course participation.
New Quizzes
Return Button Workflow
Discussion about this change is welcome in New Quizzes Instructor Workflow Changes
Summary
The Return button in the New Quiz engine builder returns the user back to the area where the quiz was accessed.
Change Benefit
This change helps users maintain their workflow when navigating the course. Previously the Return button always returned the user to the Assignments page.
Affected User Roles
Instructors, Students
When a user views a quiz using the New Quizzes engine and clicks the Return button, the user is taken back to the area where the quiz was accessed. Previously the Return button always took users back to the Assignment page.
When a user views a quiz using the New Quizzes engine and clicks the Return button, the user is taken back to the area where the quiz was accessed. Previously the Return button always took users back to the Assignment page.
- When a new quiz is accessed from Modules, the Return button takes the user back to the Modules page
- When a new quiz is accessed from Assignments, the Return button takes the user back to the Assignments page
- When a new quiz is accessed from Quizzes, the Return button takes the user back to the Quizzes page
- When a new quiz is accessed from the Gradebook, the Return button takes the user back to the Gradebook
- When a new quiz is accessed from the Grades page, the Return button takes the user back to the Grades page
Related Idea Conversation: New Quiz Settings, Can it be Streamlined?
Save and Build Button Workflow (Beta Only)
This interface update is available in the beta environment only; it will not be part of the upcoming production deploy. Production availability will be announced at a later date.
Discussion about this change is welcome in New Quizzes Instructor Workflow Changes
Summary
The New Quiz creation page includes both a Save button and a Build button.
Change Benefit
This change aligns the Save button behavior with other areas of Canvas, and the Build button distinctively separates the workflow for building a quiz.
Affected User Roles
Instructors
When an instructor creates and enters details for a quiz, the page displays both a Save and a Build button. Previously the page only included the Save button, which counterintuitively launched the New Quiz editor.
The Save button saves the content in the existing page and returns the user to the area where the quiz was accessed. This change to the Save button mimics similar behavior located throughout Canvas regarding saving page content.
The Build button saves the existing page and launches the New Quiz editor.
Accessibility
Gradebook
For students, the tooltip has been updated for assignments with a manual post policy. The tooltip has been updated as Instructor has not posted this grade.
Account Settings
Import to New Quizzes Feature Option
This change was deployed to the production environment on 7 April.
Quiz importing functionality is included in the New Quizzes Feature Option.
Explanation: When the New Quizzes feature option was off and unlocked, and the New Quizzes importing feature option was on, users were forced to import QTI files as New Quizzes in course content migrations. Canvas code has been updated to remove the New Quizzes Importing feature option and include import functionality as part of the New Quizzes feature option.
Announcements
Delayed Announcements and Safari Browser
When an instructor accesses Canvas in Safari 13.1.2+ and includes a course file in an announcement, delayed announcements are posted at the intended time.
Explanation: When an instructor accessed Canvas in Safari 13.1.2+, included a course file in an announcement, and delayed the announcement until a future date, the Delay Posting option was not recognized and the announcement was posted immediately. Canvas code has been updated to correct delayed announcements postings in Safari.
Assignments
Concluded Enrollments and Assignment Enhancements
When Assignment Enhancements is enabled for a course, students with concluded enrollments cannot submit assignments.
Explanation: When Assignment Enhancements had been enabled for a course, and a student with a concluded status accessed an assignment, the student could upload the assignment. However, upon submitting the assignment, Canvas generated an error message. Canvas code has been updated to not allow students with concluded enrollments to submit assignments.
External Apps (LTI) and Complete/Incomplete Assignments
Assignments created via an LTI tool and scored as complete/incomplete are passed back correctly to Canvas.
Explanation: When an LTI assignment score was passed back to the LTI provider, the score was calculated before the score was submitted to Canvas. However, for Canvas grades, incomplete and Complete assignments were only able to be calculated as 0% or 100%. Canvas code has been updated to align LTI 1.1 tools with all Canvas grades. Assignments calculates a score above 0 as complete, while LTI 1.1 calculates a score of 1 (100%) as complete. This change aligns both percentage options and provides a passback grade of 0.5 as complete.
File Upload Restrictions and Assignment Enhancements
When Assignment Enhancements is enabled for a course, supported text-based file extensions can be uploaded for an assignment.
Explanation: When Assignment Enhancements had been enabled for a course, and file extension restrictions were enabled for an Online assignment, some accepted text-based file extensions resulted in an error. Canvas code has been updated to improve file loading for supported extensions.
Course Settings
Course Availability End Date
This change was deployed to the production environment on 7 April.
A selected end date via the date selector tool is retained for the course.
Explanation: When the Participation option was set to Course dates, an end date was set with the date selector tool, and whitespace was selected or the Update Course Details button selected, the date changed to either the day after the start date or a date in the future. Canvas code has been updated to retain the selected end date for the course.
SpeedGrader
Unlimited Attempts and Assignment Resubmissions
Assignments can be assigned as a resubmission if the assignment has unlimited attempts.
Explanation: When an assignment was set to allow a limited number of attempts and then changed to unlimited, the button to reassign the assignment to students who have submitted in SpeedGrader was not clickable and displayed a message that the student has met the maximum allowed attempts. Canvas code has been updated to support unlimited attempts in assignment resubmissions.
| Date | |
|---|---|
| 2021-04-08 |
Added: Interface Updates
Added: Fixed Bugs
|
| 2021-04-02 | Deploy Notes Published |
