Automatically adjust timezone based on user location

[hobokenhero]

Hello,

I am a student, and I just failed my class's first assignment because of Canvas.

Here's what happened: Yesterday, I traveled from New York to California for the first time in over a year. Since I still have online classes, I woke up early to check for assignments. My Canvas dashboard said I had one assignment due, and the deadline for this assignment read as 12 p.m. As I went to submit the assignment at 10:45 a.m., Canvas restricted me from submitting the assignment because the deadline passed. How is this possible? Because my Canvas was still showing all my deadlines in the New York timezone. I should have actually submitted the assignment at 9 a.m. Ugh. 

The problem: In Canvas, the user has to manually set the timezone. Unless the user changes the timezone, the assignment's time will read as, for example, "12pm" for 12 p.m. EST. If you move timezones, the user has to remember to adjust the timezone, or else it causes confusion and stress for unwitting students.

My suggestion: Include an option in Canvas's settings that says, "Use my current location," and allows the user's Canvas to adjust assignment times based on the user's current location.

Alternative suggestion: If Canvas notices the user is in a different timezone than the timezone in the user's settings, make a popup that asks the user if they'd like to change their timezone.

Alternative, alternative suggestion: Include the timezone next to assignment due dates. For example, "10 p.m. EST" instead of "10 p.m."

Alternative, alternative, alternative suggestion: Do all of it! Do everything you possibly can to prevent somebody else from ending up like me. 😞

P.S. Does this feature already exist? And I just don't know? Thanks!

[hobokenhero]

P.P.S. Unfortunately, neither my school nor my professor was sympathetic to my situation, so I failed this assignment. Had I known the assignment was due earlier, then of course I would have done it earlier! I had the time! This post is meant to help someone like me in the future. 

[RobDitto]

Rated 5 stars, @hobokenhero! I really respect both the vision here and the real-world problems a feature like this would resolve.  Our business students have run into all the same issues over the years. 

[hobokenhero]

Thank you for your comment, @RobDitto! Because everything I do in college hinges on accurate due dates listed on Canvas, I and many others need to see this issue fixed and addressed *PROMPTLY*! 

[BetsyDatema]

Please adjust assignment due date settings to allow for a due date, but to not require a time.  This way, if the institution is in Eastern and a student is in Pacific, it will not count them late if they submit the assignment within the day it is due in their time zone.

[ProductPanda]

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