[To Do] Disable the To Do List

I want students to work from the Modules and complete work in the order on the Module.  This ensures student learning progresses in a sound pedagogical order.  The student To Do list completely sabotages student learning.  If they click on an assignment on the To Do list without doing all the preparatory pages and information I have listed, in order, on the Module, they are not properly prepared or reinforcing their learning.

 

I have to put big red words to asking them NOT to work from the TO DO list, but some students will take the short cut anyway.  

 

Also, the student To Do list takes up too much screen real estate.  This right frame is completely counter-productive and unnecessary. 

 

Please put in a feature where the instructor can control or disable the student To Do list.

Added to Theme

120 Comments
jroney
Community Participant

Agreed. Liked. Let's add something to turn off the To-Do list as an in course option. 

snelso01
Community Explorer

Hello Canvas Community,

I am writing with a special wish to be delivered to the Canvas code writers and decision makers....my post is from these perspectives: Instructional Technology Support Specialist, a Mom, a 6th grade teacher, and a student of a different Canvas course.

Canvas Wish PNG.png

Do you wonder why I am wishing for this control?

With my IT Support 🤠 hat, I am trying to help teachers figure out how to turn this off and on.  I have to let them down when I say that they can't do it.

With my parent 👒 hat, I have 3 kids and 2 out of 3 are in tears and upset about the confusing "Coming Up" and "To Do" lists - Coming up just creates stress for them, and To Do doesn't check of assignments done within the Google LTI.  So many teachers are attaching LTI assignments now and they don't cross off the list.

With my 6th grade teacher 🧢 cap, all of my students are accessing assignments that are out of order and not ready to be accessed yet because of the To Do List.  Ugh!

As a student of a Canvas course, I am irritated by seeing these side bar items and I want personal control over them.  

So there it is, Canvas, please please please grant my wish if possible.

Cheers!   We appreciate Canvas in so many ways.

Sharon

 

 

 

kordon_k
Community Novice

Please, please, PLEASE disable the to-do list - or at the very least give teachers the option for it to show or not for their courses.  Even a simple button for when we post assignments to "include in student to-do list" would be sufficient - give us the choice to opt in or out for our studets.  Students at the middle and high school level 1: get overwhelmed when they see the enormity of tasks that are on their plate for a day let alone a whole week; 2: oftentimes will go to the to-do list and miss out on important resources, videos, instructions, or post-assignment applications because they simply want to get the "to-do" items off of their plate rather than go through them with the scaffolding and resources they need to be truly successful.  The use of prerequisites is not sufficient as a gatekeeper to the next content - it only leads to frustration for many students for whom it is a daily challenge to simply get them to log into a class especially when so many schools and districts in remote learning during this pandemic.

angela_dorsey
Community Member

We would appreciate this option as well for the same reasons mentioned in the original request.

 

 

TeachMoore
Community Explorer

Where is the button to vote for this long overdue idea?

kkdegner
Community Novice

I agree. Please give teachers the option to disable the to do list in Canvas. I want students working through the modules. I also have readings that don't have due dates because they are pages so students are skipping important content.

jcallahan2
Community Member

This is long overdue.  Please allow a disable option for the To Do list.  

bspiers
Community Member

Would it be possible to provide the option to hide the "To Do" list? Students are going straight to the "To Do" list and bypassing the instruction. 

fdollar38
Community Member

I just had a student submit an assignment that isn't due until November 19 because it showed up on their To-Do list. In the comment section was, "I am so confused by this." I haven't even published the module yet, but made the "mistake" of publishing the assignment. Now I can't go un-publish the assignment because there is a student submission, and I can't reject the submission because that isn't allowed. I will have to delete the assignment and rebuild it. The To-Do list is great in theory, but the application is mediocre at best. Why this particular assignment showed up in the list when this student is missing others and there are so many other assignments due prior to November 19 is baffling.

Please allow teachers to disable the To-Do list.

warbuckle
Community Member

I totally agree.  What can we do to move this along?