Ungraded Assignments - To Do List Checkmark should turn green after viewing, or perhaps have an option for students to check it off manually

[lka11]

  This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

  Idea will be open for vote Wed. October 7, 2015 - Wed. January 6, 2016  Learn more about voting...

My institution uses an ungraded assignment at the beginning of each lesson to list important, required items (such as readings, videos, etc.). We use an ungraded assignment because we want this page to show up on the syllabus and calendar with a due date; nonetheless, there is no submission needed.

To ensure this items appears on the syllabus schedule, we made it an "assignment"

To ensure this item does not appear in the grade book, we marked it "ungraded"

Problem: We had several students (in two different pilot courses) inquire about what they were missing or what they needed to do. They had already done all of the readings, etc., that were listed on the ungraded assignment, but the checkmark on the To Do list will not turn green. This leaves the student thinking that they missed a submission and still need to do something.

Among other things, we tried adding requirements (such as must view page, or must mark as done), but these also did not change the color of the checkmark on the To Do list. (using these features did, however, add a green check to these items on the MODULES page)

Instructor Feedback (1 of many):

I don't know if anyone else is experiencing this with students in Canvas, but they are a little overly concerned about getting green check marks for everything. This is partly because the app reminds them of assignments that have not received check marks. The "activities" for each week are ungraded and students understand that, but they would still like a check mark to appear after they have viewed the videos. There maybe something simple that can be added to the bottom (still ungraded) that would allow them click and get a check mark when they are done watching the videos.

I have one student that asked me, then the LAs, and then posted to the class discussion forum looking for ways to get a satisfying check mark on the ungraded assignments. He's been told each time that he's not loosing points by not having the check mark, but he still wants one... I guess it's like a badge.

Renee CarneyRenee Carney responded to our initial inquiries with this info:

The correct answer at this time is that the only green check you can get to appear on an ungraded assignment is in the modules requirements.  Chris Hofer and Kona Jones provided excellent information on how to accomplish that, and it sounds like you have been doing a lot of testing.  I cannot find a way to have the green check appear in the 'to do' list for an ungraded assignment.

  Comments from Instructure

For more information, please read through the Canvas Production Release Notes (2016-10-29)

*Community Team Note:

This idea is being marked as 'complete' even though "or perhaps have an option for students to check it off manually" was not part of the development.

[Renee_Carney]

Great idea development here!  Nice work!

[jordan]

This idea has moved to the next stage and will be open for voting among the Canvas Community, from Wed. October 7, 2015 - Wed. January 6, 2015.

Check out this doc for additional details about how the voting process works!

[ngee]

I had a similar idea here. Students should be able to mark or cross out assignments they have done--even if they are ungraded or if they were turned in as a paper copy and Canvas doesn't know the assignment is finished.

[Beth_Young]

I'm trying to figure out how people get ungraded assignments onto the To Do list in the first place. They don't show up there for me: " modifiedtitle="true" title="Put everything with a deadline into the to-do list   They do show up on the syllabus and in the "Coming Up" list.

[lka11]

I believed that the fact that we make it an Assignment with a deadline (Ungraded) is what made it show up there

[Beth_Young]

Assignments with deadlines don't do the trick for me. They need to have a submission type. Maybe your assignments have a submission type? Or maybe you are talking about something other than the To Do list?

[vmawadallah100]

I totally agree because as a student, Canvas mixes assignments I have turned in, and assignments I have not. This is very confusing, and tricky because I keep thinking I turned in something I didn't, and I didn't turn in something I did. This triggers that panicky feeling every once in a while. It would help if there was even a whole different section for ungraded assignments, and another whole section for "To Do," so there is no confusion.

[ngee]

I agree. Some students get confused with this so many times that they stop using the to-do list, which of course is one of the best tools for organizing their work.

Nathaniel Gee

[julie_ryan]

It would also be nice to show the checkmark in the Module item lists. This way students could quickly see what they need to finish without clicking into other areas.

[mfarlow]

We should absolutely be able to check off items we have completed. Some instructors set assignments up in a way that it does not check off (which makes me anxious), along with the calendar events we create ourselves - for some reason we cannot cross it off when it's completed.