[Modules] Unlocking Modules for individual students

Hi all,

 

This idea has already been requested, but did not get enough votes. Manually Override Module Requirements for Students

 

Any chance this can go through the voting cycle again! Would be brilliant to have this idea incorporated within Canvas. In our k-12 institution we like to encourage independent learning, so we let students move through modules at their own pace. Different students have different capabilities and some may be quicker to complete module requirements, which is why we would like to open progressive modules for individual students whilst keeping the module locked for the remaining students. Whereas now, if were to open the modules those students who have not yet completed modules feel pressured and try to rush through the modules.

Added to Theme

Enable Differentiated Learning at Scale Theme Status: In Development

89 Comments
canvas_support8
Community Participant

Can't this be achieved using Mastery Paths?

maguire
Community Champion

I have found that one can add a gatekeeper assignment and then make a module that is "protected" by the gatekeeper assignment. This exploits the fact that you can set up prerequisites for access to a module. This assignment can be a purely administrative assignment where the student does not have to submit anything,  but the instructor has to assign a score - thus enabling the student to access the next module once the score is above the minimum to start this next module.

I have used this to facilitate students doing a self-enrolment in a course, then the gatekeeper assignment is used by a human who checks for eligibility to start this course.  Once the criteria to start the course are met, then the student can proceed to the next module - where they fill out a survey that is used to collect data about the degree project that they propose doing. This is used by an administrator to assign an examiner to the student. ...

In the future, I would like to replace the manual check for eligibility with a program that does this check - but that is not ready (yet).

maguire
Community Champion

I wanted to follow up my earlier comment with some background https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/2541-module-access-to-specific-groups-sections-or-students .   (see  @thompsli ‌ 's gatekeeper approach - with Prerequisite of "gatekeeper-ignore" module). Some additional documentation about this is at Followup to "Storträffen" 20181115: Chip sandbox  ["Storträffen" in Swedish means "Big meeting". The issue was to find a way to provide better control of the visibility of content - as Canvas lacks per page/object level access control - unlike the KTH Social system where each page of content can have one of three levels of access. The idea was to find a way to make more people comfortable with making their courses open by default, but just blocking access to some of the content by the public or others in the university. For example, there is some content in one of my courses that I only have permission from my co-author (who is not employed by my university) to use in this course. Other parts of the course could be completely public or certainly readable within the university, but not this specific content (for three lectures with videos). ]

GideonWilliams
Community Champion

Thanks. Will read this with interest especially after https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/5319-hiding-and-viewing-modules-for-individual-sections?sr=sea...‌ which is a very popular idea with the Benelux Canvas Users Group (and many others)

maguire
Community Champion

Note that it is possible to encode multiple requirements into the unlocking, for example - a degree project course might require that the student has completed a certain minimum number of points (encode this as 1) and to have completed a research methodology course (encode this as 2),  Furthermore, it might be possible for the director of studies to approve a student starting without completing both requirements (encode this as a 4), Then the criteria to unlock the subsequent module is simply a score of 3 or more.

I have not thought this through for more than this combination of 3 criteria, but I suspect that it generalizes.

angela5
Community Novice

This would be most useful for students who have to do make up work, without all the students have to sort through the opened modules.

Nancy_Webb_CCSF
Community Champion

I thought of another use - faculty peer reviewers are given student permissions when they visit a course under review, but if it is all locked up with requirements and prerequisites it's difficult for them to get a good look.  Would be very useful for observers to have modules unlocked for them.

bstanley
Community Explorer

I think it is a great idea.  We also have students on 504 Learning Plans or IEPs that require individualization.  It is important that we be able to meet the needs of these students and others by allowing modules to be unlocked for individual students when it is appropriate

dli1
Community Member

This capability should not apply solely to modules but to pages and assignments as well.  The main problem is that whatever structure a given instructor uses for their course, it is cumbersome to create individual exceptions (for any number of good reasons) without affecting all students with confusing announcements and access that are undesirable.  This was a standard feature in Blackboard and I have lost it in the shift to Canvas.  And NO, adaptive release does not serve exactly the same purpose in many situations.

GideonWilliams
Community Champion

I am hugely disappointed that Canvas does not consider this a key feature especially from a pedgogical standpoint. They are not even prepared to do this for sections - https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/5319-hiding-and-viewing-modules-for-individual-sections?sr=sea...‌ . The feedback that I have been given is that the request does not have interest beyond a particular user group (Netherlands) which I believe is simply not true.