This morning, we gathered our product team to discuss your feedback on the recent Speedgrader changes that apply to all Discussions in the Discussion Checkpoints feature. We heard you loud and clear – the update disrupted your grading workflow, especially for those not using Discussion Checkpoints. We understand how frustrating this has been, and we’ve decided to disable Discussion Checkpoints effective immediately until we can respond to your feedback and needs. If institutions would like to utilize Checkpoints before it is reenabled, they can reach out to their CSMs.
Note: If your institution has enabled Discussion Checkpoints, it remains enabled. Your institution can disable it by adjusting the feature flag. When the Feature Flag is disabled, Checkpoint Discussions will show a banner message informing instructors that it was disabled. Instructors will need to edit the discussion to update the due date. Points and assigned users will remain unchanged.
Here are the main concerns you’ve shared and how we are addressing them:
Speedgrader Changes Impacting All Discussions:
- The Issue: The updated Discussion experience in Speedgrader, designed to optimize the grading experience for Discussion Checkpoints, was applied to all discussions, even those without checkpoints enabled.
- Our Solution: While our initial group of testers felt that these features would be beneficial to all Speedgrader users, we are hearing now that many others disagree. We will work to incorporate this additional perspective into an update that will allow users to choose either version.
Accessibility Concerns:
- The Issue: Concerns have been raised about the accessibility of the updated Speedgrader interface. More specifically around the newly added Previous Reply and Next Reply buttons, their placement on the page, and how they behave when navigating an individual user’s posts.
- Our Solution: We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible learning environment for everyone. We’ll be re-testing the updated Speedgrader interface, making some UX changes, and quickly addressing any reported accessibility issues to ensure it meets the highest accessibility standards.
Addressing Issues in Large Courses:
- We are looking into the performance issues some instructors are experiencing with the changes to Speedgrader in large courses with high student enrollment. Our development team is actively investigating and optimizing the system to ensure smooth and efficient grading for all course sizes.
Benefits of the New Discussions Experience in Speedgrader:
The latest updates to the new Discussions experience in Speedgrader were developed in partnership with our users, who told us they were looking for these benefits:
- Enhanced Context: Instructors can now view student responses within the context of the entire discussion thread, including the original prompt and other replies, and reply directly from Speedgrader. This provides a more holistic understanding of student engagement and participation.
- Updated Navigation: The "previous" and "next" buttons allow for more efficient grading, especially for longer discussions with multiple participants.
- Seamless Integration with Checkpoints: The changes to Speedgrader provide a streamlined and intuitive grading experience for instructors using Discussion Checkpoints.
- Integration with Third-Party Tools: The integration with discussion checkpoints lays the groundwork for integration with tools like Turn-It-In or other AI detection tools to verify the authenticity of student work.
Discussion Checkpoints - Optional and Flexible:
- Discussion Checkpoints are completely optional. Admins can enable or disable them at the root level for your institution based on your teaching needs and preferences. The feature is turned off by default.
Moving Forward:
We are committed to addressing your feedback and continuously improving the Canvas experience. We will keep you updated on the progress of these improvements and provide clear communication about any upcoming changes. Feedback will be collected through a Maze survey shared below. The survey is a follow-up to feedback given by Canvas Community members and will further explore issues related to how Speedgrader works with discussions, especially checkpointed discussions.
We believe that these changes have the potential to significantly enhance the grading workflow for discussions. We appreciate your engagement, patience, and understanding as we work to make Discussion Checkpoints a reality.
We encourage you to continue sharing your feedback and suggestions. Your input is invaluable in helping us shape the future of Canvas.
