Community

We would like the default email notification setting for “Content Updates” and “Files” to be off, so that students would intentionally opt in per course if they would like these updates. Some example cases where having the notifications "on" for everyone by default has been problematic are: For "Content Updates" - we use Canvas in large staff training courses, and a minor edit on a page may unintentionally send email notifications to 1000s of students who are unaware of the email notification settings. For "Files" - when an instructor uploads a file to a course, it is set to a “published” status by default and the “Files” area is also visible in the navigation menu by default for a newly created course. This can potentially lead to sending email notifications whenever a file is uploaded to the course, even if the intention is not to send it. If it is not possible to modify the default to off across Canvas, we would like to suggest allowing a new permission for admins to customize the default for which notification types are on or off at an institutional/sub-account level. ... View more

When prospective learners register themselves on the waitlist for a paid course in Catalog, they aren’t automatically enrolled into the course when a spot opens. They receive an email notification of the “Waitlist Invite Email” type which contains a user-specific link to then pay and claim the spot. However, on the student dashboard, the learner can only view the course where they are waitlisted and not take any actions from there. Our suggestion is to have a feature in the UI (e.g. on the Student dashboard list) for learners to not only view the waitlisted course but also accept the waitlist and continue to payment when it is their turn to claim the spot. This would help to address two workflow problems we are facing with learners accepting the waitlist spot: The first issue is that the hyperlink and prominent action button in this email notification directs to a URL in the following format: http://[Catalog URL]/courses/[listingID#]/enrollment/new. Therefore, the learner must be logged in to their Catalog account first for this link to work, and otherwise they are treated as a new user and sees that the enrollment is full even if they follow the link. This creates confusion about accepting their waitlisted spot as stated in the default email notification.   The second issue is that the hyperlink depends on a unique URL that is only contained in this email notification. At our institution we are asked to make emails link-free for cybersecurity reasons, and we would like to provide alternatives for learners to take actions from within the main Catalog interface wherever possible. ... View more

When a learner is on a waitlist for a Catalog course and a spot opens up, they will receive a "Waitlist: Action Needed" email that indicates "You have 12 hours to finalize your enrollment before your spot is taken." If that person does not finalize their enrollment in 12 hours, the spot is then offered to the next person on the waitlist.  We find this default time frame very short and instead of 12 hours, we would prefer to have an option to customize this for our sub-catalog to a longer time frame such as 24h or 48h. I’ve raised this with Canvas support, but was informed there is currently no setting that allows our institution or Instructure to change the time delay configuration.  Having the customization option would be beneficial because:  It would allow admins to control the time frame appropriately to make their courses accessible to their intended target audience. From a cybersecurity perspective, the call for urgent action increases suspicion that the email notification is phishing. The waitlist email may be sent a while after the learner registered themselves on the waitlist and thus may not be expected, so a reasonable time buffer would help encourage proper verification before they click on an embedded link, input their credentials, and payment information to claim the spot.  Please note this applies specifically to Canvas Catalog listings that have (1) an Enrollment Fee, (2) Student Cap, and (3) Allow Wait List options enabled. ... View more

In the New Quizzes "Moderate" tab, it seems we can search and filter for students by their name but not by other identifiers such as the SIS ID or Canvas ID. The "SIS ID" is a key identifier for students especially when some have the same name. Is it possible to have other identifiers recognized in the New Quiz moderate page to help with the search function? ... View more