Required Viewing is saying complete when they haven't viewed the module

[goldhardtmh]

We have teachers who have created modules with pages and requiring them to be viewed so that they know the teacher has completed the module section.  

However, we have had students just enroll who in gradebook show that they completed the modules, yet they did not even view them yet.  

What did we do wrong? 

[Note from the Community Team: attached image deleted to ensure student privacy]

[Shar · Accepted solution]

Hi Michael Goldhardt,

First, you will want to replace your screen shot with one that does not show student names since this community is available to the internet at large.

Next, your teachers will want to actually put in the module requirements to the items in the modules. https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-13134-415261967 

Without the requirements to See, Mark Done, Submit, or Contribute on the individual items, the modules will show as complete for any students.

But when I add a new module and put in some requirements via More -> Edit:

Before a student looks at the items in the module, the teacher sees the module is unlocked:

And if the student just looks at the first item, the teacher sees what the student has left to do to complete the module:

The student sees the work they have completed with a green check-mark:

My best advice is to make the first item in the module View so that you can tell a student has at least started the first item in the module. Keep in mind View just lets us know that the web browser entered that web page; we don't know if they actually read anything on the page.

Hope this answer helps,
Cheers - Shar

[Shar · Accepted solution]

Hi Michael Goldhardt,

First, you will want to replace your screen shot with one that does not show student names since this community is available to the internet at large.

Next, your teachers will want to actually put in the module requirements to the items in the modules. https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-13134-415261967 

Without the requirements to See, Mark Done, Submit, or Contribute on the individual items, the modules will show as complete for any students.

But when I add a new module and put in some requirements via More -> Edit:

Before a student looks at the items in the module, the teacher sees the module is unlocked:

And if the student just looks at the first item, the teacher sees what the student has left to do to complete the module:

The student sees the work they have completed with a green check-mark:

My best advice is to make the first item in the module View so that you can tell a student has at least started the first item in the module. Keep in mind View just lets us know that the web browser entered that web page; we don't know if they actually read anything on the page.

Hope this answer helps,
Cheers - Shar

[Stef_retired]

Thanks for catching that, ishar-uw‌; we've removed the screenshot.

[bratsj58]

For some reason that I can't figure out, this is happening to my course for the first time in a semester that begins tomorrow. It is only happening for 10 of my 25 students. I made requirements for completion and published the first two of my modules and locked them. The same day, I happened to "View Progress" on the Modules page and saw that for 10 seemingly random students, the first module was "Unlocked," and the second module was "Complete." They hadn't even looked at the course.
I got advice from Canvas Support to rearrange, delete, and relock the contents and requirements of the modules, but that did nothing. Then a helpful Canvas Support person was able to go into my course and relock the modules for all 25 students. Relief? Yes! But the next day, as soon as I published the 3rd module, those same 10 students had "Completes" again for the 3rd module, even though they are locked--at least for the other 15 students.

I am awaiting Canvas Support's help again, but as it's the weekend, I thought I'd come here to the Community to see if I could find any help. It seems to be some anomaly about those 10 specific students, but I can't find anything they have in common. A few of them are continuing in my class (ESL) from the spring, but most of them are brand new students to me. In the 15 for whom the modules are still locked, there is also a mix of continuing and brand new students.

In the shots below, the first one shows the way it looks for the majority of the students, and the second one shows the way it looks for the 10 anomalies.

[SusanNiemeyer]

I also teach ESL in remote synchronous classes, and this is what I have learned about Module Requirements.

1. If you only check "Students Must Complete These Requirements," the students will still be able to access the next module as soon as you publish it. I personally prefer this option because I want all of my students to access each week's module regardless of whether they have fallen behind.

2. If you want to require that students complete the items in a module in order to have access to the next module, you need to also click on +Prerequisite and designate which module they must complete first.

3. Note that +Prerequisite is different from checking "Students move through these requirements in sequential order."  

4. For Pages, I recommend that you choose the option "Mark as Done," not "View."  At least with "Mark as Done," the students have to scroll to the bottom of the page and check "Mark as Done." Viewing a page just means clicking on it. 

I hope that this helps.

[SusanNiemeyer]

@bratsj58  I might suggest that you post a screenshot of how you have set up your module. Then we can see which options you have checked (or not checked).

Here is an example of how I've set up my module. In my class, I don't require my students to complete a prerequisite module. They also can do the various activities in my module out of order. What that means is that they get a "green checkmark" for each completed activity, nothing more.

[bratsj58]

Sure. Here's a screenshot of Unit 1, my second module, which is not yet unlocked. The thing is that this only happens to 10 of the 25 students (getting Completes before the module is unlocked). Some of those 10 have not even looked at the course, yet. They have no grades, and the class doesn't even start until tomorrow. I've only opened the Orientation unit (the first module) so that they can get some housekeeping out of the way. There are no prerequisites, and it's fine for them to work on a module out of order.

[SusanNiemeyer]

When you say "locked," do you mean that it is "unpublished?'  In this screenshot, you can see that I have "locked" the Unit 1 module. It will be available on June 13. You can also see that I have set up a "prerequisite" module ("Welcome to ESL 6C - Getting Started").

If you have published the Unit 1 Module, then it is now open to your students. I would suggest going to "Student View" to verify what your students can (and can't) access.

That being said, what you are describing sounds like a real anomaly. I have no idea why students who haven't yet logged into your course are shown having completed the module requirements. 

[bratsj58]

Yes, it's an anomaly, as far as I can tell. I've been doing this for 2 years and haven't had this happen. I've required the Orientation module as a prerequisite in the past, but since students have to complete it to get a badge, it's not been necessary. My class is a hybrid, with one 2-hour meeting a week and the rest asynchronous. Usually the published-but-locked modules are grayed out; the students can see them, but can't open them. It's possible that they are still grayed out, even for the 10 students who seem to get "completes" as soon as they're published. I had one of them ask me when  the modules would open. If that's the case, the only problem I have is that they're automatically awarded a badge (from badgr) when they complete a module. Those 10 students already have the badge for Unit 2, which messes with the purpose of the badges. Anyway, I'll ask them this morning in our Zoom meeting. Student View shows the locked modules as grayed out, but Test Student (me) isn't one of the 10 anomalous students.

I do use "Mark as done" for a few things, but since there are so many assignments and quizzes with points, I usually just make those the requirements. I really do appreciate your trying to help, though!

[bratsj58 · Accepted solution]

This was solved for me today by a great guy at Canvas Support, Will P. For anyone else who might experience this problem in the future (some students receiving Completes on locked modules), get on the horn (the chat) to Canvas Support. It apparently had to do with a caching issue related to the modules, causing the system to believe some students had already completed it. Will P. was able to clear some caching data from the accounts of the 10 students. He advised me to edit the module in question and then re-lock it. Everything is hunky-dory again, and future occurrences have also been prevented.