[Discussions] Multiple Due Dates (checkpoints) for Discussions

[chriswhite]

This idea has been developed and is On Canvas Beta •  How do I access the Canvas beta environment?

For more information, please read through the Canvas Release Notes (2025-01-18) 

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With the way that many schools set up forum discussions and require "check-ins" to the forum throughout the week, it would be great if we could include multiple due dates in the discussion activities. For instance, I have classes that require everyone respond to the prompt by Thursday night and respond to at least 2 peers by the following Sunday. Being able to remind students that they have responses due, especially if we could scatter responses over multiple days, would likely increase participation.

[lhughes]

Adding my support for the idea of multiple due dates for discussions.  

Sorry, just saw the above post noting that this feature is coming.  YAY!

[susan_day]

I agree on the multiple dates. However, my students say the discussions aren't really discussions because people post and leave or post, reply and leave and there are multiple iterations of the same topic in people's posts. They suggest having discussion "leaders" each week. That means a different assignment and different rubric for some students but everyone on the same discussion. These leaders would be essentially designated initial posters and generate a few threads that are focused.

[baldwinsh]

@susan_day  I believe you could do something like this, but you would need to notify which students were going to be the leaders for that week and make sure to not check the post saying that you must post before seeing other students' replies.  How would students be able to recognize the posts as the questions, though?  Students can set up their own groups as well.  https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Student-Guide/How-do-I-create-a-group-as-a-student/ta-p/280

Would this work for what you are thinking of doing?

[worden]

Canvas Admins/Developers,

Please, please include a multiple due date feature, especially for discussion boards!  Many of my faculty are always asking for this and are so disappointed because it is not an available feature, especially instructors who come from using Moodle, who does have this feature.

I will keep my fingers crossed!

[frischcc]

This feature would be very useful for the students and help keep them on track.  It would also streamline our time as well.  Please add it soon.  

[ELSAOSBORNE]

I just wanted to give canvas a suggestion! I think canvas should make a way to show two due dates on discussion posts (an initial due date for the post, plus a later due date for 2 replies). A lot of professors, almost all, that have discussions, make separate due dates for the two, but canvas only shows the final due date, so it's stressful when I have multiple discussions going and multiple due dates. That would be so helpful to so many students if canvas allowed for 2 due dates on discussions.

[hamath]

I was excited when I saw this discussion board post. But upon review, I see that the idea is six years old, extremely well requested and still not available.  My logical brain is saying that this seems an easy fix.  But obviously I'm not away of the intricacies of the code behind how Canvas grades are programmed.  Still, I find a bit ironic and funny that no resolution has been found. I've been pretty satisfied with Canvas, but obviously this is a negative.  Personally, I'm going to assume there is a good reason it can't be done and remain mildly frustrated... that's my plan.  When we do our review of LMS choices at my institution and if I'm on the review team, this will be an option I'll remember to look for because I found this thread ironic.  It won't be my only thing I use to evaluate LMS options, but it will now definitely be one of them.  Make it happen Canvas.  Make it happen.  Thanks

[baldwinsh]

@hamath Actually, Canvas is working on a solution to this much requested feature!  There is a setting called Announcements and Discussions Redesign where discussion boards can have two due dates.  There are still some bugs in the program so my institution has not yet adopted it, but when all of the kinks are worked out of the system, I will be very eager to use this in the courses that I design.  You can learn more about it at this announcement  and also here. 

[lenore_harris]

Hi, in all the training I've attended suggestions for sound pedagogy for distance learning suggests having students visit the course several times a week. Discussions should require students to post and reply to their peers. Certainly, my courses have been more robust and participatory when the students are required to post more than once.

This requires more than a single due date for the assignment. Up until this semester, this was not a problem.

Now, for whatever reason, whenever I need to post multiple dates I cannot do so without Canvas defaulting the assignment to "Everyone Else" which means that none of my students are aware of the first due date...which means all their posts are late.

I  am told that, in order to have multiple dates, I have to delete the first dates once it has passed and set the second date...

Because, of course, I have time to do that.

Not sure why this change was necessary. It is not useful, as is. Please change it back or, at least, give the instructor the option.

Thanks for hearing me out.

[egsmith3]

This is a hugely important feature. We all need this badly and I want to add my vote to this.