[Modules] Module prerequisites and unpublished module items

[Jeff_F]

Problem statement:

When a module has an unpublished item such as a page, sometimes students cannot progress past that module even when they have completed all the published items (view pages, etc.). In a class of 30, this happened to at least 3 students I am aware of. So at least 10%. It also happened to other instructors. This issue creates confusion and delay. The excellent support reps suggested I create an idea here. ( Canvas Support Case #08962392 )

Proposed solution:

Exclude unpublished module items from being part of the requirement/ perquisite. Perhaps bundle this request in with this prior idea: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Idea-Conversations/Prerequisites-or-requirements-for-individual-i...

User role(s):

instructor,student

[James]

@Jeff_F, when I read your description, my initial response was this doesn't sound right. I was questioning if what you were describing was the way it used to be and it had recently changed. I thought this sounds more like a bug than a feature. 

Then I thought about it a little bit longer and realized that I never had unpublished module items that were also module requirements. When I add a new module requirement, it asks me if I want to relock the module. In other words, I don't know that it was before with an unpublished item in the module that was listed as a requirement for completion of the module.

Then I thought about it more and thought that this might actually be the intended use for some people.

Canvas forces all of the module items to be published when you publish a module. That's not to say that you cannot unpublish items after publishing the module or that you cannot add unpublished items to the module after publishing the module. There's another thread going on here how people think Canvas should not publish items when publishing modules that is related to this.

The current behavior makes sense is if someone sets up a module requirement and includes an unpublished module item thinking that they will publish the item later in the term but then they forget. They supposedly wanted that unpublished item to be a requirement or they wouldn't have added it as requirement. Technically, the student hasn't completed the requirements, not because of their fault, but because the course designer (might be faculty) has some inconsistency in their course.

Then I went into modules to see what you were looking at and could actually visualize it. I understand why this would be confusing to students. They are told that they must complete all items, but unpublished items are not shown in the list of items that must be completed. When they complete all of the items, Making it worse is that the completion checkmark is shown for the module, they have completed all items that are visible to them.

Imagine my surprise when Canvas actually let me move on to the next module that had my module with a prerequisite to an unpublished assignment in it. That's not what Jeff was describing, I must be missing something ...

So I did some testing.

Here's my setup. I have a module that has three requirements. The last one is an unpublished page that the student must view to complete the requirement. The module requirements were re-locked when I added that requirement. The student has completed the first two module items. The module is listed as a prerequisite for the next module.

When that final page is unpublished, the students sees that they have completed all items in the module with green checkmarks next to each of the two visible items and also next to the Complete All Items at the top of the module. All of the items in the next module are available to the student.

If I publish the page and then reload the student (real account, not student view), they are now showing the third item is not complete and the module itself is not complete. However, the content in the next module is still visible to them. Likely because the student had visited the module when there were only two requirements to complete.

If I go back to the module requirements and relock the module while the page is published, then the module requirements work the way that you would expect: the module is not complete and the next module is locked. Note that I had to change a requirement on a module item to get Canvas to allow me to relock the module. Then I changed the requirement back to what I wanted and relocked it again.

If I unpublish the page and don't do anything else, then the student can get into the next module as I would expect with a page that they cannot see.

I now went into the module requirements, while the page was unpublished, and changed the requirements so that I could relock the module. Again, I did the double change: change it to something to get the option to relock it and then change it back to what I want and relock it again. I now reloaded the student's screen with the page still unpublished and it showed that the module was complete and allowed access to the next module. This is what I would expect when a student cannot see a page.

Then, I published the page. The student showed that the module was not complete, but they had access to the next module.

I even tried deleting my third page while it was published and actively preventing students from moving to the next module. Canvas removed it from the module requirements and the students were able to get back in. Restoring the page did not re-add it to the module requirements nor did it block module completion.

What it appears to me is that

1. completion of a module does honor the published state (at least for pages) of the module item,
2. if a module used as a prerequisite for another module is complete, then the second module is unlocked,
3. changing the published status for a module item change the completion status for the current module but does not automatically relock a previously unlocked module.
4. if you publish a module item and need to relock other modules, then you need to change some requirement for the module in order to get the option to relock the modules. Presumably, you would then have to change it back to what you wanted the module item requirement to be and relock it then (relocking it the first time probably isn't necessary, but when you change it back to the desired setting would be). Note that it doesn't have to be the item that you published that needs changed -- some items only allow "must view" and so you would have to change something else.

After all that, I decided to focus on the 10% part rather than what you're asking to happen. Everything I found matched with what you want and with what should happen. But if it's something that only happens 10% of the time, then my experiments could have easily been in the 90% of the time that it works right. In other words, my testing means absolutely nothing since I wasn't able to replicate the issue.

I wonder if there is something else going on with those 10% of the people. Does relocking the modules resolve the issue? Does it happen on a particular type of module item (is there something in common about those unpublished items). I only tested "must view" as a requirement -- what if that module item that was unpublished had something more stringent?

If we find the thing that causes the problem -- or the thing that fixes it -- we might be able to write a script that would go through and reset the issue so it doesn't happen.

If it's something that is happening correctly 90% of the time, then it doesn't seem like a feature request should be needed. A feature request would allow Canvas to gather information about how many people are experiencing this, but it seems like there should be some other way for that to happen. 

If something is not working 10% of the time that means there's something off and figuring out what is happening there is the key to fixing it. I'm not saying it's a bug, it might be a workflow issue. But those kind of things seems like what Canvas support is for, not for saying "create a feature request  asking us to do what we already do." Basically, they sent you off to never-never land. If they look at the idea, they'll say "we already do this." The idea itself won't gain much support because it works right most of the time and most people experiencing the problem won't come find it, they'll just mess around until it starts working.

Hopefully someone will find this and say they had the same issue and be able to contribute what circumstances led to it or fixed it. I tried, but I wasn't able to replicate the issue.

[Jeff_F]

To provide details on the exact settings:

• Module 1: requirements are set to 'Students must complete all of these requirements' - this was to view five published pages.
  
  
• Module 2: Prerequisite set for Module 1 requirements to be met. There were no requirements here. One page was unpublished but left in the Module before the course was published for student access.  This is where the students were getting stuck. They could not get to Module 3.
  
  
• Module 3: Prerequisite set for Module 1 requirement to be met.  Requirements are set to 'Students must complete all of these requirements' - this was to score 7/7 on a  quiz. The quiz was the only item in the module.
  
  
• Module 4 on - there are no additional prerequisites specified.

As noted, this issue of not being able to progress happened to just a few of the thirty students this term but I am aware that other instructors had students with the same problem. Those courses also had an unpublished page.

I was initially informed one fix is to edit the module and then save. That somehow clears out the issue. (?)

If we are not to have unpublished items in modules that use prerequisites, then should there be a flag or warning banner of sorts?

[Ron_Bowman]

@Jeff_F -

I tried my best to follow what you and @James had posted.  I am not sure I followed all of it, but I played around some with some ideas.

I came up with the following situation that locked students out of a module.(Note - I wwent through the steps again to make sure that I had them correct.  Now I cannot get mod3 to stay locked, so either it is somewhat random, or I forgot the exact manner I did to lock that module).

I have three modules - mod1, mod2 and mod3.

mod1 has some quizzes and some external video links.  I made the quizzes part of the requirement for the module and viewing one of the videos.

mod2 had mod1 as a pre-req.  Mod2 does not have any requirements.

mod3 had as a pre-req mod1 and mod2.

I unpublished the video links in module 1 (one of them had a requirement for the module).  I had all the modules locked.  I went through the three visible items on mod1.  it had everything marked complete and it unlocked mod2 and mod3.  

I went back and published the video link in mod1 and relocked the modules.  reviewed the modules link in my student account.  mod2 and mod3 were back locked.  I then went back to mod1 and unpublished the video link, modified one of the other requirements - twice to get it back to the original state so that I could relock the modules.

so now, mod1 has the three completed items that are visible and the one uncompleted item that is not visible.  When I did this mod2 was unlocked, but mod3 was locked.

So it looks like there is a condition on when module items were changed, when modules were locked and when students accessed the modules.  I think the Data James mentioned may require knowing when items were published/unpublished in modules, when the modules were locked and when the students accessed the modules in the course.

However, if I read it correct Jeff, this course was all set up, published and no changes made to the modules.  In that scenario 10% of the students could not unlock module 3, then something strange is going on.

[Jeff_F]

@Ron_Bowman thank you for your interest.  And yes, no changes were made to these modules or module items after the course was published.

[Ron_Bowman]

@Jeff_F -

Well if no changes were made, then what myself and James tried is not really representative of what happened.  But as I noted I did manage to do something that resulted in the third module being locked with a page hidden in module 1.

Based on my observation and with what James stated, I think that unpublished items do not affect the progression through modules with requirements.  There just seems to be a glitch that is occurring for some reason.