Option to exclude Assignments from Syllabus

[gwk]

It would be good to have an option to exclude the Assignments Summary from the Syllabus page.  Many faculty wish to only have the Syllabus with a course description, lecture schedule, grading, and other policies.  Now if you have any assignments they are automatically put on the Syllabus page - this should be an option only.  Why have an Assignments page if you force a link also on the Syllabus page.  Other ideas describe how some faculty like the assignments on the Syllabus page, so it should be simply kept as an option.

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

For more information, please read through the https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-18528-canvas-release-notes-2020-03-21 

[donna_lummis]

We have opted to hide the syllabus tool for numerous reasons, one being that it adds assignments automatically. We want to publish courses ahead of their start date so students can preview the syllabus, but the assignment list with this tool is often incomplete or inaccurate if the course isn't completely built out yet. Having the option to hide all or some assignments from the syllabus area would go a long way toward us using it again. 

[bwaters]

Hi Donna. Like you, we would like to publish section syllabi before classes begin. By giving students a clear view of what they can expect prior to registration, we feel we could reduce the drop rate significantly.

Every PSC course has a "course syllabus" that is always publicaly available, providing very general information about each course offered at the college. However, each section of a given course (e.g., ENC 1101) can vary in terms of assessment methods, reading lists, assignments, etc., depending on who is teaching the class. We view the Syllabus tool in Canvas as a "Section syllabus," and as we can't publish courses prior to the first day of the semester we would like to make each section syllabus a public document for anyone to see prior to registration. However, as assignments are usually in flux in the days leading up to the first day of class, and are tied to the syllabus, we cant' use the syllabus tool. It's very frustrating.

[acompton]

 @Renee_Carney ‌, stefaniesanders‌,  @bwaters  and mouldera‌

Students can get to assignments a variety of ways, so allowing faculty the ability to toggle the assignments list on/off in the syllabus tool doesn't leave them "blindsided" by assignment changes. They can go to the Grades link and get to their assignments, but it really depends on the assignment and type of assignment whether or not they can complete it by going that route. I have had many students ask me for help getting started with an assignment because they tried accessing them that way and found they couldn't get to all of the instructions or information provided without going to the assignment itself.

Because students can get to assignments several ways, over time I've found it easiest to cut off as many routes as possible. I disable the syllabus tool (only because of the live links to assignments), modules, assignments, and quizzes. Although I organize my content in modules on the backend for myself, I drive students through the course using pages and provide links to assignments, quizzes, and discussions on the content pages themselves. This also gives them fewer menu items to click around and see how many ways they can get confused.

That said, I would like to be able to use the syllabus tool, but as long as the assignments are live links at the bottom of that tool, I can't do that. Students will take the shortcut if given the chance, and they'll click on the assignments there and skip content if possible. There have been many legitimate reasons given in this thread for why the assignments should be an option to toggle off or at least be made a static list rather than a list of live links. I hope that this will finally make it high enough to get some attention. There are very few faculty at our institution who use the syllabus tool, and the majority who have chosen not to have made that choice because of the list of assignments that appear at the bottom of the tool.

[hesspe]

Being able to hide the "Course Summary" part of the Canvas Syllabus is frequent request from our faculty members too.  We use the Canvas syllabus as our means of making syllabi available to all members of our community, primarily for "shopping" purposes.  This is done via a Syllabus Search tool developed for us by Canvas Professional Services (more information provided by request).  The Course Summary is doesn't really fit this conception of what a syllabus is, in the view of many.  I sometimes refer to it as "The Canvas version of a syllabus."

[robotcars]

 @acompton ‌,  @bwaters ,  @Jeff_F ‌, mouldera‌,  @Renee_Carney ‌,  @dlummis ‌

and others...

I read your requests and suggestions...

https://community.canvaslms.com/thread/8283#comment-117430

[gramos]

I posted an idea request to exclude calendar events from the syllabus: https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/12153-option-exclude-calendar-events-so-that-they-dont-appear-... 

You may want to look at it & vote it up if it addresses the issue about events.

[ruina]

I use I-clickers.  The individual list of iclicker uses is, by no choice of my own, deemed as important as all of the basic course information?  Kind of ridiculous.   

[nsweeten]

Oh Happy Date

*The addition of a "date" field for content pages changes the implications of this pesky, forced-display assignment list somewhat, but not quite to a functional level yet (...not until there is a real Canvas "consistency review" in the visibility and content of the Syllabus assignment list, modules, pages, linked content, Calendar events, etc.)

The "devil's advocate" comment about surprising students with assignments would be relevant if that was actually the problem. Teachers aren't maliciously sneak-attacking students. Rather, Canvas is prioritizing assignments as more important than the modules that contain them or the pages that precede them. (The homepage To-Do list has a similar but less damaging effect and does help remind students--provided the instructor uses the due date in settings. There is a UX problem there too, but I digress. )

Unfortunately, at my institution, we design to avoid the Syllabus tool entirely until this is fixed. It is a clearly-labeled tool solution and we'd love to use it, with the pre-course visibility option, but right now it is just too damaging. 

Why it Matters

The current forced-display Syllabus assignment list:

• Encourages students to attempt assignments without doing the readings, online lessons, linked materials and everything else we painstakingly design to make completing an assignment possible!
  • Essentially communicates to students that only assignments matter and all other content is disposable busy-work invented by the teachers. Not the case. 
• Creates a confusing alphabetically-listed mess in our many open entry/exit CBE courses with no due dates. 
• Violates a general interface consistency of allowing the designer/instructor to choose what features lend themselves to support the course materials and student success. 

*Thanks, though.  Syllabus navigation bar is still helpful in its hidden state to do design quality checks on due dates or to locate forgotten calendar events that are still clogging the list because they aren't visible anywhere in the actual course modules. 

[bwaters]

Couldn't agree with you more. I just don't understand why it would be so difficult to at a minimum, provide the option to exclude the assignment list when using the syllabus tool. Sometimes I wonder how many Canvas employees have actually taught at the college level.

[nsweeten]

A focus group of experienced teachers and administrators could reveal a lot about missing and conflicting features in Canvas. 

Credit where credit is due: Canvas excels at student-centered design. This is great and challenges us as educators to re-think the student's user experience and be considerate. Canvas' initial framework was designed by visionary students who were frustrated with systems that were clunky and inconsiderate of the student experience--so they invented one that is student-centered. The problem is that some of the forced limitations "fight" with the teaching goals, workflow, and wisdom of the teacher. 

 I too believe a few seasoned higher ed. vets with spectacles and gray hair would improve Canvas UX advising. A lot. There are some basic teacher-friendly functions that are missing. (Example Extra credit assignments, full quiz, and single quiz questions.)