Adding more options/buttons to Attendance

[DannyPaskin]

I'm a professor, and I started using Canvas this semester. I get the idea and how the Attendance tool works, as well as the badges you can add to the Attendance. But I still have a question:

Can I add new options to the main buttons in the Attendance, aside from the basic "Present," "Absent," "Late," and "Unmarked"?

In my classes, for example, I have a policy of "Missing but Emailed," which gives students credit for missing the class but letting me know about it ahead of the beginning of class. Yes, I understand I can add as many badges to that as I need. But students don't see the badges, which is a problem in this case, as it'd seem to them they got no credit.

Similarly, I have a number of other options. ("Excused," which is a common one that's not covered in any of the basic options. Or "Attendance not taken," which is different from "Unmarked" really...)

Please let me know if I can do that. And, if not, I'd HIGHLY request Canvas to allow us in the near future to customize the main options.

Thanks!!

[ProfessorBeyrer · Accepted solution]

Those are excellent suggestions, @DannyPaskin, especially to help relieve unnecessary stress for students. The best place to improve Canvas is via the ideas process, which is explained elsewhere in the Community:

How do I create a new idea in the Instructure Comm... - Instructure Community

Creating an idea does not provide an immediate solution to the problem you described, though it is a solution. I’m going to mark it as such and hope that our colleagues who have a similar challenge will find the best way to contribute. If you decide to create an idea, please link it here so mode community members can support it.