Discussion Checkpoints - Sneak Peek Video

[SamGarza1]

Are you curious about Discussion Checkpoints? I’m here to give you a sneak peek at this highly anticipated release, coming later this year.

First, let’s quickly cover what Discussion Checkpoints are and why we’re building them. Also commonly referred to as “multiple discussion due dates,” this feature allows instructors to create a more intentional discussion environment. Beyond the initial reply to a discussion prompt, educators can now require additional replies to peers, attach grades, and use a rubric for those comments, fostering deeper engagement.

While some instructors have crafted creative workarounds to achieve similar outcomes, Discussion Checkpoints provide a more streamlined and effective solution. This feature has been highly requested, and with the redesigned Discussions interface in place, we knew these capabilities were essential to Canvas LMS.

As we work to conclude the development (as shared in this recent post), we encourage you to check out the video below for a walkthrough of this feature. Comment below if you have any questions or feedback for our product team!

Sharable Link: https://productmarketing.instructuremedia.com/embed/1b63d9e9-adbb-4edb-81d4-23376824e4af 

Discussion Checkpoints FAQ Doc https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JVt68oZb1LM1we6gr3VIc1f48UOGKrFvmenrPNrd9jg/edit?usp=sharing 

[JamesSekcienski]

@SamGarza1 

Thank you for sharing a sneak peek at Discussion Checkpoints!  It will be nice to set clear due date expectations for the initial post and the replies.  I also liked the previous and next reply buttons that were available in SpeedGrader.

Based on the video, I had some additional questions.  If you don't have the answers to all of these now that is understandable and I hope they will help guide further discussions in development:

• You noted that a rubric can be used
  • Are you able to provide a demonstration of what the experience will be like when using a rubric for grading?
  • Since there are separate points for the reply to the topic and the additional replies, can multiple rubrics be associated for each of these?
  • In addition, when adding a rubric, will the grade from the rubric(s) scale to points set for the discussion or will it need to match the exact same number of points?
  • What will the grading experience look like in SpeedGrader when using a rubric with the current design and with the new re-design?
• Threaded vs Non-threaded
  • Does enabling this setting automatically enforce that it is a threaded discussion?
    • I noticed the "Disallow threaded replies" option was disabled after selecting "Assign graded checkpoints"
    • If someone had it checked to "Disallow threaded replies" at first and then enabled discussion checkpoints, would it automatically change it to allow threaded replies too?
• To Do List/Notifications/Reply Counts
  • Now that there are 2 due dates for a graded discussion with checkpoints, how will this be reflected in the To Do List for students? 
  • Will there be 2 items or 1?
  • If there are 2, will it differentiate the item name to reflect the initial reply to the topic vs additional replies?
  • Will students be able to get notifications/reminders for both due dates?
  • How will this appear on the instructor's to do list?
    • Will instructors have 2 items for grading each part or will it only be 1 item for both?
    • Will the instructor receive a To Do grading notification for partial requirements met or only after the student has met all reply requirements (initial and the required number of additional replies)?
    • If an instructor grades the initial reply, will they still receive a To Do notification to grade the student replies later?
    • If a student makes another reply after grading, will a new To Do notification appear for the instructor to know they may need to re-grade?
  • What kind of notifications would teachers be able to receive for grading with this?
  • Does SpeedGrader indicate which reply meets the "reply to the topic" vs "additional replies" or does it leave it up to the teacher to interpret based on all the replies?
  • Do the "additional replies" count all replies other than the first one?
    • Does it require the "additional replies" to be a threaded reply to a post rather than the discussion topic?
      • If a student is only making replies to the topic and not to other posts, are they still meeting the requirement?
    • Does it require the "additional replies" to be in response to someone else vs their own reply?
      • As an example, if students aren't able to edit their own post and they make additional replies to their original post are those counting as "additional replies"?
  • How do these requirements handle deleted posts?
    • Do the deleted posts still count towards meeting the requirements?
    • If they are no longer meeting a requirement after deleting a post, does it revert back to the To Do List?
• Bulk Edit Due Dates
  • How will this appear within the bulk edit due dates area?
    • Will it show the option for the checkpoint based due dates so they can be edited in bulk too?
    • If they can't be edited in the bulk area, how will these appear when using the bulk edit area?

[zer3]

Great questions @JamesSekcienski - I am also interested to learn more about these details!

[Charles_Barbour]

Great questions @JamesSekcienski !!!

[dbrace]

Thank you @JamesSekcienski! These are great questions and important for a successful launch of checkpoints (especially after how it has gone with the redesign as a whole and threaded replies) during a mix of the end of Fall 2024 and entirety of Spring 2025. If most of these questions are not answered or addressed, my institution might need to delay releasing it until Summer 2025 or Fall 2025. I hope that @SamGarza1 answers the questions as a comment to this post or a separate post.

[aolsonpacheco]

Thank you for giving us a preview of this highly anticipated feature!

I noticed in the video there appear to be THREE module items created for each discussion: Discussion assignment, Reply to Topic, and Required Replies.

• What is the purpose of the THREE module items? 
• Is each one clickable?
• Do they take students/teachers to a different interface or work with module requirements? 
• "Required Replies" is not clear since "Reply to Topic" would also be required. Wouldn't something like "Reply to Peers" be clearer and more consistent?

I cannot get on board with adding three module items per discussion unless there is some obvious and helpful reason for it. This would make modules MUCH longer, especially if you have more than one discussion per module. 

Please help us understand the logic behind this and/or collapse the dates into the one module item (preferred). 

Thank you for all the hard work that has been put into this!

[venitk]

@SamGarza1 thank you for this preview. If an instructor doesn't require each student to reply to the topic, but instead they have to make an initial post (either replying to the topic or replying to another student) by a certain date, will they still be able to use this feature? 

I'm curious how this will look in the calendar; will the instructor be able to move these dates around in the calendar as they can for the discussion? In other words, when I set up a course, I move dates around via the calendar. Could I still do that with the required replies?

Super curious about how this will work with the rubrics. 

[SamGarza1]

@JamesSekcienski Just wanted to let you know I have seen this. I'm putting together a more comprehensive FAQ doc that can be shared and updated more easily. I'll have it posted as an update to this blog by early next week. 

[SamGarza1]

Hi @aolsonpacheco, 

Only students in a course will see the detailed module view you mentioned. For instructors it will still only show as one item in a module. Our decision for choosing this design has multiple factors. One of the primary reasons for this work is to provide greater clarity to students on the different parts of an assignment. This detailed view allows learners to quickly see all parts and due dates. 

This pattern has also already been implemented in other areas of Canvas for Peer Reviews in Assignment Enhancements Student (feature preview) so it isn’t unfamiliar to learners today. The design is also one that will easily allow the feature to grow as we look to add functionality in the future.

I appreciate the feedback and I'm working on a more comprehensive FAQ doc, that I'll get posted as an update to this blog by early next week.

[mmoore1]

Thanks for the Sneak Peak.  Hope you can demo the dates for the replies vs. the initial posts.

[JamesSekcienski]

@SamGarza1 

Thank you! I look forward to reviewing the FAQ doc when it becomes available

[DarrylEvans]

@SamGarza1 In your response to @aolsonpacheco you mention that "This pattern has also already been implemented in other areas of Canvas for Peer Reviews in Assignment Enhancements Student (feature preview) so it isn’t unfamiliar to learners today."  Since the Assignments Enhancements is a feature preview, some sites may not yet be implementing it, preferring to wait until it settles. That would mean that students of those sites would not be familiar with the three module items.

[SamGarza1]

Hi Everyone! @JamesSekcienski @venitk @aolsonpacheco @zer3 @Charles_Barbour @dbrace 

I appreciate your patience while we put together an FAQ doc. I've linked it below and will update it as needed. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JVt68oZb1LM1we6gr3VIc1f48UOGKrFvmenrPNrd9jg/edit?usp=sharing 

[dbrace]

Thank you, @SamGarza1. Answering all of those questions was very helpful.

I have reviewed the FAQ document and noticed something that needs to be fixed/clarified on page 7 (the last page):

Q: Does it require the "additional replies" to be in response to someone else vs their own reply?

A: We don’t count deleted posts.

Q: As an example, if students aren't able to edit their own post and they make additional replies to their original post are those counting as "additional replies"?

A: Yes, they’ll count as responses. Instructors will be able to see all posts in Speedgrader and grade accordingly.

I think I understand what you are saying/implying but it needs to be cleared up a little, especially the answer to the first-part (which I believe is the answer for the next/separate question in the list of questions in the document).

I also have a follow-up question on page 7:

Q: How will this appear within the bulk edit due dates area?

A: Checkpoints are not currently supported in bulk due date edits. They will simply not appear as an option.

Does that mean that nothing will appear on the bulk edit webpage?  If nothing appears, do you anticipate any confusion related to that?

[venitk]

Thanks, @SamGarza1, it would be awesome if, when the time comes, this FAQ documentation is included in the community guides.  

[SamGarza1]

Hi @dbrace , 

Thanks for catching that. I've updated the document. “Additional Replies” can be in response to any user. In some use cases, it would make sense for a user to be responding to their own post or mistakenly be responding to their own post. Instructors will be able to see all posts in Speedgrader and grade accordingly.

To your questions about Bulk Due Dates, it's not an ideal experience and our team is looking at how we can add support for it following the release of checkpoints. 

[pray4]

This looks fantastic. Thank you for putting together the video so we can share out with other departments. Fingers crossed for an option to grade using rubric/s at some point in the future, and the ability to edit due dates in bulk along with the others, but this is a valuable feature add for our faculty and students.

[mangles]

Thank you for sharing the Discussion Checkpoints enhancements. Since I used assignments requiring student peer comments, awarding grade points for the replies, I can see the need.

But, without repeating my previous posting, these do nothing to promote the classroom discussion learning experience for students. These are teacher grading enhancements. Nothing more.

Please, oh please, give us the ability to expose all discussion comments by default that we enjoyed before the Summer 2024 dis-enhancement release.

I now have to edit my student postings so everyone sees my comments by default, triggering their thoughts for additional discussion postings. 

The Summer release has killed my online discussion interactions. 

Here is an example:

[ryan_corris]

I am curious to know if the checkpoints will also work like the peer reviews to make sure that everyone gets a response to their post?  From the sounds of it, participants can respond to their own posts and have that count towards completion.  Is it also possible to use Peer Review settings with the checkpoints to make sure everyone is included in the replies?

[mbmacdonald]

Hi @SamGarza1 - is this still going to be released in November? A post in the Product Blog just announced "there will be no changes through the month of November." (https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/The-Product-Blog/Updated-Canvas-Deploy-and-Release-Schedule/ba-p/...) 

[TrinaAltman]

@mbmacdonald The post has been updated to "no changes to the schedule through the month of November." So it looks like the November deploys and release will move forward as planned.