Reviewing Impact User Groups Improvements

[ViktoriaLa]

Over the past few months we have introduced several updates and changes in the User Groups Overview page. The reason we implemented these changes was to enhance the understanding of the way user groups are created and organized for your institutions so that you can better choose the target audience needed for your Impact campaigns, messages, support, and insights. 

We have been releasing improvements since late 2022, and this blog will outline and summarize all the changes made as well as link all related release notes. 

1. User Group Definitions 

In order to improve the overall understanding of the way User Groups are populated, the Impact team has provided the following tables with descriptions and explanations for each User Group type. You can find these definitions in our Impact Guide on User Groups as well. 

Type	Example	Description
Canvas
Subaccount Cumulative	account_cumulative_<id>	Includes users directly aligned with the subaccount its and child subaccounts
Subaccount	CourseAccountId<id>	Users directly aligned with a subaccount. This group does not include users in the child subaccounts
Course Role	student/teacher/TA/etc.	User is enrolled in a course with this base role or a custom course role based on this base role.
Primary	primary_student/teacher/ta/etc.	A user’s primary role is determined by their highest ranking base role within all of their course enrollment
Base Role	Student/Teacher/etc.Enrollment	User is enrolled in a course with this base role. Does not include any custom course roles.
Admin	admin	Account admin for a sub-account
Root Admin	root_admin	Account admin on the root level of a Canvas account
Consortium Admin	consortium_admin	Account admin for a consortium of Canvas accounts
User	user	User who is registered in Canvas

2. User group overview table

These User Group types are now visible in the User Group overview page in the Impact dashboard along with the definitions as tooltips.

Release Note: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Impact-Release/Impact-Release-Notes-2023-01-03/ta-p/549508

3. User group types across the dashboard

 Now that we introduced the ‘type’ column in our User Group Overview table, we added this information in all the places where you can assign user groups as your target audience. You will also be able to see the definitions for each type as a tool tip. 

Release Note: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Impact-Release/Impact-Release-Notes-2023-01-17/ta-p/550832

4. Sub-account presentation

To further enhance the way that we present the structure of user groups within our Impact dashboard, we also revamped the way sub-account structures are presented. User Group Sub-account Group Names are shown starting with the lowest level in the hierarchy. Whole Sub-account paths are offered in a tooltip and that Sub-account presentation depends on the column size.

Release Note: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Impact-Release/Impact-Release-Notes-2023-01-03/ta-p/549508

5. Re-assessing the use of the term “Role” 

In the Impact Dashboard, we updated the word ‘Role’ to reflect a more descriptive and appropriate label. 

Release Note: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Impact-Release/Impact-Release-Notes-2023-01-31/ta-p/552905

6. User Group Overview Table Enhancements

The functionality of the User Groups Overview table has also been updated to include the ability for fields to be expanded, hidden, or displayed in the dropdown list. Additionally, the table can be scrolled horizontally. Filtering options are available and the ID Column is hidden by default. Also, column titles have been renamed from Role ID to Group ID and Role Name to Group Name.

Release Note: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Impact-Release/Impact-Release-Notes-2023-01-03/ta-p/549508

7. Reduced lag time in bulk actions

User Groups bulk action checkbox lag is reduced and boxes react immediately after a user action.

Release Note: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Impact-Release/Impact-Release-Notes-2023-01-11/ta-p/550294

8. Correct Canvas base roles captioned as Primary roles

There were some instances in which Canvas Base Roles were being labeled as Primary Roles in the Role Name column of the User Groups Overview table. There was a clean up to ensure that the correct types were assigned. 

Release Note:

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Impact-Release/Impact-Release-Notes-2023-01-24/ta-p/551870