In this Canvas release (January 26), instructors can add additional comments for rubric criteria directly in the SpeedGrader sidebar as part of the rubric.

Feature Options

• For institutions using Moderated Grading, any user role who can select the final grade can edit a moderated assignment.
• For institutions using the Student Learning Mastery Gradebook, an outcome’s total score is displayed if at least one alignment does not include hidden point values.

This release notes post has been sourced from the official Canvas Release Notes article located here. It features a selection of details from the official production notes of 01/05/2019.

A screencast with details of the release is below.

 

Updated Features

Assignments

Moderated Grading Assignment Editing

Summary

For institutions using the Moderated Grading feature option, any grader who has permission to view the Grade Summary page for a moderated assignment can edit the assignment.

 

The permission to view the Grade Summary page and manage moderated grades is managed at the account level by Canvas administrators as the Grades – Select Final Grader for Moderation permission. Instructor (teacher) and instructor-based roles are granted this permission by default.

 

Change Benefit

This change allows any grader with the same user role to edit a moderated assignment. Previously, only the grader who was selected as the final grader was able to edit the moderated assignment.

 

Affected User Roles & Behaviors

Graders

When a grader creates a moderated assignment, the grader is also able to edit the assignment at any time.

 

 

Note: Any user role with permission to create assignments in a course can create a moderated assignment. However, once the assignment is saved or published, the assignment can only be edited by anyone with a user role permission to view the Grade Summary page.

 

Outcomes

Student Learning Mastery Total Score Display

 

Summary

The Student Learning Mastery Gradebook displays the total score for an outcome if at least one alignment does not include hidden point values.

 

Change Benefit

This change restores previous functionality of removing the total outcomes display, which was originally removed with the updates to non-scoring rubrics in the 2018-07-14 release.

 

Affected User Roles & Behaviors

Students

Outcomes with rubric alignments display the outcome’s total score if at least one alignment does not include hidden point values.

 

When an outcome includes an aligned item with visible point values, the total score displays next to the mastery rating. However, when an outcome includes an aligned item where point values are hidden, the total score is not displayed.

 

 

For multiple alignments in an outcome, if at least one alignment displays a point value, the overall outcome displays the outcome’s total score. The total score is calculated using the mastery value within each outcome, and all hidden point values are still included in the total score. This behavior aligns with how total scores are displayed in the Learning Mastery Gradebook.

 

To completely remove a total score for an outcome, all aligned items for the outcome require point values to be hidden within their respective rubric.

 

 

 

SpeedGrader

Rubric Additional Comments Text Field

 

Summary

When used within a rubric, additional comments can be added for a rubric directly in the SpeedGrader sidebar. Comments are displayed directly below each criterion.

 

Change Benefit

This change consolidates commenting within the SpeedGrader sidebar and aligns functionality of all other SpeedGrader comment types.

 

Affected User Roles & Behaviors

Instructors

When an instructor creates a rubric for an assignment and views the rubric in SpeedGrader, clicking the Additional Comments icon displays a comments field directly below the selected criterion. Instructors can add comments for the criterion, save the comment, and view the comment directly below the criterion. Previously the comment would not display until the rubric was saved.

 

Fixed Bugs

Accessibility

Course Import

Commons import notices have been changed to alerts. Import messages can be read by screen readers. Additionally, imscc download links include the name of the file being downloaded for screen readers.

 

Courses

In the Published column, the published state of a course is read to screen readers as yes or no.

 

General

The focus outline weight throughout Canvas has been increased from 1px to 2px.

 

People

Section edit searches display the section name and the user count.

 

Assignments

Group Assignment Checkbox

The group assignment checkbox is disabled after group assignments have been submitted.

 

Explanation: When a group assignment was created in a course, and students had submitted the assignment, the option to create a group assignment could be deselected in the assignment settings. However, the group assignment was not changed. Canvas code has been updated to disable the group assignment checkbox after group assignments have been submitted.

 

Blueprint Courses

Assignment Group Weights

Users enrolled as a teacher, TA, or designer in a Blueprint course can update assignment group weights.

 

Explanation: When a user was enrolled as a teacher, TA, or designer in a Blueprint course, the user was unable to adjust assignment group weights. This behavior did not affect non-Blueprint courses because group weights were associated with the permission to manage Blueprint courses. Canvas code has been updated to allow users to change assignment group weights in the Blueprint course.

 

Course Import

Common Cartridge and Locked Modules

Locked modules do not affect Common Cartridge imports.

 

Explanation: When a Common Cartridge file was imported to Canvas, any locked items within a module created an error. Canvas code has been updated to support locked modules in Common Cartridge imports.

 

Course Settings

Link Validator Email Links

Email links are not included in link validation.

 

Explanation: When the Link Validator was started in a course, the Link Validator generated an error when it encountered an email link, as individual email links cannot be validated. Canvas code has been updated to not include email links as part of the Link Validator.

 

Multiple Section Enrollment Statistics

Course statistics do not count students multiple times if they have multiple active section enrollments.

 

Explanation: When students with active enrollments were enrolled in multiple sections, the Statistics page Active Students and Unaccepted Students sections counted each student multiple times. Canvas code has been updated to count students in statistics by ID and not by section enrollment.

 

Sections Designer Role Display

Section pages display the Designer role label next to any users enrolled with that role.

 

Explanation: When a section was viewed in a course, the section page did not display the Designer role label next to any users enrolled in that role. Canvas code has been updated to display the Designer role next to any users enrolled with a designer role.

 

Files

Downloaded File Names and Spaces

Downloaded files display the display name of the file. Additionally, spaces are retained within display names.

 

Explanation: When a file was downloaded from a course, the file was downloaded with the file name instead of the display name. Additionally, any spaces within the name were replaced with a plus symbol, which was inconsistent when uploading files. Canvas code has been updated to use display names and retain spaces in file downloads.

 

Restored Files and Duplicate File Names

If a previously deleted file is restored in a course, any duplicate file names are amended by adding a 1 at the end of the file.

 

Explanation: When a previously deleted file was restored in a course, duplicate file names could exist in the same folder. This behavior affected other Canvas features such as ePub exports and offline course content. Canvas code has been updated to amend the file name if a file with the same name already exists by adding a 1 at the end of the file.

 

Gradebook

CSV Files and Comma Entries

CSV files can be imported with grades that include comma separators.

 

Explanation: When a CSV file was imported to the Gradebook, and the file included grades with commas, the scores were not accepted in the import and replaced with no grade. This behavior affected scores with values greater than 999 with a comma previously exported from Canvas. Canvas code has been updated to set a format for CSV values and accept comma separators in imports.

 

Modules

Discussion Section Edits

Section edits to non-graded discussions are updated for affected students in the Modules page.

 

Explanation: When a section was edited in a non-graded discussion, the section edits were not displayed for affected students in the Modules page. Canvas code has been updated to display all section changes within modules if a section is edited.

 

Files Publish State

If a course has not enabled the Usage Rights files option, files can be published in a module without error.

 

Explanation: When a module included an unpublished file, and the course had not enabled the Usage Rights files option, publishing the file generated an error. Canvas code has been updated to correctly publish files within a module.

 

Module Item Publish State

When a new module is published, all items within the module are shown as published without requiring a page refresh.

 

Explanation: When a new module was published in a course, the publish icon for all items within the module did not update until the page was refreshed. Canvas code has been updated to accurately display icons according to the module item’s status.

 

Rich Content Editor

Content Sidebar and Inline Preview Icon

This change was deployed to production on January 18.

When files that support inline previews are uploaded into the Content Sidebar and added to the Rich Content Editor, the file displays an inline preview icon.

 

Explanation: When a user uploaded a file into the Content Sidebar that supports inline previews, and the file was added to the Rich Content Editor, the file did not display the inline file preview icon. This behavior did not affect files uploaded directly in the Rich Content Editor. Canvas code has been updated to display the inline preview icon when files are added from the Content Sidebar.

 

SpeedGrader

Draft Comments and Grades Participation Count

SpeedGrader draft comments are not counted as new activity in the Grades page.

 

Explanation: When a draft comment was created in SpeedGrader, the draft comment was being counted as an update for the Grades page and was counted in the indicator within the Course Navigation Menu’s Grades link. When a student viewed the Grades link, the Grades page did not display any new activity for the affected assignment. Canvas code has been updated to disregard draft comments as new activity in the Grades page.

 

Rubrics Additional Comments Text Field

Additional comments for rubric criteria can be added within the sidebar.

 

Explanation: When the Additional Comments icon was selected in a rubric, the text field displayed in a separate window that could not be moved or resized. Canvas code has been updated to move the comments text field inside the SpeedGrader sidebar.

 

Student List Menu Icon

All browsers display the menu icon in the SpeedGrader student list.

 

Explanation: In the SpeedGrader sidebar, the student list menu icon was not visible for all browsers. Canvas code has been updated to always display the student list menu icon.