Did Canvas stop working on this tool?

New features are being introduced for the old Assignments tool, such as the webcam pics and student annotations, but they don't work in Assignment Enhancements. No word in the release notes about this. Anyone know if Assignment Enhancements will be kept up to date? We made a mistake enabling this tool, but if we go back, there are issues with multiple submission attempts. Furthermore, it's an all or nothing feature, with no Allow option. I'm feeling a bit stuck.

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erik_lysbakken

This is probably the most anticipated update for Canvas since we started using it at our university in 2017/18 due to the flaws with the current system. And i might be very wrong, but it feels like this project has been on a stand still for the past year and a half based on the user group for the new enhancements. It would be great to get more status updates regarding the new enhancements, what your plans are on features etc.

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GideonWilliams

I have also noticed that as of last week the timeline feature has been removed. No mention at all why..

It is a great feature and guides the student along. At the moment, it just feels as though the student has been dropped into the assignments halfway through it..

Hoping this gets sorted ASAP and put back to how it was...

Jody Sailor

svigallon, we are still very much invested in this work and are actively engaged in making improvements. Also, the added features for webcam capture and student annotations will be added to the assignment enhancements in the near future.

erik_lysbakken

Jody Sailor

Just a quick follow-up to inform that the blog post detailing updates and upcoming work went live this morning.

cc: @erik_lysbakken, @GideonWilliams, @svigallon

GideonWilliams

Many thanks for taking the time to let us know about the updates to this feature.

svigallon

Hi @jsailor . I noticed in beta that student annotations are now working with the Assignment Enhancements, though I didn't see an announcement to that effect. The blog update says support has been added for that feature and also for webcam submissions, I still don't see the webcam submission feature in beta. Since our production site will be updated Saturday, I'd like to give our faculty a heads-up. Is it safe to tell them that student annotations will be operational Saturday, and webcam submissions will be operational in the near future? Thank you.

svigallon

@jsailor Thanks, Jody. I'm a little confused on the Webcam Submissions not being seen by students yet. I've tested this on our production environment each day this week, and not only can students see the Webcam Submission button, but they can also take, and submit, a photo. It seems to work. Maybe I'm missing something?

svigallon

@jsailor, you're right! I turned it on in January, and now it is off. I just assumed it was still on. I need to check with our other admins to see what happened. Sorry for the confusion.

danaleeling

[Note: although I was able to reproduce this issue earlier today, this evening I saw an instance where the drop down list appeared for a resubmission. Perhaps a server side change fixed a regression, perhaps there was a transient issue. Either way, this may now be a resolved issue.]

I too am wondering whether work on this feature has terminated prematurely. Perhaps the tool is working as designed, but prior submissions are no longer accessible in Speedgrader.

With this feature turned off:

Screen Shot 2021-06-13 at 1.05.27 PM.png

...instructors had access to prior submissions:

Screen Shot 2021-06-13 at 1.06.10 PM.png

With the feature turned on:

Screen Shot 2021-06-13 at 1.04.36 PM.png

...instructors have lost access to prior versions:

Screen Shot 2021-06-13 at 1.03.47 PM.png

What am I missing or doing wrong? Note that the above screenshots do not come from the same institution/server, one has the feature enabled and has lost access to prior submissions, the other has the feature disabled and retains access to prior submissions. This is the same assignment, identically configured, sitting in two different institutions each on their own server. My apologies if this in the wrong place - I am unclear whether this is my misunderstanding, a feature, an unfinished tool, or a bug.

DavidSchlater

We are new to canvas and may move to production in Jan 2022. Should we go to Assignment Enhancements now, or stick with the old/current view? I can't figure out what functionality we would be giving up. When will "enhancements" be permanent and the only option? Months or years from now?