First Feature Suggestion: Display Last Date of Attendance when using Canvas Attendance Tool
One of the required pieces of information I must collect is the last date of attendance when a student violates my attendance policy. This date is federally required for institutions to determine a student’s withdrawal date under 34 CFR § 668.22 for Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4). All colleges must report this information to remain compliant with federal financial aid regulations. My college also requires that I use the Canvas Attendance (Roll Call) tool to document this information.
While Roll Call can export a CSV file, the format makes it difficult to identify the actual last date of attendance in a face‑to‑face class—especially with 25–40 students repeated across multiple dates. I’ve tried using Excel pivot tables, but the results are inconsistent and not reliable for this purpose.
However, when using the Attendance tool in Canvas, the list view (via the “More” button) or seating chart view (hovering over a student’s name) already displays the number of days present, late, and absent. It would be extremely helpful if Canvas added Last Date of Attendance to that same pop‑up display. I’ve mocked up what this could look like in the image below (this feature does not yet exist).
This enhancement would benefit students as well. They could easily see their absences and last recorded attendance date and compare it to important deadlines, such as the last day to drop with a refund or the last day to withdraw. It also supports faculty by simplifying federal compliance reporting and reducing the time required to document attendance accurately.
Second Feature Suggestion: Automatically notify student if they are about to violate your attendance policy and you are using the Canvas attendance tool.
I would also love to see an option in the Attendance tool allowing instructors to set a maximum number of allowed absences based on their attendance policy. Canvas could then automatically notify students when they are approaching or exceeding that number—or allow instructors to decide when to trigger notifications. Federal regulations also require institutions to demonstrate attempts to notify students who are at risk of violating attendance expectations, so this would support compliance as well as student success.
Thank you for considering these improvements.
Joressia Beyer
