Scheduling Activities

Keep in mind that deadlines will generate questions. That typically means emails. Pick a date and time that you’re willing to be available to answer. Monday morning deadlines mean students who use the weekends to study either don’t get answers, or you’re online all weekend to respond.

Include the date, hour and time zone that the assignment is due in any instructions. Watch out for "midnight" and 12:00 - specify 11:59am, or 11:59pm Pacific Time. We also recommend using 11:59pm the previous night instead of noon on a particular day. For instance:

• For assignments that you want to grade on Friday, specify "All assignments for a module are due Thursday at 11:59pm Pacific Time."
• For discussion posts that you want students to respond to, specify "Initial posts are due by 11:59pm Pacific Time, Monday; responses are due by 11:59pm Pacific Time, on Thursday. All other assignments (quizzes, response papers, etc.) are due at 11:59pm Pacific Time, on Thursday.

Clear expectations, but be flexible

With the many challenges our students are facing this quarter, it's best to build some flexibility into the calendar. If a student can't make the lecture, they have to find time to watch the recording, then complete any subsequent assignments.

Consider a strategy of one to two deadlines per week, with several days between those deadlines. That will give students the flexibility needed to do their course work.

What about the Canvas Calendar?

The calendar will automatically show any items that have a deadline added in their settings (e.g. Assignments, Discussions, Quizzes). However, it won’t automatically show work done in support of those assessments, for instance the readings required to be successful on the quiz. For this reason, don’t rely on the Calendar tool to fully communicate the to-do list for a course to your students.