@mattblaze Grade recording and sometimes (though not always) homework submission are the things I did use it for before I retired. The former was very important, since circa 50 years ago I learned (the hard way…) about the probability of me making a recording mistake, and I feel it vital to let students check their own grades.
But final grade calculation? I did that via my own spreadsheet, after which I'd typically have to get into hand-to-hand combat with Canvas to make its calculations agree, to be able to take advantage of its interface to the university's course grade entry system. That generally took me hours.
For some reason, I still get school-wide faculty emails. One today said "make sure that your syllabus and readings are still available to students taking exams". That wouldn't have been a problem; ever since I started at Columbia, all of that stuff was (and is) on my web site on the open web. Partly, it's a desire for open publication (my slides are all CC-licensed), partly it's how I found it easiest to manage—and partly it's how insanely bad Canvas is. (Some years ago, the university asked for feedback on Canvas. I wrote a *long* screed documenting a few of its most awful features. They didn't listen…)
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@mattblaze Grade recording and sometimes (though not always) homework submission are the things I did use it for before I retired. The former was very important, since circa 50 years ago I learned (the hard way…) about the probability of me making a recording mistake, and I feel it vital to let students check their own grades.
But final grade calculation? I did that via my own spreadsheet, after which I'd typically have to get into hand-to-hand combat with Canvas to make its calculations agree, to be able to take advantage of its interface to the university's course grade entry system. That generally took me hours.
For some reason, I still get school-wide faculty emails. One today said "make sure that your syllabus and readings are still available to students taking exams". That wouldn't have been a problem; ever since I started at Columbia, all of that stuff was (and is) on my web site on the open web. Partly, it's a desire for open publication (my slides are all CC-licensed), partly it's how I found it easiest to manage—and partly it's how insanely bad Canvas is. (Some years ago, the university asked for feedback on Canvas. I wrote a *long* screed documenting a few of its most awful features. They didn't listen…)
@SteveBellovin @mattblaze The second time I taught with Canvas I built assignment points in its model. It was not worse than the model I created, and it saved me a lot of work fighting it. Maybe if I used it more I would find conditions where that’s not the case.
@adamshostack @SteveBellovin I tend to have fairly simple course structures that don't require a lot of calculation. And I don't want to have to log into something to grade things or read student work.
@adamshostack @SteveBellovin The real nightmare is our system (which isn't on Canvas) for entering final grades. And the Law School and Main Campus use different, but equally horrific, systems, so I have to re-learn them every semester.
Actually, I NEVER use Canvas for that stuff. Just to publish readings and announcements and have a discussion board for the class. This isn't due to visionary foresight on my part, it's just that I find the Canvas tools for the other stuff to be barely usable for my needs.
