Canvas Production Release: February 17, 2018

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Canvas operates on a three-week release cycle through which features are added or updated. Courseware Support posts highlights from Canvas’s production release notes, a link to these notes, and other relevant content to the Canvas at Penn a few days before the production release, which usually occurs on Saturdays. Please contact Courseware Support at canvas@pobox.upenn.edu if you have any questions about an upcoming production release.

2/17/18 Production Release Highlights:

  • GPA Scale Grading Type Removal: In an assignment, GPA Scale is no longer included as a grade-display option in the Canvas interface. This change supports upcoming grading-scheme enhancements in the New Gradebook. GPA Scale assignments can still be created through the Assignments API, though the existing GPA Scale parameter has been deprecated. Any existing assignments set to a GPA Scale will not be affected with any grade calculations.
  • Individually Graded Group Assignment Comment Options: When an instructor creates a group assignment with individual grading, the group assignment includes specified options that clarify how to send submission comments. For student roles, this change applies to the assignment submission page and the submission details-page sidebar. Students can choose whether they want to send a comment to the instructor only or to the whole group. For instructor roles, this change applies to the submission details-page sidebar, the Gradebook-comment window, and the SpeedGrader sidebar. Instructors can choose whether they want to send a comment to the student only or to the whole group.
  • Autocomplete Courses Menu in Conversations: The Conversations Courses menu has been updated as an autocomplete menu. This change improves accessibility for all users. This menu change is also located within the Compose Message window. Users can either scroll to locate a course or group, or they can start to type the name of the course or group in the text field and click the full name when it appears.
  • Course Home Page Student View Button: The Course Home Page includes a Student View button. This change allows instructors to access student view without having to open Course Settings.
  • New Scheduler Design Updates: In the Calendar, the Scheduler appointment group editing window includes minor design updates to the date and time fields.
  • Module Files Download Icon Update: In Modules, the download icon used for a file added as a module item has been replaced with the attachment icon. This change clarifies user expectations when displayed in a page and helps align consistency throughout all Canvas areas and mobile apps.
  • Terms of Use Terminology Update: Terms of Use has been renamed to the Acceptable Use Policy. Any link, window, or page in Canvas that previously referenced Terms of Use has been updated to reflect this new terminology. The Acceptable Use Policy link displays in the Canvas footer in the Login page and the Dashboard.

For a complete production release update, please see:

Canvas Production Release Notes: February 17, 2018

2017-02-17 New Feature Screencast from Canvas LMS on Vimeo.

Last Updated: 20 Oct 2021