I’m an instructor in a time zone other than Eastern Standard Time; how will I see due dates in Canvas?
In Canvas, you can set your own time zone; this means that Canvas dates are localized to display to you in your local time zone. For instance, an East coast instructor sets a due date for 11:59pm. A student in the course on the West coast, who set their time zone preferences, will see the assignment as due at 8:59pm.
How can time zones cause problems within my course?
There are a few potential problems with time zones in a course:
- A student in a different time zone has to turn in the assignment at a different time for them to avoid the assignment being late.
- An assignment or activity uses the availability features of Canvas, so a student could be locked out of an activity at an earlier time in their time zone.
How do I ensure continuity in my course?
All due dates should be set to 11:59pm (EST). The due dates are just a guide for students to ensure that their work is turned in on time. As long as an availability date isn’t set, an assignment can be turned in late. If an assignment is turned in after the due date in Canvas, it will make a note in SpeedGrader that it was late.
What if a student turns in an assignment late?
Champlain College allows instructors the discretion to give students until 11:59pm in their local time zone to turn in an assignment without penalty. If a student on the West coast turns in an assignment at 11:59PM, Canvas will show it as being turned in at 2:59AM (EST) the next day. SpeedGrader will inform you that the assignment was turned in late.
Can I change assignment due dates while my course is running?
We suggest that you do not change the due dates for assignments after students have been enrolled, as it becomes confusing for all parties.