User Guide Delayed Announcement Modifier

Under Development Last Updated: 01/08/2024

The user guides are currently under development. Content will be added and modified as we finalize these tools.

Overview

Use this tool to:

Adjust delayed posting dates for announcements
Bulk delete announcements

Related Tools:

Video Guide

You may use the chapter indicators in this video's timeline to jump ahead to the Delayed Announcement Modifier section of the video.

Interface

Announcment data table

The Announcement Data table has a variety of columns to help you work with your announcements.

Column	Description
Name	The name column includes the title of the announcement as well as a checkbox that can be used to bulk update announcements
Delay Post Date	This column allows you to set/adjust the delayed posting date for your announcements.
Actions	The Actions column contains links that will allow you to view or edit the announcement as well as the option to delete the announcement.
Text	Provides a short preview of the text for the announcement, to help ensure you are adjusting the right announcement. This column will also include links to download any attachments. Note: This is text only, all formatting has been removed.
Settings	The icons in the Settings column give a visual indication of the settings for an announcement. These include: Students can comment Users must post before seeing replies Podcast feed enabled Podcast feed includes student responses Liking allowed Only graders can like Sorted by likes

Instructions

Section Announcement Dates

The Delayed Announcements tool does not currently support changing dates for different sections within a course. This is a feature that we hope to add in the future although we are not sure when it will happen. If your institution is interested in this feature, we would appreciate greater insight into how your institution uses section dates.

Modify a date

To modify a date, follow these steps:

On the course navigation menu, select Multi Tool.
On the Multi Tool main page, select Delayed Announcement Modifier.
On the Delayed Announcements page, add or change dates by typing a new date or selecting the date from the pop-up calendar.
Select the Update button.

Set blackout dates

Blackout Dates allow you to identify dates that you want to avoid when setting assignment/announcement dates. Dates or days of the week specified will not be selectable using the pop-up calendar.

Set blackout dates interface

Note: Blackout Dates are saved in your browser for future use and are shared between the Delayed Announcements tool and the Due Date Modifier.

Set specific blackout dates

On the course navigation menu, select Multi Tool.
Select Delayed Announcement Modifier.
Open the Set Blackout Dates panel.
Use the date picker in the Blackout Dates field to pick specific dates

After choosing your blackout dates, when you modify any due dates, lock dates, or unlock dates, the listed dates will not be selectable.
date picker with dates blacked out

Set blackout days of the week

To set blackout days of the week:

On the course navigation menu, select Multi Tool.
Select Delayed Announcement Modifier.
Open the Set Blackout Dates panel.
Check the box next to the desired Blackout Days of the week.

After choosing your blackout days, when you modify any due dates, lock dates, or unlock dates, those days of the week will not be selectable.
date picker with days of the week blacked out

Set Default Times

You can set default times that will auto-populate when you select a date.

Default times must be set prior to date selection. You cannot retroactively apply a default time from the Set Default Times area; however, you can use the Bulk Updates section to accomplish this goal.

Set default time interface

To set default times:

On the course navigation menu, select Multi Tool.
On the Multi Tool main page, select Delayed Announcement Modifier.
Open the Set Default Times panel.
Type a time or use the time picker to set the desired default time.

Bulk Updates

You can also bulk update announcement dates and times as needed.

announcement bulk update interface

Open the Bulk Updates tool

To open the bulk updates tool:

On the course navigation menu, select Multi Tool.
On the Multi Tool main page, select Delayed Announcement Modifier.
Open the Bulk Updates panel.

Select content items to update in bulk

To select content items to update:

Check the box next to the desired item(s) in the Announcement Data table.
Selected items will be listed in the Bulk Updates panel.

The following will explain how to make bulk updates:

Bulk move dates forward or backward a set number of days

Open the Bulk Updates panel.
Select content items to update.
In the Bulk Day Adjust section, enter a positive or negative number of days.
1. Examples:
  1. Entering 7 will move the dates forward one week
  2. Entering -7 will move the dates backward one week
Select the Adjust Dates button to shift the listed dates.
Select the Update Canvas button to push updates to Canvas.

Bulk set dates

Open the Bulk Updates panel.
Select content items to update.
In the Bulk Dates section, set the values for desired date types.
Select the Change Dates button to set the dates.
Select the Update Canvas button to push updates to Canvas.

Note: Using this feature will pull in the default time

Bulk set times

Open the Bulk Updates panel.
Select content items to update.
In the Bulk Times section, set the desired time.
Select the Change Times button to set the desired times.
Select the Update Canvas button to push updates to Canvas.

Note: This feature will only set times if a date has already been set.

Clear all dates/times

Open the Bulk Updates panel.
Select content items to update.
In the Bulk Times section, click Clear All Dates/Times.
Select the Update Canvas button to push updates to Canvas.

Note: This feature will clear all dates for the selected content items.