Setting Assignment Dates

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Overview

Adding assignment dates in Harmonize sets clear expectations for students and increases the effectiveness of Engagement Insights data, allowing more Instructor to student engagement.

Every LMS offers 3 different types of dates that you can set on assignments:

  • Available From: this date controls when students can first begin accessing the assignment. This date is useful to set if you don't want students to get too far ahead in course content.
  • Due: this date helps denote whether student work is considered on time or late
  • Available Until: this date controls when students can no longer access this assignment. This date is useful to set if you want to prevent students from going back to previous content to review or edit it.

Most LMSs have the ability to provide these dates to LTI applications like Harmonize as part of a standard LTI launch. Harmonize allows you to use these dates to setup Milestones for topics.

 

Setting Dates in Canvas

Instructors can set all 3 types of dates by navigating to Assignment Settings for the Harmonize assignment and scrolling down to the Assign Access section:

Assign Access panel in Canvas
  • Click on the Calendar icon for any of fields and select a date and time
  • If you need to provide different dates for specific students (such as allowing additional time to complete the assignment), click the + Assign To button, add the student or students to the Assign to field, and add the appropriate dates.
    • Harmonize will pick up the unique dates the next time the student launches Harmonize.
    • Because milestones are always set relative to dates, they will automatically adjust to each student's unique dates.

 

Setting Dates with Canvas API

Note: Setting dates with the Canvas API requires use of the Canvas API and as well as another Developer Key to be installed with additional permissions. See Configuring Canvas API in Harmonize for more information.

 

Authorizing

  • As an instructor, navigate to an existing discussion or create a new Harmonize discussion assignment.
  • Click the Edit button located in the Instructions section of the Harmonize window.
  • On the Edit Topic page, click the Authorize Canvas Extensions button.
  • In the new browser tab or window that appears, click the Authorize button.
  • Once authorized, you may set discussion dates directly within Harmonize.

 

Setting Dates from within Harmonize in Canvas

  • Create a new Harmonize Discussion or launch a previously created Harmonize Discussion and click Edit. This will open the Edit Topic view.
  • Click the Edit Dates button.
Edit Dates button
  • Enter Available From, Available Until, and Due Dates.
  • Click the Update Dates button.
date fields plus update dates button
  • Dates are now set for your Harmonize Discussion.

 

Note: To learn more about setting due dates in Canvas, see What is the difference between assignment due dates and availability dates?

 

Settings Dates in Blackboard Learn

Instructors can set all 3 types of dates in Blackboard Learn courses but different dates require different options to be used. 

 

Due Date

  • Instructors can click on the menu icon next to the Harmonize discussion in course content and select the Change Due Date option:
    Drop down menu with Change Due Date selected
  • On the Change Due Date page, check the checkbox next to the Due Date field, select a date and time, and click Submit:
    Submit dates button

 

Available From and Until Dates

  • Instructors can click on the menu icon next to the Harmonize discussion in course content and select the Adaptive Release option:
    Drop down menu with adaptive release selected
  • On the Adaptive Release page, check the checkboxes next to the Display After and/or Display Until fields, enter dates and times and click Submit:
    Display after and until fields

 

Note: To learn more about setting dates in Blackboard, go to Date Management.

 

Setting Dates in Blackboard Ultra

Instructors can set all 3 types of dates in Blackboard Ultra courses but different dates require different options to be used.

 

Due Date

  • Instructors can click the menu icon next to the Harmonize discussion in course content and select the edit option
Menu icon + edit button
  • In the panel that appears, enter a date and time, and click Save:
    Date and time fields

 

Available From and Until Dates

  • Instructors can click the menu icon next to the Harmonize discussion in course content and select the edit option
menu icon + edit button
  • In the panel that appears, select Release Conditions from the dropdown menu at the top:
    Release conditions option

 

  • In the Release Conditions panel, check the Date/Time checkbox, then check the Show On and/or Hide After checkboxes, enter dates and times and click Save:
    Release condition fields

 

Note: To learn more about setting dates in Blackboard, go to Date Management.

 

Setting Dates in Brightspace (Original Content View)

Instructors can set all 3 types of dates in the Original content view for Brightspace courses.

  • Instructors can click on the menu icon next to a Harmonize discussion in the content view and select the Edit Properties in Place option:
    Menu icon + Edit Properties in Place field
  • Click on the Add dates and restrictions... text to enable the edit interface for dates:
    Add dates and restrictions field
  • Click on each date you want to set, fill in a date and time and click Update:
    Date fields and update button

 

Note: For more information about setting due dates in Brightspace, see Set availability and due dates for an assignment.

 

Setting Dates in Brightspace (Lessons Content View)

You can easily set all 3 date types for Harmonize Discussions in the Lessons content view.

  • Instructors can go to the Harmonize discussion in course content, click the menu icon in the top left corner and select the Edit option:
    Brightspace Lessons Content View Content Menu
  • On the edit page, enter a date and time for the Due Date, Start Date, and/or End Date and click Save and Close:
    Brightspace Lessons Content View Content Item Edit Page

 

Note: For more information about setting due dates in Brightspace, see Set availability and due dates for an assignment.

 

Setting Dates in Moodle

Moodle does not currently allow instructors to set any of the 3 date types on Harmonize discussion activities. However, Harmonize will allow instructors to set these dates manually in the Harmonize interface to get around this limitation.

  • Instructors can open a Harmonize discussion and click Edit.
  • At the top of the page, enter a date and time for the Available From, Due Date, and/or Available Until date fields:
    Date fields in Harmonize editor

Since Moodle does not allow instructors to set due dates for external tools, instructors might find it helpful to add milestone information to the assignment description. Here is an example:

Example of milestone due dates displayed in assignment description

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