I was revising the calendar, trying to eliminate some daily grades and give the students spring break off. I figured out how to do it, uploaded all the assignments, and put in the new calendar.
Then I started getting panicky emails and text messages from students. At first, I simply responded and moved on. However, I started wondering after a while why they were all asking such odd (to me) questions.
Turns out that (for whatever reason and I don’t think this was my weird computer magic, but who knows) Canvas switched all the dates and made them a week earlier than the ones that I very carefully put into each assignment.
I’d be panicked too if it turned out that a major paper that originally wasn’t due for three weeks became suddenly due in less than 12 hours.
Note: I did move it up, but not that much. I left time for peer reviews and in-class work on the bibliographies.