Canvas MCP Server

# Real-World Workflows Practical examples showing how to combine Canvas MCP features for common teaching and learning scenarios. ## For Students ### Weekly Assignment Planning **Goal**: Plan your week based on what's due. ``` Show me everything due in the next 7 days across all my courses. For each assignment, tell me: 1. What course it's for 2. When it's due 3. Whether I've submitted it 4. How many points it's worth ``` **Follow-up**: ``` Of those assignments, which ones are worth more than 50 points? I should prioritize those. ``` ### Pre-Exam Check **Goal**: Make sure you haven't missed anything before exam week. ``` For MATH 221, show me: 1. All assignments from the past 4 weeks 2. Which ones I haven't submitted 3. My current grade 4. Any peer reviews I need to complete ``` **Then**: ``` What's the impact on my grade if I submit the missing assignments? ``` ### Managing Multiple Courses **Goal**: Get organized across all your classes. ``` Create a summary for me: - List all my courses - For each course, show my current grade - Highlight any missing assignments - Show upcoming deadlines in the next 2 weeks ``` ## For Educators ### Monday Morning Course Check **Goal**: Start the week knowing where your students stand. ``` For CS 101, give me a status report: 1. Submission rate for last week's assignment 2. Average score 3. Students who are falling behind (missing 2+ assignments) 4. Upcoming deadlines this week ``` **Follow-up action**: ``` Draft a supportive message to students who are missing multiple assignments. Mention that office hours are available and we're here to help them succeed. ``` ### Discussion-Based Course Management **Goal**: Track and encourage participation. **Week 1**: ``` For COMM 250, show me who has posted to Discussion 1. The due date is Friday. ``` **Week 2**: ``` For Discussion 1, show me: 1. Who made initial posts 2. Who completed peer reviews 3. Who hasn't participated at all Then draft a reminder message for students who haven't participated. ``` **End of week**: ``` Grade Discussion 1 in COMM 250: - 10 points for initial post - 5 points per peer review (must do 2) - Maximum 10 points for peer reviews ``` ### Grading Workflow for Programming Assignments **Goal**: Efficiently grade code submissions. ``` For Assignment 3 in CS 225 (Jupyter notebooks): Use the bulk grading code API to: 1. Download all submissions 2. Check if each notebook runs without errors 3. Check if they implemented the required functions 4. Give full points (100) if error-free, 0 if errors 5. Add a comment with specific feedback ``` **Then review**: ``` Show me the grading summary. How many students got full points? Who had errors? ``` **Follow-up with struggling students**: ``` For students who got 0 points on Assignment 3, draft an encouraging message offering help in office hours. ``` ### Midterm Grade Check-in **Goal**: Identify students who need support. ``` For ECON 102, analyze student performance: 1. List students with grade below 70% 2. Show which assignments they're missing 3. Compare their discussion participation to class average ``` **Intervention**: ``` Draft personalized messages for students below 70%, mentioning: - Their specific missing assignments - Offer to meet during office hours - Resources available (tutoring, study groups) - Encouraging tone - it's not too late to improve ``` ### End-of-Semester Workflow **Goal**: Wrap up the semester efficiently. ``` For BADM 350, create an end-of-semester report: 1. Final grade distribution 2. Students with missing assignments 3. Overall assignment completion rate 4. Discussion participation statistics ``` **Grade finalization**: ``` Show me students who are on the border between grades (within 2% of the next letter grade). I want to review their work to see if any borderline cases deserve rounding up. ``` ## Advanced Workflows ### Peer Review Campaign **Goal**: Maximize peer review completion. **Week 1 (assignment posted)**: ``` Create a peer review assignment for Essay 1 in ENG 101. Each student should review 2 peers. ``` **Week 2 (reminder)**: ``` Who hasn't started their peer reviews for Essay 1? Send them a reminder that reviews are due in 3 days. ``` **Week 3 (follow-up)**: ``` Analyze peer review completion: - Who completed all reviews? - Who completed some but not all? - Who hasn't started? Send targeted reminders to the last two groups. ``` **Week 4 (grading)**: ``` Grade peer reviews for Essay 1: - 20 points for completing 2 quality reviews - 10 points for completing 1 review - 0 points for no reviews ``` ### Flipped Classroom Management **Goal**: Track pre-class preparation. **Before class**: ``` For Week 5 pre-reading in HIST 101: 1. Who completed the reading quiz? 2. Who participated in the pre-class discussion? 3. What questions did students ask? ``` **Adjust lesson plan**: ``` Based on the pre-class discussion, what topics are students most confused about? I'll focus on those in class. ``` **After class**: ``` Send the class a summary of today's key points and link to additional resources for topics they struggled with. ``` ### Data-Driven Course Improvement **Goal**: Use analytics to improve teaching. **Mid-semester**: ``` For MATH 121, compare this semester to last: 1. Average grades on comparable assignments 2. Submission rates 3. Discussion participation What's different this semester? ``` **Assignment analysis**: ``` For Assignment 5 in MATH 121: 1. What was the average score? 2. Which questions did students struggle with most? 3. Compare to last semester's Assignment 5 ``` **Adjust course**: ``` Based on the analysis, students are struggling with derivatives. Draft an announcement about extra practice problems and optional review session. ``` ## Efficiency Tips ### Batch Operations Instead of processing students one-by-one, use bulk operations: ❌ **Inefficient**: ``` Show me Student 1's grade... now Student 2... now Student 3... ``` ✅ **Efficient**: ``` Show me all students' grades for Assignment 5 ``` ✅ **Most Efficient** (for large classes): ``` Use the bulk grading code API to analyze all submissions ``` ### Templated Messages Create templates for common messages: ``` Create a template for my late assignment reminder message. Include: - Student's name - Specific assignment they're missing - New deadline (3 days from now) - Offer to help - Encouraging tone ``` Then use it: ``` Send the late assignment template to all students missing Assignment 4, with the deadline set to Friday. ``` ### Combine Related Tasks Process related tasks in one go: ``` For CS 225 Assignment 3: 1. Grade all submissions using the rubric 2. Identify students who scored below 70% 3. Draft personalized feedback for struggling students 4. Create a class announcement about common mistakes ``` ## Troubleshooting Workflows ### When Grades Don't Seem Right ``` For Assignment 6 in ECON 102: 1. Show me the grade distribution 2. List any students with 0 points 3. Check if those students actually submitted something 4. Show me submission timestamps ``` ### When Students Report Issues ``` Student says they submitted Assignment 2 but it shows as missing. Check: 1. All submissions for this student in this course 2. Submission timestamps 3. Assignment status Then explain what I find. ``` ## Time-Saving Patterns Learn these patterns to save time: **Morning routine** (2 minutes): ``` Quick status for all my courses: submission rates for current assignments, any concerning patterns, what needs my attention today. ``` **Grading day** (using bulk operations): ``` Bulk grade Assignment X in Course Y using [specific criteria]. Show me the results summary, then I'll review borderline cases. ``` **Student support** (targeted help): ``` Identify students who need support in Course Z (missing assignments, low grades, low participation). Draft messages offering help. ``` ## Creating Your Own Workflows **Start with your goal**: - What do you want to accomplish? - Who is affected (all students, specific group)? - What's the deadline or timeline? **Break it into steps**: - What information do you need first? - What decisions need to be made? - What actions will you take? **Automate what you can**: - Use bulk operations for large classes - Create message templates for common communications - Set up regular check-ins (weekly status checks) **Iterate and improve**: - If a workflow is clunky, simplify it - Ask Claude to suggest improvements - Share successful workflows with colleagues Need more ideas? Check out the [Educator Guide](../docs/EDUCATOR_GUIDE.md) or [open a discussion](https://github.com/vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp/discussions) to share your workflows!