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Canvas MCP Server

# Canvas MCP Server Development TODO ## Completed Features ✅ ### **FERPA Compliance Implementation** **Status: COMPLETED** - All 8 core tools now include comprehensive privacy protection with production-ready error handling. - [x] All tools that return student data are modified to use the `anonymize_response_data` function - [x] Running tools like `list_discussion_entries` no longer exposes student names in the output - [x] The `create_student_anonymization_map` tool successfully creates CSV files in the correct format - [x] The `local_maps/` directory and its contents are correctly ignored by Git - [x] Anonymous IDs are consistent across tool calls - [x] Canvas User IDs are preserved for faculty identification - [x] No PII leakage in error messages or logs ## Upcoming Features - Canvas Analytics Enhancement 🚀 ### **Phase 1: Core Analytics (High Priority)** **1. Early Warning System** - **Tool:** `detect_at_risk_students(course_identifier, threshold_days=7)` - **Purpose:** Identify students who are disengaging early for intervention - **Data Sources:** Course activity analytics, student summaries, assignment analytics - **Output:** Risk scores, engagement trends, intervention recommendations **2. Performance Trajectory Analysis** - **Tool:** `analyze_student_performance_trends(course_identifier, student_id=None)` - **Purpose:** Track performance trends and predict final outcomes - **Data Sources:** Assignment analytics, grade progressions - **Output:** Performance trajectories, predicted grades, trend analysis **3. Discussion Quality Analytics** - **Tool:** `analyze_discussion_engagement(course_identifier, topic_id=None)` - **Purpose:** Understand quality of discussions and meaningful contributions - **Data Sources:** Discussion topics, entries, response patterns - **Output:** Engagement quality scores, participation patterns, quiet student identification ### **Phase 2: Assessment Analytics (Medium Priority)** **4. Assignment Effectiveness Analysis** - **Tool:** `evaluate_assignment_performance(course_identifier, assignment_id=None)` - **Purpose:** Understand which assignments are too easy, hard, or ineffective - **Data Sources:** Assignment analytics, grade distributions - **Output:** Difficulty indices, discrimination scores, improvement recommendations **5. Learning Outcome Mastery Tracking** - **Tool:** `track_learning_outcomes(course_identifier, outcome_id=None)` - **Purpose:** Track student progress toward learning outcomes across assessments - **Data Sources:** Outcome results, rubric assessments - **Output:** Mastery progression, outcome area analysis, accreditation reports **6. Participation Quality Assessment** - **Tool:** `assess_engagement_quality(course_identifier, user_id=None)` - **Purpose:** Understand participation quality and depth beyond frequency - **Data Sources:** Activity analytics, resource access patterns - **Output:** Quality participation scores, engagement depth analysis ### **Phase 3: Advanced Analytics (Low Priority)** **7. Cross-Course Comparative Analytics** - **Tool:** `compare_course_performance(course_identifiers, metric_type="grades")` - **Purpose:** Compare performance across multiple course sections - **Data Sources:** Multi-course analytics, grade distributions - **Output:** Comparative analysis, instructor effectiveness, section metrics **8. Help-Seeking Behavior Analysis** - **Tool:** `analyze_support_patterns(course_identifier, user_id=None)` - **Purpose:** Understand when and how students seek help - **Data Sources:** Communication analytics, message patterns - **Output:** Help-seeking timing analysis, correlation with performance **9. Predictive Intervention System** - **Tool:** `predict_student_success(course_identifier, prediction_horizon="4_weeks")` - **Purpose:** Predict which students are at risk of dropping out or failing - **Data Sources:** Multi-factor engagement and performance data - **Output:** Risk predictions, automated intervention triggers ### **Phase 4: Optimization Tools (Future)** **10. Learning Path Optimization** - **Tool:** `optimize_curriculum_sequence(course_identifier, content_type="modules")` - **Purpose:** Understand optimal learning sequences and identify bottlenecks - **Data Sources:** Module progression, concept mastery patterns - **Output:** Sequence recommendations, bottleneck identification ## Infrastructure & Technical Tasks ### **Analytics Infrastructure** - [ ] Research Canvas Analytics API rate limits and implement intelligent caching strategy - [ ] Design analytics data privacy framework ensuring FERPA compliance with anonymization - [ ] Create analytics tools module structure and integrate with existing MCP server architecture - [ ] Implement data aggregation utilities for multi-source analytics - [ ] Add analytics result visualization and export capabilities ### **API Integration Enhancements** - [ ] Implement Canvas Analytics API client with proper error handling - [ ] Add support for Canvas Data 2.0 integration for advanced analytics - [ ] Create data preprocessing pipelines for analytics tools - [ ] Implement configurable analytics privacy controls ### **Testing & Documentation** - [ ] Create comprehensive test suite for analytics tools - [ ] Document analytics tool usage patterns and educational use cases - [ ] Add analytics configuration guide for educators - [ ] Create performance benchmarking for analytics operations --- ## Development Notes **API Considerations:** - Canvas Analytics APIs have 4-24 hour data delays but higher rate limits - All analytics tools must integrate with existing anonymization framework - Batch requests where possible to minimize API calls - Implement intelligent caching for repeated analytics queries **Educational Focus:** - Prioritize actionable insights over raw data presentation - Ensure tools provide specific intervention recommendations - Design for non-technical educator users - Include comparative benchmarks and context for metrics

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