instructure/canvas-lms
May 2025 – Oct 2025
6 Months active
Languages Used
JavaScriptRubyTypeScriptJSXHTMLSCSSGraphQLSQL
Technical Skills
Front End DevelopmentJavaScriptBackend DevelopmentFeature ImplementationFrontend DevelopmentReact
Derek Williams
PROFILE
Derek Williams
Derek Williams contributed to the instructure/canvas-lms repository by building and enhancing grading workflows, focusing on both backend and frontend improvements. Over six months, he delivered features such as multi-section filtering in SpeedGrader, timezone-aware grading, and media capture upgrades, while also addressing bugs like date range filtering and grading count accuracy. Derek applied skills in Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, and GraphQL, optimizing database queries and managing dependencies to ensure reliable, scalable solutions. His work demonstrated depth through careful handling of edge cases, robust test coverage, and thoughtful UI/UX updates, resulting in more accurate, efficient, and maintainable grading experiences.
Overall Statistics
Feature vs Bugs
62%Features
Repository Contributions
15Total
Bugs
5
Commits
15
Features
8
Lines of code
1,331
Activity Months6
Your Network
352 peopleSame Organization
@instructure.com184
Ahmed NaguibMember
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Adam_MikulasMember
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Shared Repositories
168
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Adam MolnarMember
Adam SzaboMember
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akemenyMember
Akos HorvathMember
Alexandre DosSantosMember
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Work History
October 2025
3 Commits • 2 Features
Oct 1, 20252025-10: Canvas LMS — improved grading reliability, accuracy, and developer velocity. Implemented time zone fallback for Speed Grader, corrected sub-assignment grading counts, and added a GraphQL SubAssignmentSubmissionType field to expose cached due dates. These changes strengthen business value by delivering consistent grading experiences globally, ensuring accurate grading queues, and speeding API/UI interactions.
3 Commits • 2 Features
Oct 1, 20252025-10: Canvas LMS — improved grading reliability, accuracy, and developer velocity. Implemented time zone fallback for Speed Grader, corrected sub-assignment grading counts, and added a GraphQL SubAssignmentSubmissionType field to expose cached due dates. These changes strengthen business value by delivering consistent grading experiences globally, ensuring accurate grading queues, and speeding API/UI interactions.
October 2025
September 2025
3 Commits • 1 Features
Sep 1, 2025September 2025: Delivered critical improvements to SpeedGrader SG2 and corrected grading default logic in instructure/canvas-lms, with testing coverage and robust timezone handling, enhancing reliability of grading workflows and data integrity. Key features delivered: - SpeedGrader SG2 now supports filtering by inactive/concluded enrollments and passes the Canvas timezone to SG2 to ensure correct timezone-aware behavior (commits 8e18064ab7376f15874c578d22a4d4f01555e62f, a3cf393d36ecf0857303adfdc9352e29985a4c5a). Major bugs fixed: - Grading Standard Default Logic: Exclude concluded courses from used_as_default and added tests (commit b89087c80003c55135b94d1e9806b4cde9949573). Overall impact and accomplishments: - Improved grading accuracy and reliability, reducing incorrect defaults and ensuring timezone-aware display for graders, which translates to lower support overhead and better instructor experience. - Strengthened data integrity across grading workflows by addressing edge cases around concluded enrollments and defaults. Technologies/skills demonstrated: - Timezone handling, enrollment filtering logic, and test-driven development in a Rails-based backend (Ruby on Rails).
September 2025
3 Commits • 1 Features
Sep 1, 2025September 2025: Delivered critical improvements to SpeedGrader SG2 and corrected grading default logic in instructure/canvas-lms, with testing coverage and robust timezone handling, enhancing reliability of grading workflows and data integrity. Key features delivered: - SpeedGrader SG2 now supports filtering by inactive/concluded enrollments and passes the Canvas timezone to SG2 to ensure correct timezone-aware behavior (commits 8e18064ab7376f15874c578d22a4d4f01555e62f, a3cf393d36ecf0857303adfdc9352e29985a4c5a). Major bugs fixed: - Grading Standard Default Logic: Exclude concluded courses from used_as_default and added tests (commit b89087c80003c55135b94d1e9806b4cde9949573). Overall impact and accomplishments: - Improved grading accuracy and reliability, reducing incorrect defaults and ensuring timezone-aware display for graders, which translates to lower support overhead and better instructor experience. - Strengthened data integrity across grading workflows by addressing edge cases around concluded enrollments and defaults. Technologies/skills demonstrated: - Timezone handling, enrollment filtering logic, and test-driven development in a Rails-based backend (Ruby on Rails).
August 2025
4 Commits • 2 Features
Aug 1, 20252025-08 monthly summary for instructure/canvas-lms: Delivered reliability improvements and feature enhancements across grading, media capture, and Speed Grader. Notable outcomes include corrected default grading scheme behavior, expanded media compatibility via a media capture library upgrade, and Speed Grader workflow improvements for instructors. These changes reduce configuration errors, broaden supported media formats, and streamline grading, contributing to instructor efficiency and system maintainability. Key technical actions included adjusting default scope logic, bumping dependencies to the latest media capture library, and enhancing SG2 with a mutationFn and UI filters.
4 Commits • 2 Features
Aug 1, 20252025-08 monthly summary for instructure/canvas-lms: Delivered reliability improvements and feature enhancements across grading, media capture, and Speed Grader. Notable outcomes include corrected default grading scheme behavior, expanded media compatibility via a media capture library upgrade, and Speed Grader workflow improvements for instructors. These changes reduce configuration errors, broaden supported media formats, and streamline grading, contributing to instructor efficiency and system maintainability. Key technical actions included adjusting default scope logic, bumping dependencies to the latest media capture library, and enhancing SG2 with a mutationFn and UI filters.
August 2025
July 2025
2 Commits • 2 Features
Jul 1, 2025July 2025 monthly summary for instructure/canvas-lms: Delivered two key feature enhancements that improve grading workflows and user clarity, with strong traceability. SpeedGrader: Multiselect gradebook filters implemented via a feature flag and frontend filter ID propagation (SG2) to enable granular grading by gradebook sections. Hide assignment grades: updated user-facing copy to clearly communicate when students can see grades and comments, reducing confusion. No major bugs reported; focus remained on stability, UX clarity, and release readiness. Tech highlights include feature flags, SG2 integration, frontend-backend data flow, and UX copy improvements. Business impact: faster, more precise grading workflows for instructors and reduced student confusion.
July 2025
2 Commits • 2 Features
Jul 1, 2025July 2025 monthly summary for instructure/canvas-lms: Delivered two key feature enhancements that improve grading workflows and user clarity, with strong traceability. SpeedGrader: Multiselect gradebook filters implemented via a feature flag and frontend filter ID propagation (SG2) to enable granular grading by gradebook sections. Hide assignment grades: updated user-facing copy to clearly communicate when students can see grades and comments, reducing confusion. No major bugs reported; focus remained on stability, UX clarity, and release readiness. Tech highlights include feature flags, SG2 integration, frontend-backend data flow, and UX copy improvements. Business impact: faster, more precise grading workflows for instructors and reduced student confusion.
June 2025
2 Commits • 1 Features
Jun 1, 2025June 2025 monthly summary for instructure/canvas-lms. Key features delivered: SpeedGrader multi-section filter (backend support for multiple section IDs; frontend multi-select UI) enabling instructors to view students from multiple sections in one view. Major bugs fixed: SpeedGrader rubric view layout issue resolved by adjusting maximum width of the rating cell to accommodate long descriptions, eliminating table layout pitfalls. Overall impact: improved instructor efficiency in grading across sections, reduced UI defects, and a more scalable SpeedGrader experience. Technologies demonstrated: backend multi-id filtering, frontend multi-select UI, CSS/layout tuning for table rubrics, and commit traceability.
2 Commits • 1 Features
Jun 1, 2025June 2025 monthly summary for instructure/canvas-lms. Key features delivered: SpeedGrader multi-section filter (backend support for multiple section IDs; frontend multi-select UI) enabling instructors to view students from multiple sections in one view. Major bugs fixed: SpeedGrader rubric view layout issue resolved by adjusting maximum width of the rating cell to accommodate long descriptions, eliminating table layout pitfalls. Overall impact: improved instructor efficiency in grading across sections, reduced UI defects, and a more scalable SpeedGrader experience. Technologies demonstrated: backend multi-id filtering, frontend multi-select UI, CSS/layout tuning for table rubrics, and commit traceability.
June 2025
May 2025
1 Commits
May 1, 2025May 2025 monthly summary for instructure/canvas-lms. Focused on stabilizing Gradebook History date-range filtering. Delivered a critical bug fix to correctly extract start_time and end_time from the input, restoring the intended date-filtering functionality and improving data accuracy for grade history queries. The fix addresses EVAL-5327 and was implemented in commit 8e0faa5dc17eb537aa4b5ee6509ee4952c241ee4. Business value includes more reliable reporting, reduced user confusion, and better readiness for audits.
May 2025
1 Commits
May 1, 2025May 2025 monthly summary for instructure/canvas-lms. Focused on stabilizing Gradebook History date-range filtering. Delivered a critical bug fix to correctly extract start_time and end_time from the input, restoring the intended date-filtering functionality and improving data accuracy for grade history queries. The fix addresses EVAL-5327 and was implemented in commit 8e0faa5dc17eb537aa4b5ee6509ee4952c241ee4. Business value includes more reliable reporting, reduced user confusion, and better readiness for audits.
Activity
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Quality Metrics
Correctness96.8%
Maintainability93.4%
Architecture92.0%
Performance92.0%
AI Usage20.0%
Skills & Technologies
Programming Languages
GraphQLHTMLJSXJavaScriptRubySCSSSQLTypeScript
Technical Skills
Backend DevelopmentDatabase Query OptimizationDependency ManagementFeature FlaggingFeature ImplementationFront End DevelopmentFrontend DevelopmentFull Stack DevelopmentGraphQLJavaScriptReactRefactoringRuby on RailsUI/UX Development
Repositories Contributed To
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