Attach a course file to a small group discussion

[venitk]

An instructor I'm working with would like to attach a file to a small group discussion. He copy and pastes the same reply to each discussion, and that reply should include a link to a file. In D2L, he could do that because all the small groups had access to the same course files, but in Canvas, the small groups can't access the larger course file repository, nor can the small groups access each other's files. 

What's the best way for him to quickly link to a file for each small group by copy and pasting the text? I'm wondering if the easiest thing might not be to just save it on the desktop and attach it for each group rather than linking to it in the text, but I'm hoping you all have some tricks to make this easier for him, especially if he has multiple files for each discussion. 

[9927744]

We had a similar issue.  When he copies and pastes his material, he then needs to go and relink the material.  Copying the material does NOT copy the link.

[venitk]

After I posted this, we discovered how to get back to All Files from what we're calling Group World. So, it wouldn't work to copy the address for the file from All Files and then just copy and paste? He has to redo the link?

Unfortunately, the way my Canvas account is set up, I can't masquerade as dummy students, so this is really hard for me to test in a sandbox. 

[9927744]

Yes, he needs to redo the link.  It should be easy; he'll need to highlight what needs to be linked, go to the right-hand side (I'm assuming everyone's page looks like mine 🙂 ), find the page/ file here and click.  The link is restored.

[venitk]

Jennifer, we're finding that the Files place on the right only lets him connect to the files he uploaded to that particular group, not to the files in the greater course as a whole. Are we doing something wrong?

[9927744]

I think it may depend upon how he creates his files.  I make files for the course and the for the group.  If he wants it for each group, I'd put the material in the course file.  (I like to think of the files as a file cabinet to make it easier for my brain!)

[heather_stockfo]

@Jennifer Carpenter, How do i attach a file to a group?

[9927744]

When you are on the Groups page, click the ellipse beside the group:

Go to Visit Group Homepage:

Go to Files, and you'll be able to upload files as you do in any Course.

[Shar]

Hi Katie Venit,

Like Jennifer Carpenter, our preference is to put common files that all students(and groups) need into the Course files and then link to it on the Discussion page itself. All the the groups see the same discussion prompt and will see the same file. If he doesn't want to mess with the discussion itself, he can post a course announcement with a link to the file and everyone will have access to it as well.

However, if the file is customized for each group, then yeah it should go into the group-space files section. (What you call group world, I call group-space.)

Good luck,
Cheers - Shar

[gkokaisel]

Does the file have to live in the course? Could it be shared externally on Google Drive or One Drive?

[venitk]

That's something we could certainly try, Gary. He'd prefer the file was stored in the course, but he might find he'd rather it lived externally rather than have to relink each time. 

[bb_mloder_ca]

I wonder, if it's the same file for each group, could the instructor type the reply in the team homepages but add the file to the original discussion post, disseminating it to all easily? Maybe listing it at the bottom of the discussion post as additional "reflection material" or "additional learning material" or even just the name of the file that he references in the reply.