Students upload AutoCAD files for student submission

[k_gillen]

Hi everyone,

I am a Digital Learning Officer and I am trying to help academics with an issue relating to large file submissions (see below).

Has anyone had any experience with students uploading AutoCAD files for student submission?

Academics I work with only have around 500mb-1GB of storage space in each course card and so this will not hold or allow large file types such as AutoCAD to be uploaded.

I am trying to find an integrated application that will allow students to submit large file types without it taking up space on the course card, for academics to access and grade.

If anyone has any solutions or ideas, please let me know.

Kind Regards

Kirsty

[Chris_Hofer · Accepted solution]

Hi  @k_gillen ...

When a student submits a file attachment as part of an assignment submission, that file should not count against the student's file storage quota (described in the second paragraph of the blue box in the Guide: How do I submit an online assignment?).  When you refer to "course card", I assume you are just referring to the course itself.  The course has its own "Files" area that should not be confused with an individual's own "Files" area in Canvas.  The "Files" area in a Canvas course is used to store files associated with the course that you would want students to download/review.  Assignment submissions are NOT stored in the course "Files" area.  However, on your left-hand side global navigation menu, when you click on "Account" and then "Files", you'll see your own personal files area.  Each user (no matter what their role) has this personal "Files" area that is completely separate from a course "Files" area...even though they are named the same.  Now, I'm not sure if Canvas has some kind of cap limit on how large of a file can be attached to an assignment (I'm a Canvas admin and do not teach, so I don't have much experience with attachments to assignment submissions from actual students), so I don't know if a large AutoCAD file that large would eventually time-out or not.  I'm sure there are instructors here that have dealt with large files, but I'll tag a couple instructors at my school in this response to see if they have any thoughts for you, too.  kolson or jolson1 ... might either of you guys have some ideas for Kirsty?

[rhonda_rodrigue]

I use Canvas for students to submit autocad drawings.

[Chris_Hofer · Accepted solution]

Hi  @k_gillen ...

When a student submits a file attachment as part of an assignment submission, that file should not count against the student's file storage quota (described in the second paragraph of the blue box in the Guide: How do I submit an online assignment?).  When you refer to "course card", I assume you are just referring to the course itself.  The course has its own "Files" area that should not be confused with an individual's own "Files" area in Canvas.  The "Files" area in a Canvas course is used to store files associated with the course that you would want students to download/review.  Assignment submissions are NOT stored in the course "Files" area.  However, on your left-hand side global navigation menu, when you click on "Account" and then "Files", you'll see your own personal files area.  Each user (no matter what their role) has this personal "Files" area that is completely separate from a course "Files" area...even though they are named the same.  Now, I'm not sure if Canvas has some kind of cap limit on how large of a file can be attached to an assignment (I'm a Canvas admin and do not teach, so I don't have much experience with attachments to assignment submissions from actual students), so I don't know if a large AutoCAD file that large would eventually time-out or not.  I'm sure there are instructors here that have dealt with large files, but I'll tag a couple instructors at my school in this response to see if they have any thoughts for you, too.  kolson or jolson1 ... might either of you guys have some ideas for Kirsty?

[kolson · Accepted solution]

?I have not had any problem with students uploading or downloading large files. In some classes the files (usually zip files) are as large as 30 gb. Sometimes the students will need to upload the same large files multiple times and I don't recall Canvas having a problem with this.

Kim Alan Olson

Mechanical Design Technology Instructor

Moraine Park Technical College

2151 North Main Street

West Bend, WI 53090-1598

(262)335-5752

(262)335-5911 FAX

Kettle Moraine SoildWorks User Group (KEMSUG) Leader

Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP),

Advanced Drawing Tools, Mold Tools & Sheet Metal Specialist

Associate - Additive Manufacturing

[james_trueman]

I am really interested to read that students are regularly uploading files as large as 30GB. I thought that the AWS single object limit of 5GB prevented files above that size being uploaded, and that the browser / server timeout issues tended to disconnect the student during the upload process when files were of any meaningful size? We have found users tend to need a super efficient high speed internet connection to reliably get any files near the 5GB limit uploaded.

[Robbie_Grant]

 @k_gillen ,

Were you able to find an answer to your question? I am going to go ahead and mark this question as answered because there hasn't been any more activity in a while so I assume that you have the information that you need. If you still have a question about this or if you have information that you would like to share with the community, by all means, please do come back and leave a comment.  Also, if this question has been answered by one of the previous replies, please feel free to mark that answer as correct.

Robbie