I have developed a user script that will allow an Account Admin user or teacher with the appropriate permissions to update the threaded reply settings of discussions in a course in bulk.
To use the user script, you will need to use a tool for loading user scripts (such as TamperMonkey Chrome Web Store Listing) or add it as a part of the theme in your Canvas environment (if you are an Account Admin). If using a tool for loading user scripts, be sure to update the @match web address (as needed) on line 7 in the header comment. Users using the Canvas hosted domain name shouldn't need to make any adjustments. The Bulk Update Threaded Reply Settings Raw Source Code will need to be installed for use with your tool for user scripts or added to your JavaScript Canvas theme file.
This user script is part of the Code with Ski User Scripts Repository. It is recommended to review and test the code before making significant updates to your course enrollments. Be sure to check with your school administration/IT staff before using any user scripts in case they have security and/or review guidelines that must be followed before use.
How to Use
Go to Discussions in a course. Click the 3 dots in the upper-right to open the menu. Click the "Update Threaded" link to open the dialog for this feature.
In the dialog, you will select the type of update you want to make (enable threaded replies or disable threaded replies). Click "Load Discussions" and it will add the relevant discussions to potentially update to the table.
In the table, review the discussions that will potentially be updated. Use the checkboxes to change the selected discussions to update. When you are selected the discussions you want to update, click "Update" and then confirm to begin the process. Make sure you stay on the page and do not refresh while it is loading. If you leave the page or refresh it, the update process will be interrupted and not fully complete.
After the process finishes, the successfully updated discussions will be removed from the table. Any that failed to get updated will still be checked in the table. You can review the loading messages for any error messages.
