[Courses] Comprehensive Course Search Tool (Searching Course Content for a Topic)

I always find it useful to search for content using an index or an actual search tool rather than just scrolling through all of the pages one by one to find what I need.  I can see many uses for this:
  1. As a student, I know that a particular topic was covered but I'm not sure where.  I can search the course for the keyword and the page hits will come up.
  2. As an instructor, I want to know where else these students have seen a particular concept.  I can search a bunch of courses for a keyword and the courses and page hits will come up.
  3. As a student, as I am trying to integrate information from multiple lectures within a course or within multiple courses, it would be useful to see where a particular concept has been covered.

 

Tracey

Added to Theme

Add or improve search functionality Theme Status: Identified

206 Comments
bdean1
Community Member

Our institution would benefit greatly from a Search function within Canvas. We've curated both faculty and student resources in Canvas, and it would be quick and easy for a users to search for specific topics in these extensive resource collections. 

LFPark
Community Explorer

Yes! This would be so helpful for Elementary. We teach all subjects in elementary so we have A LOT of pages. When linking in the new RCE to "course links" it takes forever to get to the W's or anywhere in the middle of the alphabet. The ability to filter when linking, etc. would be AMAZING.

aheath3
Community Member

In courses, all courses would it be possible to have a search box up in the top left hand corner. When in All courses and the courses are displayed you have scroll through perhaps a hundred if your a developer for example.

It would be great, to have the search box on permanently (presently you only get this feature while pressing Ctrl key and F key)

 

It would be great

 

Many thanks

Adam 

Stef_retired
Instructure Alumni
Instructure Alumni
Status changed to: Archived

@aheath3 

Admins can use the search field that displays at the upper right of the Courses page, as depicted in How do I use the Courses page in an account? 

The request to refine this feature and provide it to instructors for use in their Courses | All Courses list is currently the topic of conversation at Filter in All-Courses for Users.

Please add your comments to that discussion, and we'll mark this one for archival to remove the duplication and keep the conversation unified in one spot.

Thanks!

 

ahockett1
Community Novice

I think it would be great to have a search option on canvas. Sometimes I have a hard time finding things and waste time digging through numerous pages instead of just typing in what I am searching for. 

bock2
Community Explorer

This request has been open for 5 years.

I use Canvas both for university instruction and for executive education. In many cases, I want to import a module or even most (all) of a course from a Master (or prior instance) to a slight variation. In those cases, I want to be able to search (and if possible, replace) specific references (to a course number, a specific exec ed client, etc.).

Setting up a search of all site pages should not be that difficult. Each page is an object, effectively an html page. Searching a Canvas site should be no more difficult than searching a website, and most websites have that function embedded. For example, if you build a free Wix site, you can embed a search feature for free:

https://support.wix.com/en/article/wix-editor-about-wix-site-search

I think it's sad that Instructure refuses to implement relatively simple fixes like this.

tlewis2020
Community Member

This is a MUST. I teach elementary and i have a page for every single subject, every single day along with other course pages just to make it function well for my students. It takes a very long time to locate a page I need to link to and it is ONLY SEPTEMBER. The list of pages is going to grow exponentially. Every site on the planet seems to have this function, it should be a fairly easy update. This suggestion has been ongoing now for FIVE YEARS. Clearly, it's a wanted/needed feature. Please consider doing this soon!

adrienna_korsma
Community Member

This would be a game-changer, particularly from a student or PD view. It would add some of the functions that make Google Drives so easy to access and organize. I'd love a global search feature, but would also settle for a search feature within modules/pages. 

lyager
Community Member

Please add a search tool when viewing all pages!

KristiBurke
Community Member

Please add a search feature for All Pages so I can more easily locate a page I need.