[Discussions] Sort discussion posts option: alphabetical order

[audrey_p]

Idea is currently in development

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Idea:  Include an option to view discussion posts alphabetically by the student's names. Ideally it's set to the same order as the course's SpeedGrader and/or Gradebook.

Use case 1:  Some faculty members use their discussions as a way for the student's to share specific work with each other. In an online meeting for example, the faculty member would share their screen and show the discussion. The faculty member presents posts to the students in a particular order, like the course's SpeedGrader and/or Gradebook.

Use case 2:  Faculty wants to read the discussion from the outside (not through SpeedGrader) but is also noting who in the class is participating. It'd be easier to sort the posts instead of typing each student's name in the search entry box. 

Tactics tried/given:
- Faculty used SpeedGrader but stopped after realizing confidential information may show
- Using How do I view and sort discussion replies as an instructor? : search entry box, collapsing posts, Go To Topic, command/control + f
- Edit: Also, will share with faculty member that they could still use SpeedGrader by avoiding the right side and the top part via Zoom Share Screen > Advanced > Portion of Screen.

Top part of SpeedGrader. Second area where grade shows

I think it would be nice if this feature was added on to other sorting options like Idea: Order Discussion Posts from Newest to Oldest.

[rytting]

In my last LMS, one could sort discussion posts by either the date posted or by student name. While the former was a good way to read & respond to the discussion, being able to alphabetize student names make it quick & easy to check to see who had and hadn't posted. So I suggest adding that feature for ungraded discussions that don't have the "speed grader" to help. (Or add a "speed checker" to ungraded discussions that would identify those students who haven't yet posted.) This would make it easier to assign holistic grades to discussion participation over the course of a unit or semester & would also allow faculty to flag students who may be falling behind in participation (more specifically than the metrics allow for).

[ModeratorPanda]

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