DocViewer Instructor Feedback Download

[bhuggins]

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

The old version of Crocodoc allowed students to download a pdf of their assignment with Instructor annotations and feedback.  This should be added to the DocViewer as well so that students don't loose this feature.

Comments from Instructure

For more information, please see Canvas Production Release Notes (2018-03-10) 

For more information, please read through the DocViewer Plan.

Download annotated PDF:  Done 3/20/18

[jomullen]

Hi Amber,

I agree. The flagged comments are really hard to use. That is why I only use annotations which are visible on the original document so the student can see them in context wile viewing in Acrobat or in a browser, and when the document is printed out. The Acrobat viewer is free, so any student can view it. Converting to DOCX is feasible, with Acrobat Pro, but the result is a file that is virtually useless for any reason, other than viewing. So, I just leave them as pdf files. I've been doing this for about fourteen years, which amounts to about 1500 students. So far, not one of them have complained.

[jomullen]

So, I'm assuming the download option in Canvas would be similar. If not the case, then I would highly recommend using a similar format for the Canvas downloads.

[don_quick]

Students should be encouraged to correct their papers online using instructor comments or use them to make a future paper better. So they have to be easily readable online. After reading all the comments and running a few tests, I found the Instructor side works quite well. But they could improve it by giving it a download to PDF capability. However, on the student side for some reason they decided to not use the same window and the one they do use is too small to be usable on a laptop, which is the system of choice for most students, not large monitors. The instructors have 65% of the viewing space for annotations by default and they can collapse the comment window on the right to get 88%. It can also be zoomed for even more detail, if needed.

The students, however, get 22% of the viewing space by default, because the two left windows are left open and can’t be collapsed. Also, for some reason the comment window can’t be collapsed in student view and there is a lot of header information on the student view. So, what they see is about a third to a quarter of what the instructor sees. But they can zoom in that small window. It seems an easy fix to get rid of the two left windows and make the comment window collapsible because they already do it on the Instructor view.  And of course, students can’t download the feedback like the instructor can’t.

Also, to compound the problem Students can’t see prior submissions for future reference, which means they have to download the comments from the submission. In the past the as noted in other comments, instructor’s downloading capability has been used as a workaround for the fact that the students can’t hardly read the feedback in Canvas and they lose it on the next submission. Again, it seems an easy fix because the instructor can see past submissions in Canvas.  

So, the real solution is to give the students the same online review capability as the instructor, same viewing and same back submission reviewing capability.  That is the first order of business because that will fix the root problem. Downloading was a workaround. However, because of variations in human preferences for system’s processes and learning methods you need in all systems designs and instructional designs doing things as many ways or learning something as many ways as you can. So, downloadablility seems a simple process to satisfy this variation.

Also, while they are at it they can fix the problem of not being able give feedback on an attached file on the discussion board or the discussion board message itself. You can read the attachment in speed grader but not comment on it inline, like you can the assignment.

          https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/7512-grade-discussion-posts-and-attachments-with-crocodoc

Don Quick

Colorado State University 

[berkeley]

This is a non-negotiable feature that needs to be fixed immediately. You have interrupted my class (the hardest course I have ever taken in my life) at the best school in the world. Downloading was possible for the first few lessons. Now it is impossible. You have turned this class into a one-way street with no way to download our instructor's comments. That almost two hundred people have requested this should tell you something. CANVAS, YOUR SUPPORT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.

[jjc0046]

As a visually impaired student, the download feature was the only way I could read feedback from professors. This has gone unresolved long enough to negatively effect my grades. If they can't fix it now, why not roll back the update until they can resolve this issue?!? #analytics2new

Jared

Auburn University

[don_quick]

Yes, by the responses here it is obvious that this is not an enhancement but a bug and needs to be fixed on the next update. It is not an idea that is "currently in development", it is a bug that must be "currently being fixed." It seems that in many cases it was a work around for a problem with the viewer, and now the work around is gone. All Canvas resources should be directed to fixing this bug within the next few days. 

Don Quick

Colorado State University

[curtain]

The inability to download or view at full screen and access all parts of a commented document is a core piece of functionality to should have been considered part of the MVP.  Please restore this functionality as soon as possible as this is impacting students in a substantial way.

[bstone]

The sudden inability to download annotated papers is such a disappointment and a major strike against Instructure and the Canvas product. It's unusual to make an "upgrade" that removes a critical function, but that's exactly what this is. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this makes Speedgrader useless to me; I'm going to have to start grading papers in Acrobat or some other external program because it's crucial that my students be able to read and store the comments I make.

I was a loyal and enthusiastic Canvas user, largely because of Speedgrader, but you've lost me until this ridiculous "upgrade" is fixed. Please hurry.

[mmigdal]

I totally agree. We can no longer grade papers and expect that our students can view our comments and edits. This must be fixed.

Best regards,

Michelle Migdal, M.A., J.D.,

Senior Instructor

Business Communications Program

Florida Atlantic University

777 Glades Road, Fleming 348

Boca Raton, Florida 33431

Office Phone: 561-297-0294

Dept. Phone: 561 297-3940

mmigdal@fau.edu

[Chris_Hofer]

A new write-up for priorities for the new DocViewer has been posted to the Community.  Check out #2: DocViewer Plan.