[Mobile - Canvas Teacher] Make viewing submission comments available on mobile app

[jis16]

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

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The submission comments filter is only available within the browser/desktop version of Canvas via the inbox. However, the mobile app does not allow viewing of these submission comments. Notifications of submission comments appear on mobile device, but to address them and determine who asked the question, you have to go to the inbox in a browser.

[biray]

Thank you for your Feature Idea submission,  @jis16 . We wanted to call your attention to   which was submitted in a different voting period, but archived due to lack of votes or inadequate response. You may want to reference this idea for any insight.

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[Beth_Young]

Yes, the only way to see submission comments via Android is to use the speedgrader app, which is very convoluted. Here's an example from my earlier idea submission:

Example: Late last night, I got a text notification that a student had submitted a comment on a graded assignment. I wanted to view the comment without firing up my desktop computer, so I logged into the Canvas app, chose Notifications, tapped the notification, tapped "submissions." There I saw a link to open Speedgrader. I tapped the link, logged in separately to Speedgrader, chose my course, scrolled way down to the assignment, scrolled through student by student until I found the person who had sent the comment, swiped to slide the grade panel out, then tapped "comment." Whew!

That workflow can be even longer if, by the time you navigate through speedgrader, you have forgotten which student submitted the comment, because then you have to slide out the grade panel and tap comment for every student until you find it. 

[biray]

This idea has moved to the next stage and will be open for voting among the Canvas Community, from Wed. December 2, 2015 - Wed. March 2, 2016.

Check out this doc for additional details about how the voting process works!

[jbrady2]

I began testing the Canvas apps on both iOS and Android devices near the end of last year after the flurry from switching to Canvas late last spring seemed to die down. I find that they provide a generally efficient means for accessing courses when and where a desktop/laptop would not be convenient especially from the student point-of-view. However, as with the issue mentioned here, they definitely are lacking in certain aspects of the interface, which is why when I know that I might be sitting somewhere, away from a computer, for an extended period of time, if I have to work within Canvas, I will carry my Android tablet with me so that I have access to a web browser. Unfortunately, while this may work for me, depending upon the situation, it may not work for everyone, so it would be great to see this idea go forward to help make the app experience even better for when people cannot be at their desks.

[peytoncraighill]

:smileyconfused:

Hmmm...I think the title of this idea may be confusing me. Current flows for viewing submission comments from the mobile apps (from an instructor's perspective):

1) iOS, Canvas: Select course > Select assignment > Select submission

2) iOS, SpeedGrader: Select course > Select assignment > Select submission > Select comments

3) Android, SpeedGrader: Select course > Select assignment > Select submission > Select comments

Those flows don't represent every tap to get to a submission comment, but that's the gist of how you get there. Submission comments are a admittedly harder to find in mobile--but they are available from the mobile apps.

Is the request to add a submission comments folder to the inbox in the mobile app, like Canvas web has? Is this how you're generally finding and replying to submission comments?

Thanks for the feedback!

[jis16]

Yes, you are correct. The problem is that submission comments are difficult to find in the mobile app. From the desktop interface, it's easy to filter within the Inbox, which is what the faculty I'm working with would like to do to keep the process consistent. When a notification comes in from the mobile app, it does appear with a name, just the question and assignment name. This would mean the faculty member would have to sift through every student from SpeedGrader to find who submitted the question. The way to figure that out easier on the web is going through Inbox. Thus, this request is asking for the Submission Comment filter to be part of the Inbox on the mobile app also.

Thanks for the question!

[peytoncraighill]

Great! We'll be working on the inbox this summer as a part of our teacher app project, so that's most likely when we'll tackle this.

[Beth_Young]

The notification does appear with a name, but the notifications are fleeting. If you tap it (on my android at least), it goes away and you can't look back to refresh your memory.  Also, the speedgrader app (on my android at least) doesn't work very well. It's always crashing, or making me login again all of a sudden, or failing to show the assignment submissions, or whatever . . . I rarely use it anymore because it annoys me so much. The Canvas app is more stable.

I'm so happy that this idea has moved to the next stage!

[johnpj]

Those interested in commenting functionality may also be interested in: Import Grade Comments

[Renee_Carney]

This idea was moved from Under Consideration stage (no longer in use) to the Product Radar stage.  

This change was made as part of a feature idea process evolution.  Find more information, and contribute insights, by joining Focus Group: DRAFT Feature Idea Space.