I am a Canvas admin and have reported this issue, but it was not resolved. I was advised to submit it as an idea instead. We have checkpoints where the UI for SpeedGrader has changed across all courses, even if checkpoints are not being used , like in this course example.
An instructor on my campus set up journal assignments using Discussions. This method makes it easier for instructors to provide feedback to students. The way it works is by creating a group set where each student is placed in their own group. This allows students to post journal entries without others being able to see them. This instructor has done this in the past and has worked in the past. However, Discussions has changed several times this semester. The recent update that impacted the instructor was the return of the old display. While many instructors on campus are happy that the old display was brought back because it makes grading easier. It has also introduced some new challenges. The current issue is that with the old UI display, the instructor cannot reply directly to students within the discussion. When switching to the New UI, after saving a comment, the page automatically scrolls down to the bottom (to the first journal entry), forcing the instructor to scroll back up to continue grading. Additionally, when selecting the next student to grade, they must constantly switch back to the New UI, which is time-consuming, lots of clicking, and disruptive.
Having both the New UI and Old UI available is a great idea. However, it would be even better if instructors could select a display mode (either New or Old) for the entirety of an assignment, rather than having to switch views manually for each student.
For the Old UI: Allow instructors to reply directly to students' discussion posts within SpeedGrader. (Note: I do not mean the comment box on the right side in SpeedGrader, but the ability to reply inside the actual discussion thread.)
For the New UI: When instructors reply to a student’s discussion post, the page should stay in place instead of automatically scrolling down to the very first post after each comment. This unexpected movement makes grading and providing feedback confusing and time-consuming.
