Word Count

[dcwaslus]

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

Can we get a word count tool for our courses?

Well, I don't know about a word count minimum requirement.  I was just thinking put something in like the corner of the text box or in the toolbar where it shows how many words have been written.  Yeah, I've had assignments where I had to have a 300 word minimum, and would have to copy and paste it into Word to figure out if I had enough.  I think this is an easy script to make, but I don't want to assume anything since I have very little programming experience or ability.

Comments from Instructure

For more information, please read through the https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-14438-canvas-production-release-notes-2018-04-21 .

[scottdennis]

Not at this time, Tim, sorry.

[burrasto]

Word count features in discussions would be very helpful for us in two ways.  First, we would like to be able to set a maximum word count for posts in some discussions.  It would also be very helpful to have discussion word counts analytics for research and course evaluation purposes.  Discussion board conversation is important for our courses and having access to this kind of data would be helpful for us in determining which of our practices are more effective in eliciting quality conversation.

[Renee_Carney]

ajacoby‌ &  @jthoms ‌

Thank you for the ping on this one. I have had it on my list to update, but I was hoping for more detail before I updated it.  This project actually turned out to be more difficult than originally thought.  It also got set aside because more foundational projects that impacted it needed to be completed first.  This has not dropped off of our radar though.  I am going to move this idea back to product radar, with more accurately represents the status.  We'll post any new updates when they are available.

[erikagrafsky]

Thank you for continuing to support the potential for the word-count feature. I have had to utilize a browser plugin to get word-counts and it is time-consuming and involves numerous clicks. I just want to reiterate my support for it in discussions as well as in the text-entry assignment (where I really need it).

[sue_gonda]

As I cut and paste one final exam after another, I have to add my support for this in text-entry and discussions.  Thanks!

[pblackman]

Looks like this idea has been on the radar for a couple of years. I just started using Canvas, and I was surprised to see that there is no way to check word count in discussion posts easily. Students should be able to see this also. It's pretty basic. 

[carrolr8]

I would also like to just be able to see a word count tracker when posting replies to a discussion board. My teacher always wants a specific word count, but then I have to copy-paste into word to find out if I have enough.

[kjohnson4]

I have word count requirements for all discussions and assignments. Because this is not a feature I am forced to cut and paste the text into a word document to determine the count if I have any question as to whether the student has met the requirement. 

[joel_mills]

This has been "on radar" since 2015... How long before it moves to "in development"? And what is the hold up that is preventing it from being developed?

IN addition, we need to flag assignments that are over or under length and by how much as penalties are applied based on tolerances.

[mwe_sci]

Thanks, Joel, for pointing out the obvious with understandable urgency and justifiable frustration. I thought your additional suggestion was great as well. And thanks to everyone for taking time out of your busy schedules – for nearly 3 years – to explain our need for this basic writing tool. How can an obvious necessity be "open for a vote"? What Canvas rep with any experience with teaching software needs to see a vote on this?