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 .

[swintz]

Agreed Joel and Mark!   I have been watching and responding to this discussion the entire time as well and find it completely frustrating that it has been "in discussion", "in development", and "open for a vote" for so long with no movement.  Word count is an essential component in any education software and I fail to understand why it has not been incorporated into the platform by now.

[eggen]

Agreed. I have discussing postings with a minimum word count. As it stands my students need to use MS Word, Google Drive, etc to write a posting to check their word count. If I'm unsure by just glancing at the length of the post when I'm grading I need to do the same. I was surprised to see this lacking in Canvas and honestly thought I just didn't know how to do it.

[gibbonsd]

For the Discussion Board with grading in mind, for starters, it would be nice to have a point deduction for not meeting the minimum word count on the initial post.  On replies to fellow classmates, not immediately concern when grading.

I was wondering on the "Initial Post" this could be done similar to "Automatically apply deduction to late submissions" done in the Gradebook. 

Thinking of two locations to place this minimum word count grading options:

The first location would be next to or below the "Points Possible" after "Graded" checked when creating or modifying Discussions.  Another checkbox with label of  "Automatically apply deduction to below word count" for turning on the feature.  A textbox with a label  "Deduct" for the number of points to deduct.   A textbox with label  "Minimum Word Count" to enter the minimum number. 

The second location would be under the Gradebook Settings next to "Late Policies," another tab called "Discussions Polices."  Under this tab have a checkbox for "Automatically apply deduction to below word count."  A textbox with a label "Deduct" for the number of points to deduct. A textbox with label "Minimum Word Count" to enter the minimum number.

[theodoredubois]

I just landed a PR that enables the TinyMCE word count plugin, which involved changing two lines of code. It should be in the April 21 update.

[Renee_Carney]

This idea has been developed and is On Canvas Beta How do I access the Canvas beta environment?

 For more information, please read through the Canvas Beta Release Notes (2018-04-09) .

[mwe_sci]

Thanks very much for getting this done.

[tillis_james]

This 'word count' everyone has been asking for since 2015 is NOT done.  Below is what this word count actually does:

Word Counter

The Rich Content Editor displays a word counter within the editor browser window. This change can help users know how many words they have typed in a discussion, page, assignment text entry, or other content location where the Rich Content Editor is supported.  NOT SUPPORTED IN ESSAY QUESTIONS FOR QUIZZES) NOT SUPPORTED IN DISCUSSIONS FOR AN INSTRUCTOR  NOT SUPPORTED IN AN ASSIGNMENT ESSAY FOR GRADING IN SPEED GRADER.

The word counter only displays for the user creating content in the Rich Content Editor. After the content is saved, the word counter is no longer visible unless the content is edited.  Additionally, the total word count is not visible to any other user.

All that is needed is a word count for the instructors to be able to determine if the minimum was met - WITHOUT having to copy and paste into another program for that information.  4 YEARS - and a solution cannot be reached??

This morning I spoke to Luke in Customer Support and he tells me there needs to be approximately 2000 votes to get a 'word count' tool in Canvas.   How difficult a project can this be?  

Tillis James

[Stef_retired]

 @tillis_james ‌, the feature idea that requests what you've described here is https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/3454-word-count-for-speedgrader-docviewer-grading .

And contrary to what you might have heard, there is no absolute number of votes that determines whether or when an idea becomes prioritized. Indeed, this Ideas forum is but one of the inputs that results in requested features becoming prioritized. You can read more about that in What is the feature development process for Canvas?  

[kerry_gonzales]

Hi,

Yes, this is ridiculous. I've complained every year. In the meantime, I use this:

How to Set Up a System-Wide Word Count Service on Your Mac - MacRumors 

Kerry Gonzales

[erikagrafsky]

This was so amazing. Thank you for sharing the directions about how to do this!