Are Student New Media Player Submissions Downloadable in SpeedGrader?

[cpowell2]

Unlike submitted “paper” files for assignments, media recordings with the new media player in Canvas doesn’t have a very noticeable link to download student submissions, whether they be audio or video recordings.

I happened to spot a way that teachers could get access to the actual file of the student submission…but it might involve using “please?” 

This quick video shows where those files are located.

Thanks,

-Chris

[dbrace]

Hi @cpowell2,

Thank you for putting this together.

I believe a few main reasons for this are:

1. generally speaking, multimedia files take up more storage space and typically users (regardless of role and an educational context or not) do not look to download the content and instead only watch or listen to it in a streamable format
   1. this makes an (mostly unfair assumption) that everyone always has (reliable) Internet access
2. since these types of submissions are recorded in a WEBM file format, they can be a challenge (some quick research gives quick options) to playback
3. it is my understanding that Canvas switched to this way because there were situations that users were downloading content that they were not supposed to be able to based on permission settings

I have included @AkosFarago because they might be able to provide more information and/or a workaround that does not require students to access their "Files", download the video, and share it (which could potentially either cause duplicates in user "Files" or other storage challenges in Canvas or other ways of sharing content).

-Doug

[AkosFarago]

Hi @cpowell2,

Thank you for reporting this issue. Could you confirm if there was a more noticeable link for downloading the submission before the media player updates in the Speedgrader or this is a new need? There were quite many places where we updated the player in Canvas and since the change it is not possible for us to revert for testing purposes I am yet to confirm it myself.

For other places in Canvas, we kept the dark bar on the top for downloading the content (for those with the necessary permissions e.g. the owner of the content), but I am not positive that we had this in the Speedgrader for media submissions in the past.

[cpowell2]

Thanks very much for chiming in, @AkosFarago. I made a quick screencast of what I'm seeing while masquerading as the student in both Firefox and Chrome browser (both up-to-date): https://d.pr/v/93XfCz

[dbrace]

Thanks for the screen recording, @cpowell2.

Two things to point out.

1. you shared FERPA data (unless the name of the student was not "real" in your recording)
2. when in the "Files" area of the student/user account, while you mentioned clicking on the recording and "Download" link that appears in the top bar, the student/user also has the ability to download the file by clicking on the "three dots" icon on the right-side next to the icong with an "eye and a diagonal line through it" (I understand that it is still a student/user step but I wanted to point out an additional download method)

Hopefully @AkosFarago and the Studio/media team can come up with something.

-Doug

[cpowell2]

Thanks for watching my video, @dbrace. It seems you haven't watched the TV show Ted Lasso, otherwise you would have noticed the popular (fictional) character named Roy Kent who is a student in my non-academic Demo Course. There was not a FERPA violation in this video, nor in any of my videos that I share with others. That would be a no-no as a Canvas Admin. 

Kind of you to view my video links and comment on them. It reminds me of that old IT joke:

How many techs does it take to fix a computer issue?

Twelve.

One to fix the issue, and eleven other techs to share how they would do things differently or better.

-Chris 

[dbrace]

You are welcome, @cpowell2/Chris, and thanks for the insight about the TV show. No, I do not watch Ted Lasso.

As far as FERPA is concerned, I have seen admins and teachers post it in the Community before. Sometimes people just forget.

Yes, there are usually multiple ways to do something with tech (just like in construction).

-Doug

[HollyBrennanUSF]

Hi @cpowell2, @dbrace and @AkosFarago , thank you for this information! Just to confirm, there is still no way to download a student's video submission in canvas from the teacher's account? 

[dbrace]

Hi @HollyBrennanUSF,

It depends on how the student's video submission has been uploaded/submitted (such as if it were uploaded/submitted as an assignment with "File Upload" as the submission type) but I believe the answer to your question is no.

-Doug

[HollyBrennanUSF]

Thanks for the response, @dbrace! I have an assignment with the single purpose of downloading student audio/video recordings, so I have changed the submission type from "media recording" to "file upload". While I really liked the convenience for students to be able to record a video directly through canvas, I won't encourage the students to use the built-in media recording feature anymore..

[dbrace]

You are welcome, @HollyBrennanUSF.

While a change of process and without knowing the specifics for the assignment, using "File Upload" could actually be easier for you. You might be asking, "how?".

Because you can use the process described in the How do I download all student submissions for an assignment? - Instructure Community - 760  support article to download all of the submissions at once.

-Doug

[cpowell2]

Hi @HollyBrennanUSF - While File Upload is a fine submission type, you might want to check with your USF Canvas Admin for the default file storage quota for personnel using Canvas? My institution has 500 MB set for each account, and even though audio files aren't ~that~ large, if there are numerous audio assignments in a course, all those audio file uploads might count toward a student's total data quota, which might create friction with submissions in future academic courses.

As always, your experience may vary, and take my perspective with a grain of salt. 🙂

Have a good day,

- Chris

[dbrace]

@cpowell2,

Based on my reading of  Canvas File Quotas - Instructure Community - 387061 , it is my understanding that (as long as individual limits are not exceeded) files uploaded by a student to an assignment (or graded discussion or graded quiz) do not count towards either the user quota or course quota.

Maybe I am misunderstanding but are you implying that files uploaded by students to a graded assignment do count towards a course quota?

-Doug

[cpowell2]

Hey! Thanks for the correction Doug. Glad to see file submissions don't count toward student quotas. Forget what I said, Holly.

- Chris

[AkosFarago]

@HollyBrennanUSF , @cpowell2 ,

Would you mind sharing more on the purpose of downloading media submissions? And why specifically from within the Speedgrader? This way, if we eventually implement (or reintroduce) this functionality, we'll have a clear understanding of the problem and be able to deliver a great experience.

@dbrace I appreciate your comment on the bulk download and its convenience, that is a great call out why file upload might be a better alternative in certain cases, while we have also noted your comment @HollyBrennanUSF  that this makes the built-in media recorder less relevant in this specific one. 

[cpowell2]

@AkosFarago My faculty client was impressed with a student's audio file submission for an assignment, created with the Canvas Media Player, and they wanted to share it with other colleagues and/or students.

Since assignment file submissions in .docx, .pdf, etc. are easily downloadable in speedgrader, my client assumed an academic submission, in this case an audio file, would also be easily downloadable to the teacher's device. 

While some perspectives would argue that the current .webm file format for an audio file is acceptable, I would propose that an .mp3 file for audio submissions via Canvas Media Player would be more recognized by folks.

In addition. (my perspective only) an .mp3 file would decrease communiques to Canvas Admins asking, "What's a .webm file?"

Thank you for soliciting my perspective, @AkosFarago!

- Chris

[dhumphreys]

Hi

i can add my request for this as a feature to be re-enabled. In our education system, student files in the senior phase of learning are required to be submitted to an central education authority as a form of verification. There is not much point in us using Canvas to mark and assess if these types of files are unable to then be used for this purpose outside of the LMS. Similarly, as these items belong to the school/students, I feel there should be a way to access the for archiving purposes, especially if at a later date the institution moves to another LMS solution.

Many thanks

Darryl

[YasiAfsharnive · Accepted solution]

@cpowell2 @AkosFarago @dhumphreys @dbrace @HollyBrennanUSF 

Good news. This functionality will be re-enabled in the new SpeedGrader, which is scheduled to be released to Feature Preview on June 21. Media and Studio submissions will once again be downloadable as part of this update.

The new SpeedGrader will be available to all users, but it will need to be enabled using the feature flag “Performance and Usability Updates for SpeedGrader.” Mark your calendars and make sure you don't forget to turn it on! 

You can find more details about the updates for SpeedGrader here

[dbrace]

Thank you for that update, @YasiAfsharnive.

Just to clarify, in order to restore previous functionality, we have to enable a feature enhancement that is currently still actively in development.

Is that correct?

-Doug

[JenniferMcIntyr]

I have enabled the Feature as directed but I still don't see a way to download the media.  Can you please explain how that can be done?

[YasiAfsharnive]

Thanks for checking in. The team hit a minor technical hurdle that's caused a delay in releasing this feature. We're actively working to resolve it and will keep you updated as soon as it's enabled.

[YasiAfsharnive]

@dbrace Great question! Restoring the previous functionality does require enabling the Performance and Usability Updates for SpeedGrader feature flag. This enhancement is not still in development; it's available in Feature Preview, which means it’s released to production but must be manually enabled

[dbrace]

I appreciate that clarification, @YasiAfsharnive, and thank you.

I hesitated with my word choice between preview, enhancement, and still in development because there are subtle (and important) differences (differences that I know but others may not).

I believe that a lot of users think of functionality that is considered a preview is still in development because it has not been fully released and needs to be manually enabled/allowed.

I asked that question because it is frustrating (and confusing) that to restore previous functionality, functionality that is still an option needs to be enabled.

-Doug

[YasiAfsharnive]

Thanks, @dbrace. I totally hear you on that. You're right that the terminology can be confusing, especially since "Feature Preview" can feel like something still in flux.

To clarify: the new SpeedGrader has the same core UX as the old one, and what we’re calling a Feature Preview is actually a production-ready version. The Early Access Program was the phase where active development and iteration were still happening. Feature Preview just gives users some extra time and flexibility before we make it the default.

Totally fair that it feels like a lot of work just to get back to something you had before. We're keeping an eye on that feedback as we roll it out.

[YasiAfsharnive]

@cpowell2 @dbrace @dhumphreys @HollyBrennanUSF Hey all! Just wanted to follow up with an update here - the team is still working on getting this feature added back in. They've run into a small delay so it will not be released on 6/21 with 'Performance Upgrades to SpeedGrader'. Hopefully we can get the feature in production shortly - stay tuned for more updates. 

[TimothyMesser-K]

It is July 3 and I'm wondering what the timeline is for restoring the download functionality in Speedgrader. My course is very dependent on audio submissions and I'm floundering without the ability to download...

[TimothyMesser-K]

BTW, here is a workaround for folks who need to download media submissions now...  Install Audacity and follow this instructions: https://support.audacityteam.org/basics/recording-desktop-audio. This allows playing the media submission and capturing in an editing software where it can be saved or whatever.