Discussions: Delete vs. Edit

[TanyaHaddad]

Quick question—would it be possible to separate the settings for students editing and deleting their replies? Ideally, I’d like students to be able to edit their replies but not delete them.

If that’s not currently possible, how can we upvote or request this as a feature improvement?

Thanks so much!

[kylieannpugh]

Hey! 

The rationale here is that if a student can edit, they can remove all of their text which effectively deletes their post. The course settings also have edit/delete in the same group- not as two separate functionalities, as do the discussion settings. Screenshots below. 

As for a feature requests, you are always welcome to make a suggestion to Ideas and Themes but we no longer offer any upvoting as that process will be changing and improving in the near future. 

 

 

[TanyaHaddad]

Thanks for the clarification.  I understand the current grouping of edit/delete permissions, but I wanted to point out a key concern:

When a post is deleted, instructors can no longer view any history associated with it. This means a student could make a blank post, delete it, and there would be no trace of what was originally written, or whether it was edited.

This is why I believe the ability to edit should be a separate setting from delete. In my case, I’m fine with allowing edits, because at least then I can view the "edit history" even if the entire reply is changed.

Please let me know how we can escalate or formally request this improvement. It would really enhance accountability and transparency in discussions.

Thanks again!

[Gabriel33 · Accepted solution]

Hi Tanya, as Kylieannpugh mentioned, the process for suggesting features is through submitting an Idea.

There are a couple of existing ideas that are related to your request, though there doesn't seem to have been any movement on them for a few years:

• [Discussions] Separate "Edit" and "Delete" discuss... - Instructure Community - 360756  
• Add Discussion Board versioning and/or undelete. - Instructure Community - 366298  

[TanyaHaddad]

Thanks for the information. I looked at the Ideas link, but it seems I don’t have the ability to submit a new idea—only to view the ones already submitted.

The two topics related to this improvement show one is "open" and the other has been archived, with no recent activity.

Is there a more direct or effective way to request a change like this?  Specifically, having "Delete replies" as a separate setting from "Edit replies" in Discussions.  This seems like a simple and practical fix for IT to implement and would greatly improve transparency and accountability in course discussions.

I’d really appreciate any guidance on how we can help move this forward.

[Gabriel33]

I know, and unfortunately I don't know of any other way for suggesting basic improvements to Canvas.

They are currently considering alternative ways of ignoring listening to user feedback.

[Chris_Hofer]

Hi @TanyaHaddad ...

I noticed that you currently have a status of "Community Novice".  In order to submit a new idea, you need to do a few more quick things here within the Community to "rank up" (this would be similar to "leveling up" in a video game or board game).  By "ranking up", you'll have a few more permissions here in the Community.  Your initial status is to help prevent spam and bots doing stuff they shouldn't.  Here's a few Guides for your reference:

• How do I rank up in the Instructure Community?
• What are the Community ranks and roles?

You'll want to get to at least the "Community Member" status.  Most likely, you are well on your way to getting this ranking, so you may just need to do a couple more things to fulfill the rank completely.

I hope this helps in some way!  Good luck!