Is there a way to turn on a Time Stamp for the first thread in a Discussion?

[dar119]

I have had a couple of students point out that while replies to a discussion post have a time stamp (like "Wednesday" "Today"), there is no time stamp on the original discussion post -- neither on the original post, or on the Discussion list. 

• I can see a time stamp on a discussion that I have started -- but my students cannot see that time stamp, and when I look at my discussion using a Test Student account, I cannot see the time stamp.
• Students have pointed out that they would really like to know when a discussion began, not just when the last reply a thread was posted.

I have looked in all of the settings, but cannot seem to find any way to turn a time stamp feature on.  Is there a way to show the date/time that the initial thread in a discussion was posted,  a time stamp that would show up both on the Discussions list as well as on the first post in a discussion thread that students see?

Thanks!

[James · Accepted solution]

Here's another discussion about people wanting just the opposite: . Others bemoaned the fact that their discussion questions looked old when they used them semester after semester (I can't find the link right now). Technically, I guess they are old, but they didn't want the students knowing that.

In the meantime, one easy work-around is to manually type the date into the discussion question itself.

[dar119]

I guess the argument for or against a time stamp on Discussions boils down to what the Discussion posts are being used for.

If (as is argued in the discussion you linked to) a faculty is using Discussions as a structured part of a course for assignments and wants students to answer and discuss the same questions every semester a course is taught, then I can understand why an "old" time stamp would be unwanted.  On the other hand, if Discussions are being used as a platform for students to ask questions (of each other or of the professor) and not part of a course assignment, then it is nice to know whether the question posed in a discussion thread is a new question (today) or an old question (several weeks ago).

For the record . . . the faculty in our graduate program teach our courses "on the fly" and develop (or re-develop) our course content material fresh each semester.  And we tend to use Discussions in our graduate level engineering courses as a means for students to ask each other (and the professor) questions rather than using them as assignments for grade.

[kona]

 @dar119 , you've got a valid argument for a time stamp, but given Canvas' current functionality it seems like James' suggestion to add the date (possibly to the Discussion title?) to the initial Discussion post would probably be the best work around.

[dar119]

I could also resort to using the external Piazza.com discussion forum as my method for having students post questions -- I have used Piazza before and I really like it, and I understand it blends seamlessly into Canvas.  The question about time stamps was raised by a couple of my students who are using Discussions to ask questions of each other and of me . . . and since I am new to Canvas, I thought i would ask the experts.

[James]

Daniel, I like your way better, but I suspect we're in the minority.