Students viewing annotations.... please make it easier!!

[pkempe]

Hi, I'm an instructor. I don't even know where to post feature requests. This is not an issue that needs a workaround or a way to figure it out... it's a request to create a whole new paradigm for how feedback and annotations work in Canvas:

Can you PLEASE make it easier for students to view annotations that I've made on their assignments? There's that tiny little "view feedback" button if they first click the right button to view their submission. This is NOT the way high school students work. When they open the assignment they need to VERY OBVIOUSLY see their submission, and any feedback/annotations I provide need to load AUTOMATICALLY and be staring at them.

The kids are not software developers. I mean, they create a Google Doc, upload it to Canvas, and expect my Canvas feedback to be appearing in their original Google Doc. You CANNOT expect kids to click a tiny button that says "view feedback" —they are constantly telling me they didn't see my annotations or even when they go looking for them they're "not there." (Actually, it's more accurate to put this all in the past tense because I've stopped providing feedback within Canvas this way because they simply don't see it.)

You will probably say that they should follow all your workflow steps, but if you think about it, the kids who have trouble remembering all these steps or don't even notice the button are probably more likely to be the kids who need to see my feedback annotations in the first place. The ones who are good at following all the arbitrary directions and right steps to view the feedback are more likely to be the ones who are doing things right in the first place. I'm surprised this sort of information didn't arise in your user-testing beforehand.

Thanks for your consideration. 

[Naomi · Accepted solution]

Hi @pkempe,

I'd recommend searching for current feature ideas for assignment annotations and feedback in the Ideas space. There, you can add your voice to existing ideas by kudoing them or commenting on the idea. You can also use the Ideas space to create a new, specific feature request. To learn more about feature ideas, check out How do I create a new idea conversation in the Canvas Community? and How do idea conversations work in the Canvas Community? 

Naomi