Teacher annotation for Quizzes and Text Entries

[KristinBaker]

As AP is moving into the digital age, my students are now forced to type timed essays.  The most viable options that would not allow them to use spellcheck or grammar check is either a Canvas text entry submission or a Canvas essay quiz.  However, the lack of grading tools available with these makes them impossible options.  I MUST be able to annotate my students' essays.  I know requests for text entry annotation tools have been made since 2018 and requests for quiz annotation tools since 2020; yet, nothing has been done to fix these issues.  I am begging you--PLEASE add grading/annotation tools to text entry submissions and quiz submissions by the 2024-2025 school year.  I must be able to hold my students accountable for their writing, and I should not have to print essays out in order to do that.  Please, Please, PLEASE make the life of English teachers easier by adding these features.  Thank you!

[JamesSekcienski · Accepted solution]

@KristinBaker, 

These sound like helpful ideas for improvements to the essay questions and text entry submissions.  It looks like other users have already submitted feature requests for these two ideas:

• [New Quizzes] Allow annotated feedback in Speedgrader for essay questions 
• [SpeedGrader] Allow Annotations to Text Entry Submissions in SpeedGrader 

You may want to subscribe to the related Themes to keep updated on any future updates about these.  

• Provide more options to provide quiz feedback to students 
• Provide more flexible grading options 

It was announced that the Themes & Ideas process is being reviewed and updated, so it would also be good to keep an eye out on the Product Blog for future announcements about this to know how to show your support for these.

[jmcoughlin]

It seems like this topic is popular, but going nowhere. Are there any updates on bringing this solution to fruition? 

[KristinBaker]

I think I have made this request every year for the past few years. I know adding this feature would most definitely help teachers, especially English teachers, to utilize Canvas more effectively in their classrooms. Right now, I have to have my AP students type their essays in a text entry because I do not want them to have the auto-correct functionality of Word, then they have to copy and paste into a Word document, save, and then upload the file.....all because I do not have the ability to annotate their essays in a text entry submission. If I could have them type and submit the text entry, that would be glorious. I also want to create "quizzes" for AP writing exercises because those are the only assignments in which a timer can be set; but, alas, I cannot do that because I cannot annotate what they submit in the quiz. As an AP teacher, it is imperative for me to be able to give feedback to my students in order for them to succeed. Please, PLEASE add this functionality. I know it is "talked about" and "reviewed," but I would appreciate these features actually being implemented in the very near future. Thank you.