More Discussion Redesign Feedback

[snugent]

I had chance to take a deeper look at the discussion redesign and I have some questions and feedback. 

Reporting - The report button appears in teacher view. If a teacher reports a post, does it go to the admin? If so, where in the admin can I see it? If this doesn't go to the admin, this option in teacher view may be confusing to instructors. Additionally, when the report option is selected in the options menu there is poor contrast between text and background color. See attachment below. 

Sidebar hell - I noticed that many instructors who have tried using discussion redesign and have posted feedback here are not happy with sidebar view of replies. I believe that our instructors would feel the same way. There has be a better way to display replies than popping them out on sidebar. This really breaks the flow and can be confusing in a discussion topic that has many replies. Also, please NOT get rid of the open/collapse thread option. This is extremely useful for teachers and students. Our instructors have been asking for a subject link option for a very long time. It would make more sense to have an option and close a thread with the subject line text as the open and close link. Another option they have asked for is the nested discussion topics as well. 

Subject Lines for Discussions

Teacher-created Discussion threads or sub-topics

Description Display - I really don't like that the grading information is displayed in small text that can be easily missed by students. Please make this information more prominent above the description. Also the Publish and edit options are much smaller and will also be easily missed by instructors. 

Reply language - I have stated this before but I have never liked that the word "reply" is used for both first post (or new thread) and replies to a thread. This has always been confusing to instructors and students. I do like that the first post reply displays as button. This does help to make the distinction between creating a new post/thread as opposed to replying to a thread. Please use a different word for first post/new thread. 

Quote language and function - I don't like that quote language is used by default when responding to a a message in a thread. This will be confusing for all users. Also, there will be times where the user doesn't want to quote the entire post. Allow users to select only the portion they wish to quote. It seems like separate quote option that is placed by reply option would be better. 

Anonymous Discussions - In instructor view it is noted above an anonymous discussion description that the instructor's profile will be visible in student view. However, if an instructor creates a reply, the profile will display anonymous in instructor view. I fear this will confuse instructors and they won't read the alert above the discussion description. 

Student Created Discussion topics/Discussion index options - When we first adopted Canvas, this caused mass confusion for many instructors. At the time instructors could not turn this option off because the options hadn't been added yet. This is still an issue for those instructors  who do wish to allow students to create discussion topics. This will especially be true with the new anonymous option. If the option to allow students to create discussion topics is on, students often get confused where they should post their reply. This can be really hard for an instructor who is requiring student to post in a graded discussion. Students will often come to the discussion page and click +discussion option at the top of the page to create a reply for the graded discussion. The student is confused and the instructor will be as well because the reply will not be in the graded discussion topic. This leads back to the confusing reply language used. 

Personal Discussion Options Issues - The personal setting, Manually mark replies as read, is not available in user account profile settings. I would prefer that it is available to user there as well as the discussion index page. That way if instructors choose to not display the discussion page to students, they would still be able to choose to change the personal setting. 

Allow student to edit and delete replies option - I have never liked that instructors can't split these options up. These options should be split apart and set at the individual topic level rather than for all discussions or at least instructors could make a change to this setting for an individual discussion topic. 

[lshulman]

@snugent

I agree with most of your observations. 

I think you have captured many of the issues that many of us have with the new Redesign and have stated these issues quite cogently and comprehensively!

[Jeff_F]

My compliments, @snugent .  Some folks felt rather strongly about the sidebar change so I am including a few synonyms below that will help convey the sentiment.

As for my experience, while the sidebar proved to consume much more time than the current board I would stop short of saying I was in misery.  But using it was a bit of an ordeal due the everlasting need to click to see the replies and then to click to close the sidebar to click again to then be able to view the next set of replies. I was tormented by all this unnecessary clicking.

I would certainly avoid the tool if offered the choice.

--------

synonyms for hell

[lshulman]

Also annoying is the need to click twice to "mark as read". Can't just toggle the green dot on and off. Need to select the drop down menu and then select "mark as read".

[epalson]

The only way I can mark anything as read is with the Mark as Read - if I give a thumbs up or reply to a post it is NOT marked as read.... ????

[CJKing]

I am a student, and I wish to say amen to those who describe the new pop-out reply design as hell. I am truly frustrated with the new look. I like to be able to scroll through the whole discussion, seeing all of the replies at the same time as the post, because I want to comment on multiple ideas at once. Also, unless I open the popup, I can't see if I already posted my reply or only intended to. I also sometimes want to save the whole line of a discussion for future reference after a class is over. Copying and pasting from this format will be a huge nightmare. I have no idea why someone thought this is a better solution.

In the user guide, it talks abut there being a blue arrow to click on to open the whole thread of the discussion. I vote for going back to that!!!!! How fast can that be accomplished??!!

[lshulman]

Hello student,

I am a professor. I suggest you ask your professor/teacher if they can DISABLE the Discussion Redesign and revert to the older discussion format. I do that in my course sites. Now it may be that the admin. at your school forces this to be used, does not allow it to be disabled. It may also be that your teacher does not realize it can be disabled. Ask your teacher to look into it. Though it may be that your teacher does like and want to use the Redesign. But can't hurt to ask the teacher if they can disable it. That would be the fastest way to return to the old discussion structure.

Though I, like you, sure hope this does not become the ONLY option for discussion format and we can stick with the old format if we prefer it.

[lshulman]

@snugent 

Just to add my "vote" to the suggestions/observations you make:

I completely agree with what you say about:

• Sidebar hell and I especially add my vote for adding "subject lines" to Canvas discussion posts. I instruct my students to indicate in their first line a "subject" so that does show when the posts are "collapsed". If students do NOT include a subject line or create one that is not the most relevant to the content of their comments, I will edit the student post to ADD such a helpful line. 
• Reply language
• Quote language and function

edit and delete replies option: I turn this OFF because Canvas does not seem to provide any indication when a post has been edited and, even if it did, we cannot view the original version to see just WHAT might have been changed (Blackboard did both of these things and it was most helpful): it might simply be non-substantial grammar or spelling correction or something more substantial that might affect the student's grade for the post. If the instructor has already seen and graded the post, if they don't know it has since been "edited" they won't know to read it again. But they also won't know to what extent it has changed and if that change might affect the grade given (let's not assume the instructor is going to be able to remember what they read the first time).