Allow Students to upload into a Course Files Folder

[irene_omara]

Idea Suggestion:

Would it be possible to allow students to upload files into Course File Folders?

AND allow those folders and files to be viewed by both Staff & Students.

Staff at our institution approached me about a way that staff & students can collate music scores together in one folder, which has always been a shared task. Currently, this isn't possible unless it is through a discussion, an assignment, or a quiz - which is not shared with other students.

How do I upload a file to my user or group files? 

How do I upload a file to a course? 

🔎 This idea has been archived. While this idea isn't open for comments, it is an important part of Instructure’s idea conversations and development process. Contributions like this are valuable as Instructure prioritizes work on new or existing features.

[Stef_retired]

@irene_omara  The permission to upload files into Course Files is reserved to the teacher role, as course files are an integral part of course content.

Most instructors currently accomplish the shared file exercise you've described by using discussions. It's not clear why the idea description states that it isn't possible; teachers consider it an elegant solution in that it not only allows students to view one another's contributions, but also affords the ability to discuss those contributions without having to navigate to a different spot to do it.

Alternatively, does your school use Google Drive? The instructor might be able to set up a shared folder that all students can access.

[Stef_retired]

@MontezHardaway  Many schools incorporate links to readily-accessible resources in their course design. Please reach out to the eLearning department or Canvas admin for your school to let them know that this addition to their courses would benefit your learning.

[irene_omara]

@Stef_retired - Thank you, I am aware of the functionality as it currently stands.

I am proposing that there should be a permissions option for a folder under course files where students can upload documents.

The discussions option is one for an exercise or assignment, whereas what we are trying to create is more of a shared task - collating files from students and staff collaboratively, not for discussion or grading. This task is often handled manually in classrooms, but there is increasing demand for a digital filing space shared by staff and students.

The issue posed by our institution with Google Drive is that the students have access, but staff use Microsoft which is heavily restricted, so we don't have shared permissions or access to the same systems for central file management. We thought that CANVAS might present an elegant solution as the bridge between. So hence the suggestion!

[Stef_retired]

@irene_omara  One concern here is about course storage quotas, since everything that is uploaded to course files is included in the total—so a course with a 500MB quota could reach that level very quickly if students were uploading files to course files. For that reason, schools often manage shared files through a third-party platform, hence the suggestion to use Google Drive.

Have you discussed the course storage implications with the school's Canvas admin?

[Stef_retired]

@irene_omara  An additional concern I have is that items uploaded to course files are part of the course, meaning that the folder containing students' files will be included in the course migration/course copy process—so the recipient of the copy will have to be mindful of the need to manage the contents of that folder before using the course for a new set of students. 

Canvas isn't a content management system—our goal is to facilitate teaching and learning—and so within our LMS context we recommend using discussions for this exercise. A digital filing space might be better fulfilled by an application that is expressly designed for that. If neither Google Drive nor O365 are viable options, does your school provide Dropbox integration? That might be another immediate solution.

[irene_omara]

Hi @Stef_retired - I have not yet, but I know that it is a concern overall.

With regards to your concern about uploaded course files, I think its valid overall.

We would not be concerned in the same way and although I know what you mean, I do think the option is still really useful for CANVAS to provide - it could be toggled on/off as accessible for a short period. It would be really useful to have the option on even one folder under course files.

We are hoping to use it for collecting music scores students are using for singing classes as a way to collate and this would be a useful resource year-to-year. In practice, both staff and students bring music in. But I understand that CANVAS isn't designed as a management system so perhaps dropbox integration is a useful tool. I will investigate.

Thank you!

[Stef_retired]

Thanks so much, @irene_omara , for working with us on this: we'll keep this idea in Moderating status for the moment as we await the results of your investigation.  🙂

[KristinL]

Hi @irene - I wanted to take the opportunity to check-in regarding this request. It's been a few months, and I'd like to hear about what you learned! Your idea is still in Moderating status.

[nathanatkinson]

@irene_omara This idea has been in our moderating queue for several months and we haven't heard a response to the previous discussion you had with Stefanie. If this is still a priority for you and your school, please respond here, or let us know if you found a better solution in a file hosting/sharing software such as Google Drive or Dropbox.