[Courses] Comprehensive Course Search Tool (Searching Course Content for a Topic)

I always find it useful to search for content using an index or an actual search tool rather than just scrolling through all of the pages one by one to find what I need.  I can see many uses for this:
  1. As a student, I know that a particular topic was covered but I'm not sure where.  I can search the course for the keyword and the page hits will come up.
  2. As an instructor, I want to know where else these students have seen a particular concept.  I can search a bunch of courses for a keyword and the courses and page hits will come up.
  3. As a student, as I am trying to integrate information from multiple lectures within a course or within multiple courses, it would be useful to see where a particular concept has been covered.

 

Tracey

Added to Theme

Add or improve search functionality Theme Status: Identified

206 Comments
RobDitto
Community Champion

@erica_hill, you're right that business and professional schools, in particular, need a search tool for our document-centric education modes.

At Wharton, we're still extremely happy with Atomic Search as an LTI tool in our Canvas instance providing comprehensive search. I don't know whether they have plans for a PIPEDA-/FERPA Canada-compliant version; here's a Community link with more information.

Partner Listing: Atomic Jolt: Atomic Search

AsifSamiHaque
Community Member

A search function would be great to easily locate material for our instructors!

KathyHubbard
Community Member

The ability to have a search tool to search canvas modules would be time-saving and assist in finding pertinent information. 

bobby_nourani
Community Member

Hi

We were expecting to see the course search functionality on canvas as a default built-in functionality.

It would definitely help lectures and students to find something specific in a course quickly.

There is an App for Canvas called Atomic Jolt that offers this functionality but it costs minimum two grands. Here is the link to it:

https://www.atomicjolt.com/atomic-search

c_murphy
Community Participant

I'd just like to add my vote for this feature. We are using Canvas so much more extensively now with the pandemic and not having a search is a really significant disadvantage. We want students to easily find resources, and teachers and admins to easily locate pages. A search would be a huge benefit.

gemma_mitchelso
Community Member

Student feedback indicates that a search function would make access and navigation much easier. 

ChristineWeigel
Community Member

I would like to find something within a course and I don't know whether it is in a discussion, page, etc. It would be great to be able to search all content within a course or an account. For example, if a student wants to find where the teacher mentioned Socrates, and it is just once, buried in one of the film assignments, then the student could find that without knowing in advance where to look. It would also be great to have this for the whole account. For example, I could then search for late policies, open all the hits in separate tabs, and then write out my master list for myself.

iris_derijcker
Community Member

Please also add Replace function!

douglas_rolley
Community Explorer

How is it that Atomic Search LTI can search a course, but Instructure can't? Hmmm....

paul14
Community Participant

I would love to see this implemented.