Course integrity issue using Google Drive files -- need to understand push for using Google Drive

[lettgo583]

I'm having some challenges understanding the value of an instructor using a Google Drive file in their course -- where the link stays the same from term to term (as intended), but the content of that file can change from term to term.

For example, an instructor links to a Google Drive file in their assignment instructions during term A.
Then in term B, the instructor updates that file with adjusted instructions (and continues using that same link during term B).
When that file is updated, the course content of term A is no longer correct ... students did not use the current version of the file, they used an older version of it.  Going to the course taught during term A will not reflect what the students saw/used. 

So the course integrity of term A has been compromised by using the Google Drive file in the assignment. 

I'm looking for (but not seeing) caveats related to this in the Canvas instructor guide pages for Google Drive, cloud assignments, etc. 

What have I missed? Is anyone else looking at this? 

Thanks!

[Stef_retired]

@lettgo583 Thanks for sharing this feedback. What you've described is core functionality for all cloud-based documents, and is not unique to Google Drive or specific to Canvas. When a document owner makes a change to a document stored in the cloud, the changes populate to everywhere the unique URL to that document is embedded.

So generally speaking, a user who wishes to preserve the integrity of older content would not make revisions to an existing cloud-based document embedded within that content; rather, they would make a copy of the original, implement the desired changes in the copy, and embed the new URL of the copy in the desired location.

Hope that helps!

[lettgo583]

Hi Stefanie,

Yes, that's how to maintain course integrity. I understand that university instructors want to maintain course integrity ... for legal reasons. I believe it is around 5 years. 

The main reason for using Google Drive to store items and link to them in Canvas, appears to be that the links don't have to be updated in courses from term to term. The instructor would just change the doc in their Google Drive. 

Since that process won't maintain course integrity, it seems easiest to just import course content from a prior term, adjust files as needed in the course. Also, there is no relinking needed. 

Are there others looking at this?