Special language character panel/chart integration for Rich Content Editor

(23)
Faculty at our institution would like the integration of a special language character panel or chart into the Rich Content Editor. They feel it would be easier for students than the current methods of typing or copy/pasting special characters into their assignments and discussions. They feel it would also be easier for teachers of language courses to give feedback if special characters were more easily accessible in that way.
99 Comments
dlyons
Instructure Alumni
Instructure Alumni

To repeat what some folks have mentioned above, and to add some useful links: adding characters one or two at a time is already native to the OS and is best handled at that level. LaTex feels like similar functionality but is different from written language because it is markup, not prose.

If you're going to be typing more than a word or two in another language you're better served to switch the keyboard to that language.

myanalunas
Community Novice

I am an instructional designer working with a large ESL faculty that have significant content online for students. (Mostly hybrid courses) However, we now have Japanese and Chinese which are requiring instructors to create images of the characters for quizzes/exams. This is really time-consuming for them.

I would think that an alternate RCE for ESL courses would be perhaps the way to go; keep them separate but similar in function.

Just my thoughts...

Meg

jonathan_carlyo
Community Novice

Hi Group!

I am resubmitting this image to your consideration. Thanks,  @dlyons , for your feedback. I know LaTeX is a markup language. I mentioned it as a precedent of a special rich-text button that could, in this case, allow users to insert characters from other langauges such as Japenese or Chinese (as  @myanalunas  mentions below), or Arabic and Russian (as is needed in my department),  or phonetic symbols for my colleagues in linguistics.

Also, most everyone who works with "foreign langauges" knows how to switch the keyboard, and many understand the idea of ASCII. Still, there are times when students need to take a quiz or an exam using a specific computer which may be set up differently, and for which they don't have time to learn all the nuances of the foreign language switches. Additionally, if we have Quiz Log Auditing turned on, everytime the student toggles to a new screen to cut and paste the accents, this could be recorded as "Stopped viewing the Canvas quiz-taking page...".

At least in this case (and there are others), having a rich-text button for special language characters would allow students to complete their assignments without bias.

2016-04-05_16-33-17-diacritical.png

jonathan_carlyo
Community Novice

Here is a great example of how this is done in Spain by the Royal Academy of Language:

2016-04-12_10-09-44-inSpain.png

then,

2016-04-12_10-10-05-inSpain.png

myanalunas
Community Novice

This is very interesting - thank you for sharing this resource Jonathan!

Meg

cwendt
Community Champion

Thank you. I have been preaching this for months.

It is *not* best practice to have students use a pull-down menu to type in another language. Why have students hunt and peck, when they could simply learn to type "fluently", just as they are learning to speak fluently.  Smiley Happy

scottdennis
Instructure
Instructure

Sorry  @cwendt ​ and  @Beth_Young ​,  What is IPA?

Beth_Young
Community Contributor

It's the International Phonetic Alphabet. Used in linguistics, languages, speech pathology, acting, and probably other disciplines too. Smiley Happy

scottdennis
Instructure
Instructure

Thanks!

creitan
Community Member

I can't believe that there is no special character feature in Canvas! We instructors are probably comfortable with key combinations, but students have enough to worry about without having to hold down the Alt key and type in 4 numbers for each accented letter. Please add this feature.!

creitan
Community Member

I like "simple", but "simple" for whom? It is not simple for students who are language learners to have to learn about the accented letters in French or Spanish, and then have to learn how to make them in their OS. It is too much for many of them. There is a math tool. There could easily be a special character tool, too.

Without that, Canvas is an "anglo-centric" software. I'm so surprised, because Utah is really far ahead in language learning - with immersion schools in their public school system, BYU's awesome placement tests, etc. Utah is a leader in language learning. Let's have a special character tool for our language learners!

ejp10
Community Novice

I agree with Carol. Keep in mind that typing in a foreign language in the U.S. is not like typing the same language in its native territory. For instance, the default option in the U.S. Windows set up for inserting accented letters in Windows is a set of numeric ALT codes or using the Character Palette. There  is nothing "fluent" about either process.

Yes, you can activate better utilities on any machine, but if a student is not at their computer (e.g. they are in a lab or at their parents house), then there is no guarantee that they will have access to these utilities. A built-in palette in the HTML editor can be very helpful. I've seen it used in other HTML editors, so I don't think it's hard to implement.

P.S. In a perfect world, U.S. keyboards would make inserting special characters available by default and easier to do...but we're not there yet.

jlopez11
Community Novice

Hi, I teach high school French and I would really like to be able to insert characters directly by using the Rich Content Editor!  My students would more readily respond to my prompts correctly if they would have the accent marks more accessible in Canvas.

Thanks, Julie Lopez

ssimpso4
Community Contributor

While I understand Instructure's desire to not over-complicate the RCE design and functionality, the current reality seems to be that Mathematics > World Languages in the company's priorities. What else can explain the presence of an equation editor function in the RCE, but no special characters function?

My greatest sensitivity is to the teachers that I support, so if our languages teachers are identifying this as a need, I think it bears additional consideration (especially as Instructure continues to expand into K-12).

A separate post (Update on special characters on RCE?) nicely summarizes why hardware and/or browser settings are not a ready solution for many teacher and student users.

creitan
Community Member

I second Stephen Simpson's comment! World Languages instructors need the special character tool for the RCE. I was so surprised that Canvas did not have it, and that they pretty much ignored the folks who need it, saying "you can do it in the OS, no need for us to duplicate that". Please reconsider, Canvas folks! As we transition to Canvas from Moodle, our students cannot believe there is not special character tool.

creitan
Community Member

Sarah Harmon is absolutely correct! Students just do not use the accents if they are not in the text editor. They use multiple devices, and I frankly cannot remotely "tech support" all devices,, all keyboards, etc. I do provide links for them, but they do not use them. Thank you Sarah for your post. I agree that Canvas is English-centric. Time to change that, Canvas!

creitan
Community Member

Hello Instructure,

There is INDEED a need for a special character tool in the RCE. Students beginning to study a language are overwhelmed with things that are different. The accented letters are part of that. They refuse to use the OS methods, just leaving out the accents, which does not enhance the learning environment.

harmons
Community Participant

FYI--we talked to our Instructure CSM (Kinsey Cannon) about this in our weekly meeting, and she will be bringing this up internally. But she also suggested that everyone who is seeking this option do the same: talk with your Instructure CSM to have this pushed internally. Kinsey said that the more that people talk about this, the more movement will be generated, and the sooner this will be resolved! So, go talk with your CSMs!

Renee_Carney
Community Team
Community Team
  Idea is currently in Product Radar Learn more about this stage...
creitan
Community Member

A special character tool is a must for language classes. When forced to go outside of the application to find the accent marks, students of other languages just leave out the accent marks.