Word Count

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

 

Can we get a word count tool for our courses?

 

Well, I don't know about a word count minimum requirement.  I was just thinking put something in like the corner of the text box or in the toolbar where it shows how many words have been written.  Yeah, I've had assignments where I had to have a 300 word minimum, and would have to copy and paste it into Word to figure out if I had enough.  I think this is an easy script to make, but I don't want to assume anything since I have very little programming experience or ability.

 

Comments from Instructure

For more information, please read through the https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-14438-canvas-production-release-notes-2018-04-21 .

133 Comments
kerry_gonzales
Community Novice

Can anyone help me? I get that this new version won't have word counts until fall. But I can't seem to be able to even copy paste an uploaded essay into one Word Doc file to check. "Help" is telling me to download all 75 essays!!! That would put them all on my desktop which I would have to delete after checking for word counts.

Am I missing something? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Stef_retired
Instructure Alumni
Instructure Alumni

 @kerry_gonzales ‌, you can download a single submission through SpeedGrader. Check out How do I use SpeedGrader? Scroll down to the first screenshot, and you'll see a little cloud icon with a downward-facing arrow next to the file name (under Submitted Files). That's what you would use to download the document. Does that help?

kerry_gonzales
Community Novice

Hi Stephanie,

Yes, I can download, but that's not the problem. Downloading a file still puts it on my desktop. Which is an additional window to open. If I change this in my Preferences, then I will be changing those several times a day since I'm in and out of several programs.

I got around the word count in the previous version by having 2 windows open; 1) the uploaded essay and rubric which I could markup, and 2) a blank Word document. I could easily go from one to the other.

I could use my cursor to highlight, copy, paste the paragraph or portion of the essay I needed into the open Word doc. And then easily check word count. No downloading at all. Proceeding to the next student didn't require any changes.

With this new version, I am unable to copy anything since the cursor wants to treat it as a comment on the essay. I'm just not seeing how to copy and paste.

Honestly, I cannot believe a word count was not one of the very first tools to be included.

Thanks for your help,

Kerry

mcohen
Community Explorer

We've been asking for this for many years. It went into "process" about 2 years ago but nothing ever happened. I'm hugely frustrated too. Mirelle

kerry_gonzales
Community Novice

Hi Mirelle,

It does seem that tools that are obviously needed weren't included in the first place and take forever to change. I did figure out how to copy and paste with this new version but all the formatting is lost and breaks some lines into single lines for each word in a sentence. 

So for now, I guess I will download while marking up the upload and using the rubric.

BTW, did you know you can't delete saved comments in a rubric? I asked that question this morning because after 25 or so "saved" comments no more can be added. Help told me that I would have to create a new rubric. 

It's the little frustrating things isn't it?

Kerry

mcohen
Community Explorer

Absolutely asinine, Kerry. They definitely do not make it easy or efficient. How about having to click one button to enter the grade and another to enter the comment on a paper. I can't tell you how often I scroll through and see a comment that was never sent because I forgot to click on both "enter" buttons.

Mirelle

Mirelle Cohen Ph.D.

I-BEST Coordinator

Coordinator of the Human Service & Chemical Dependency Professional Programs, Professor of Sociology

HSS344

Olympic College

1600 Chester Avenue

Bremerton, WA, 98337-1699

Tel: 360 475 7553

Fax: 253 503 3298

Email: mcohen@olympic.edu

kerry_gonzales
Community Novice

Mirelle, are you working on a Mac? If you are, I went here to create a word count script:

Make a Word & Character Counting Service for All Apps in Mac OS X 

It took me awhile but works great. I can't image why it takes 2 years to get something implemented!!!

Kerry

mcohen
Community Explorer

Kerry,

Yes, I'm using a Mac. Are you saying that I can create this in my browser, and that you did it, and that it works in Canvas because it will work in any app that I open with my chosen browser once I create the code? If so, a) you're a genius for figuring this out and b) what the.... BLEEP is wrong with the engineers at Canvas for not doing so? I am out of the US right now but will be Stateside first week of August so I will set it up then and be in touch to let you know how it goes.

Thanks so much,

Mirelle

Mirelle Cohen Ph.D.

I-BEST Coordinator

Coordinator of the Human Service & Chemical Dependency Professional Programs, Professor of Sociology

HSS344

Olympic College

1600 Chester Avenue

Bremerton, WA, 98337-1699

Tel: 360 475 7553

Fax: 253 503 3298

Email: mcohen@olympic.edu

kerry_gonzales
Community Novice

Hi Mirelle,

I'm hardly a genius! Just a really frustrated user! But thanks!

I put it on Safari under Services. And it works on anything, so far, that I've been able to select.


After many unsuccessful attempts at trying to get help with word count from Canvas, I actually went to this forum and scrolled, and scrolled, and scrolled. Finally I found someone else who had done it.

So, I actually cannot take credit for this. But I did reply to Canvas about it so that it would be posted again.

I have no idea why Canvas cannot do this. And I gather it was "suggested" in 2015!!!

Thank goodness for people who have more computer savvy!

Kerry

jesmith
Community Novice

Just did this and it works beautifully! Took about 5 minutes. I have experience in computer programming but it is still very straight forward to follow the instructions on the webpage you've given; thanks Kerry!

Canvas, I think a feature like this is all you need to implement: highlight a range of text and get the count of words highlighted. Too easy...