[SpeedGrader] Allow HTML in Assignment Comments

[cranero]

In providing feedback to students in the Assignment Comments area of an assignment, I often provide URLs to students.  Currently, the comments area is text only so students cannot click on the URL to go to the website.  Instead, they need to manually copy and paste the URL to make it work.  It would be nice to have some HTML functionality here.

[biray]

Thank you for your submission,  @cranero ​. This idea will be open for vote in the next voting cycle (Feb. 3). Also, you might find this archived idea valuable, as well:

[Stef_retired]

It would be very helpful if http:// and https:// text in the SpeedGrader comments were automatically converted into hyperlinks, just as they are in the Canvas Inbox. Currently when I provide students with resource links in the SpeedGrader, as  @cranero  notes above, I have to tell them to copy and paste the text into the address bar of another tab or window.

For my particular use cases, I'd be happy with very limited functionality in the Comments field that allows for bold, italic, and of course, the aforementioned hyperlinks--for example, a list of shortcuts that allows us to use *bold* for bold and _italics_ for italics.

And this comment wouldn't be complete without a shout-out to the popular, now-archived, and much-lamented ​ feature idea.

[jordan]

This idea has moved to the next stage and will be open for voting among the Canvas Community, from Wed. February 3, 2016 - Wed. May 4, 2016.

Check out this doc for additional details about how the voting process works!

[lsledd]

We are using Canvas with some users who are completely new to the internet. Their lack of mouse dexterity makes the cut and paste process a real barrier, not just an inconvenience. Odds are, they are currently not able to use the online resources I send them via this channel. The same capability would be great for the Inbox.

[pcosta]

Adding this feature only makes sense, for consistency across other Canvas features, especially for new users and experienced alike. We have so many URL links already embedded within Canvas modules, that allowing students to return to them (as well as new ones) while reading grading comments is intuitive and necessary.

[melissa_barnhar]

We have been trained at the online school I work for to leave robust feedback for our students.  This can include images, web tools, colorful text to provide emphasis on an explanation, as well as embedding videos to help students start off a problem, or even work a problem all the way through.

Over the years I have built up the wonderful bank of feedback which I have saved in html code.  I was shocked to see there was no option in Canvas to share this feedback with students because the Rich Content Editor was not available in the text box.

Is there a possibility this could be added (specifically, via the Rich Content Editor so it would also provide the functionality of italics, bold, links, etc.) ?

Thank you

[jennifer_richar]

YES!!!  The ability to put links/ URLs, embed videos, add images, and provide other resources besides simple text in our feedback will help us continue to provide quality feedback to our students!  Please consider adding this functionality to canvas. Thanks!

[maria_topliff]

I have to agree with Melissa! I cannot imagine not being able to use the valuable feedback that I have created for my students over the years.  It would be a shame to loose all of that, especially because it provides such essential individualized learning for my students' specific learning needs. I hope that the html code option becomes available!  Thanks! -Maria

[lexanne_speer]

Please include the option to embed, link, and have a Rich Content Editor for Assignment Comments.  We meet the needs of individual students through the use of multi-modal, engaging, interactive feedback which cannot successfully be accomplished without the ability to embed and hyperlink content, and use color and other text features for emphasis.  The feedback process is one in which learning is the focus as students are able to listen, view, and interact with games in order to remediate and/or enrich their learning in relation to that assignment.   This means the ability to link, embed, and adjust text settings in Assignment Comments is a crucial part of our teaching practice.  Thank you for considering this very important option!

[jennifer_barber]

I love to add and embed video links in my feedback, and I think the HTML capability will really add a lot to the course.