[Assignments] Ability to force Canvas Recording for "Media Recording"submission types in Assignment Submissions

[asatkins]

  Idea open for vote Wed. February 3, 2016 - Wed. May 4, 2016  Learn more about voting...

As a teacher or designer, when I create an assignment and choose submission types, I am presented with the option to allow "Media Recordings":

This seems to indicate that this should not allow for a file upload submission, as that is already a different option. When I select to allow "Media Recordings" it presents the student with these options:

Because this is all one submission type, if I want to force the student to record video or audio directly into Canvas, I can not. If I want to force them to record a video or audio component, I can already do so by selecting "File Uploads" in the first screenshot and then restricting file types to the video/audio files I would like to accept. It seems strange that there is not a way to do the opposite - to only allow students to record into Canvas, especially because that seems to be what the selection in the assignment settings is designed for.

This is difficult, because with most students using HD quality cameras on their phones or HD video/audio recordings, these files are often significantly too large for their internet to handle uploading. At least a few times a week we have a student call in complaining that a submission is not going through, and we realize that they're trying to upload a 3.5 GB 6 minute HD video, and unless they're working on their school work from the NASA headquarters, it's probably not going to happen. In most situations, when we require video submissions, we want the student to have to record it into Canvas so we are not responsible for walking them through compressing any number of video files that they might not have the software to compress. We ask students to use the media recording into Canvas, but without the ability to require that as a submission type, we're at the students' mercy of listening and remembering. We would love to be able to control the submission type as the indicator ("media recordings") seems to imply.

We know we can cover up one of these tabs with CSS/JS, but we don't want to do that because it doesn't cover all browsers, it doesn't get factored into Canvas updates, and in certain assignments we do want them to be able to upload media files. We would much prefer that either the default behavior be changed for "media recordings", or there be a sub-selection under "media recordings" that indicates "only allow Canvas recordings" or something like that.

There are two related feature requests you may also want to consider - one is to change the icon after the fact to make it easier for teachers to grade (which would still be important if we get this request, because you can still both record and upload from the RTE in essay responses in assignments and quizzes as well) - Change the video icon to differentiate Canvas recorded video from uploaded video and the other is to change the video icon when only audio is present Unfortunate Audio Icon Needs Replacing .

Thanks!

[kmeeusen]

I agree that this feature can prove challenging. I use this type of submission for pronunciation assignments, and experience too many students uploading recordings made on their cell phones, which I am then unable to access.

[scottdennis]

In the past I have thought that a recording-only option might be handy for performance related disciplines where they might not want students to do a lot of editing.

[scottdennis]

 @asatkins ​,

As usual your idea submission is well considered and written.  Thank you for making our job in considering it much easier than it could be!

I don't see any pre-existing submissions asking for this and you have well articulated the use case so I will advance this idea for vote in the next cycle.

Thanks,

SD

[Renee_Carney]

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!

[scottdennis]

We appreciate you, and the submission of your idea. Your dialogue helps our product teams prioritize feature development. Unfortunately, this idea has been archived because it did not meet the 100-vote threshold within the 3-month voting period. Learn more at: How does the voting process work for feature ideas?

Can archived ideas still become a feature?  Potentially, yes. Archived ideas can be resubmitted by Community members. As people’s needs change, previously submitted ideas may gain additional traction. Feature ideas are evaluated as a whole and influence product direction.

[Renee_Carney]

This idea is one of the lucky ones that was selected to get a little more time for voting as part of our evolution of the feature idea process.   It was selected because of it's vote count and/or comment thread.  

*Selection criteria: Most (not all) ideas that received 70+ votes in their initial voting round.

[siouxgeonz]

This is such a straightforward idea that lots of people won't need, so won't vote for... I hope that it still has a chance!   It's one of those "just good design" issues ... 

[jfridell]

I have tried the new Quizzes.Next and there there is the option of using "Rich Text Editor" in "question type: Essay". It does currently not support the Canvas recording tool but perhaps in the future since the old engine do.

But with the suggestion above it could actually be interesting to have a new "question type: Media recording" and hence making also quizzes take full advantage of video/audio content submission as well, but it would really work best if it was possible to limit the submissions to stuff that is done in Canvas and not upload any media unless the teacher wants to allow it.

[Jul_Cro]

We use Respondus Lockdown Broswer and some of our language instructors would like students to be able to record media as a verbal part of their quiz within the Lockdown environment. I received word from Respondus Lockdown Browser support that if the Upload Media and the Record Media were separated then they could allow the Record Media to function in the Lockdown Browser environment. Currently the media button is removed from the rich text editor in the environment. It would be really great if instructors could allow this for students in Lockdown Browser. Currently they have to separate those questions from the main part of the quiz for it to operate.