[Assignments] Renaming of student submitted files
When a student resubmits a file in a new attempt for an assignment, the submitted file will be renamed if the file name is identical to a previously submitted file. Usually, the file simply gets an attached number but, in some cases, a UID is added instead. I’m not sure why. Since naming conventions of files can be crucial in some subjects (where references between files must not be broken) or for some teachers whose subsequent workflow/automation depends on file names, a change to not rename files is required. This applies to both the above situation with resubmitting files but also the bulk download of student submissions, where each file name is appended with student ids and names.
To maximise flexibility for teachers, I propose the following improvements: 1. Do not rename files in student submissions. Even if a previous file has an identical name. A student will be able to tell files apart anyway using timestamps and for the teachers, each file will belong to a different submission object. 2. With bulk downloads, the default should be to keep the original file names. If needed create one folder per submission to avoid any identical names from different students. 3. With bulk downloads, allow for an option to add the following to file names: a. Student or group name b. Student or group ID c. Date and time of submission d. Attempt/submission number In order to not break the re-upload submissions feature, the most recently used settings can be stored per teacher. This should allow for identifying files and students still. An alternative solution could be to allow teachers to setup a forced naming convention when creating an assignment.
instructor,student
