[DocViewer] Bulk Download of Annotated DocViewer documents by assignment

[joannae]

Instructors can easily bulk-download student submissions, and instructors can individually download the PDF showing the annotations they've made to a student's submission in DocViewer. There is currently no way to bulk download all annotated submissions for an assignment in one click.  Faculty frequently want to keep a portfolio of this feedback / graded work for each student.

Similar requests have been made by Eric Castro and Robert Jones, but haven't received the votes needed.

[adamwarecx]

Thank you to those who've provided constructive feedback on this feature idea. There are PLENTY of things to consider including (at a minimum) the size of downloadable file, file types available for download if the assignment allows for different submission types plus much more.

This was mentioned earlier in the thread for those with Javascript skills: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Question-Forum/Download-annotated-submissions-via-API/m-p/153466 

[simone_laughton]

Dear wezza_apac,

Thank you for your reply.  

Should we be using the method that is mentioned at the link you have provided?

Would this process be similar that is used for the batch download of submitted assignments?  Would it be possible to have just one standardized format (e.g., PDF) optimized/reduced that includes the annotations and as well has the name or student number of the individual who submitted the assignment (not a generic filename for each file)?

We have many courses that have enrolments of 500 and even over 1,000 students.  I have just received an email from one of our departments where they have Indicated that for one semester alone, they had to download 2,000 assignments one-by-one.  We have about 17 different departments.  A conservative estimate would mean approximately 34,000 downloads in one semester.  To do this one-by-one is incredibly time consuming and is not a productive use of instructor or TA time.

Instructure has implemented many helpful timesaving features and I admit that I do not fully understand the technical challenges of implementing this feature.  It would be great if Instructure would consider exploring possible technical solutions, as there seem to be other tools that can be used to support these types of grading workflows, and using Canvas instead of other tools would be preferable.

[rklassen]

I whole-heartedly agree with the previous post.  It is the graded, annotated pdfs that must be downloaded at the end of each semester. 

[alyseki]

I am looking for a way to bulk download comments and annotations on student assignments. Has this been resolved yet? 

[rnb024]

Please add this.

[alyseki]

I am rather appalled that people have been asking for this for 7 years and a solution has not been created (beyond one that needs coding expertise)  If it is possible to bulk download students assignments, surely it is possible to download them with the annotations and comments. I will not be using Speedgrader for grading assessments, which is one of the nicer features of this system. Very disappointing.

[ehl]

More than merely appalling, it seems to be purposely disregardful of a widely experienced frustration and need. The reason I suggest purposely disregardful is that annotated assignments can be downloaded in useful form, but only one-by-one in what seems like a process purpose-built to be slow, time-consuming and arduous  (always with the same file name, requiring also manual renaming after each single download). The real question here seems to me: What is the motivation behind making this so difficult, when it seems that needed function should only involve something like simple addition of "while-wend" routine surrounding the currently functional annotated download function, and based on the naming protocol already for the bulk downloads of submissions. Presumably, the fragment of code that must already be in place for the existing bulk download of submissions could serve as the template the needed new fragment.

This situation makes me feel stupid. I must be missing something. I just don't know whether what I am missing is some kind of deep coding conundrum that is going over my head (I am skeptical that that is what it is), or an underlying corporate motivation that is itself appalling.

[george_franz]

I use annotations for students to correct work that they have submitted, and a bulk download woult be the best way to file these in their portfolios.  When will we get bulk download for annotated pdfs?

[JEFFCOCKRUM]

Currently, assignment submissions can only be downloaded in mass without annotations.

We would love for there to be a way to mass download assignment submissions with annotations.

Is there any way to make this happen?

Thank you,

Jeff Cockrum

Instructional Media Specialist

Grand Prairie High School

Update- I thought this post was going to stand on it's own as a new conversation.  I was told by Canvas Support to come here and "suggest this feature idea to our Systems Engineers & Developers."

[lookers]

Holy cow, I would be so happy if this existed. The absence of this feature means that, if I’m not remembering to download each essay from SpeedGrader immediately after I grade it, I have to go back through my entire class and download each essay one by one. I see that there is a way to bulk download the original files, but that’s not what I want—I want to save the files with my comments. I moved this year to SpeedGrader from my previous method of downloading essays, commenting on them in Word, and re-uploading them; the need to individually download finished grading takes away a bit of the convenience of this move.