Word count for Speedgrader (DocViewer) grading

[gsaltveit]

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

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It would be extremely helpful for student submissions to also include a word count when we are correcting them on Speedgrader through DocViewer.

Thank you!

Comments from Instructure

Per comment:

Hello, all! Just a quick note to share that this idea is currently being worked on. There are a couple things to consider in this request and we will need to address them in iterations.

Our first step is to add word count to SpeedGrader for text entry assignments. Our currently plan is for this to be available in November.

Our next step is to do some additional scoping for how to accomplish this with files uploaded and viewed through DocViewer. More to come on this as we look into if this can be accurately and consistently made available.

[RitwikBanerji]

I'd love to see this feature as well, especially in discussion forums.

I think my students would as well so that they can keep themselves from losing points for not hitting the word count 😉

[joe_fahs]

Another vote to add a word count to SpeedGrader. Maybe a Canvas Deploy?

There are extensions and websites that allow counting and other text tools but I worry about privacy when analyzing student work. 

[thomashale3]

I agree! As it is, I have to save (which is a PDF), then copy all and past to Word. If I copy all directly from the SpeedGrader window, it gives a wrong count because words get concatenated.

[jeanette_clayto]

Don't see how one votes, but I badly want to vote for the word count for speed grader! It's a colossal loss of time for me having to copy-paste into some other word processor, remove footnotes, run word count then delete the text. Am REALLY wishing I didn't have to use Canvas for this reason, when a doc in Google Drive is so much more manageable! Why is it not happening? Seems to me like a pretty basic need that should have been dealt with long ago!

[Chris_Hofer]

Hi @jeanette_clayto ...

Voting has been replaced with a star rating system.  You can read more about it in this Guide: How do idea conversations work in the Canvas Commu... - Canvas Community.

[brecked]

Please consider the following:

I require a robust initial discussion post and a minimum of two responses to the posts of other students regarding the weekly assigned topics. One requirement is that the initial post is a minimum of 150 words and each of the two responses is a minimum of 100 words. This helps ensure the academic rigor required for online learning.  I have had too many students respond, "Hey dude, I liked your post."  

Please consider adding a feature that shows me a word count when I go to grade these discussion posts. The alternative is I must cut and paste these discussions into MSWord to get the word count, which is time-consuming.  Maybe also consider a feature that the instructor can enable that sets the required minimum (and maybe maximum) word count for Discussions and Responses. The latter, if set, would not allow the student to submit it their post did not meet the word count required for the assignment. 

Thank you for this consideration! 

Don Brecken, Ferris State University, brecked@ferris.edu, 616-286-8665 

[StephWitcher1]

Why is this not a thing yet? Canvas, please add the word count feature.  The system is already counting the words since it shows a word count to students.  

[BenJam1n]

Please add word count to the speed grader.

[Bob3171]

Well, it is now 2021.  Has there been any progress on adding a word count?

Thanks in advance!

[Bob3171]

It would appear that this idea was submitted 5 or 6 years ago, and that it has a lot of support.  Our university is just finishing the conversion to Canvas.  Most of our assignments have a word count requirement, however there is no way to do that when grading using Speed Grader, other than copying and pasting back into Word, or downloading the original Word submission; both of those methods defeat the purpose of having a Speed Grader since they require a lot of time.  Is there some technical reason this has not been done?