Adding Edit History to Discussion Redesign

[SamGarza1]

We are excited to introduce a new feature in the Discussions Redesign - Edit History.

This feature enables instructors to view the different versions of discussion responses when students edit their posts. With this feature, instructors can now track the evolution of a student's response. Whether it's a minor typo correction, a rephrased statement for clarity, or a substantial modification of the entire post, instructors can see it all. This transparency not only promotes better communication but also encourages critical thinking and self-improvement among students.

If a discussion post has been edited by a student instructors will see “View History” under the timestamp on the post.

After opening the modal, instructors will see a list of versions for each time a student edits the post. Each version is timestamped, allowing instructors to see when the changes were made and what they entailed. This clarity empowers educators to provide more precise and constructive feedback.

We are excited to see how Edit History will transform online discussions, making them more engaging and productive. See release information in the change log here. More information on the Discussion Redesign can be found in the feature group and the product blog.

[ProfessorBeyrer]

This is a helpful addition, @SamGarza1. Will edited posts be marked as unread and also considered subsequent attempts at a graded discussion? They aren't currently, so I have to tell students to separately message me if they edit their post in response to my feedback. Or I tell them to skip the edit and make a new post, as an unread post will grab my attention.

Once this is enabled, that leads to a second question: Will an edited original post be considered a "checkpoint" submission once that option is added? The best answer of course would be for this to be an option for discussions with checkpoints ("☐ Edited initial post is considered a checkpoint reply") but, failing that, I hope that edited initial posts are not considered checkpoints.

[SamGarza1]

Hi @ProfessorBeyrer , 

Glad you like the feature and I appreciate the feedback on it. Currently, they're not marked as unread again but this is an issue that I can look into. How often are you needing to review edited posts? And how often does this occur after you've posted grades for the discussion?

Edited posts will not count additionally towards a checkpoint. For this implementation checkpoints, there will be two checkpoints, one for the initial response and one for replies. Instructors will be able to specify the number of required replies, set separate due dates, and specify how many points contribute to each checkpoint. We chose this use case as it's the most common but once it's implemented we can look at expanding it. 

[ProfessorBeyrer]

Thanks for those details on the checkpoint implementation, @SamGarza1. Edited posts not counting towards a checkpoint meets my interests. 

I don't like reading discussion messages twice, so I grade them as I read them. Sometimes students will edit the post after I provide critical feedback, and I might decide to give them a higher score. I guess I could do a browser search for "View History" in each of my discussions, but a better solution would be for edited posts to be marked as unread.

[dbrace]

I agree with @ProfessorBeyrer comment(s) about posts/messages and whether they be considered read or unread after they have been edited.

I believe that an edited post should be considered unread for anyone, including if they read the original post.

I say this because:

1. Of how some instructors get confused with assignments and if a student submits an additional time after a grade has already been given.  When that happens the "Assignment Icon" appears again in the "Grades" area of the course.
2. Besides seeing the "View History" link (which will always appear), an instructor needs to know which posts have changed since the last time they read the posts in the discussion.

[dbrace]

When someone is viewing the history of a post, will the differences between each version of the post be formatted so that the changes stand out?

Without a difference in the formatting, it may be difficult to see what has changed. I know that I sometimes struggle with this when I look at the history of a post or comment when using Facebook.

For specifically an instructor that is grading work, being able to see the differences is important.

[b_w_reid]

I can't find this in the new enhancements or the 'old' discussions area. Do you need to enable this?

[rupchurch]

Sounds great - but I'm not seeing it in my discussions. I can see the "Edited" note by the date but not the "View History" link.

[JenMurphyA]

@rupchurch1 - It is odd that you see the Edited note but not the View History link. Make sure you enable the course feature option titled "Discussions/Announcements Redesign". Also, the View History link only displays if a student has edited their discussion post. I hope this helps! You can learn more in:How do I view and sort discussion replies in Discussions Redesign as an instructor?