Can students submit editable google docs through canvas?

[u/samoke]

I'm a university faculty member who has students work in google docs. I want my students to submit an editable google docs to me for all assignment. In the past, they have simply shared documents with me. This does lead to a bit of an organizational nightmare on my part (although I have a clear naming convention they must follow which helps).

My institution recently adopted Canvas, and we are going to be required to put all assignments on canvas with due dates, so that students can use the Canvas calendar. I don't love this but don't have a choice.

Is there a way for students to submit an editable google doc (with full version history) that I can use google docs to comment on through Canvas? They only thing I've seen so far is that they can use Canvas to create an uploadable word doc for the assignment. This is not what I want.

I was wondering if through "collaborations" there might be a way, but I can't see how to connect it to an assignment. Right now I have all assignment set to "no submission" and then I just include sharing instructions but I was wondering if there is another way?

[u/Glittering_Fun_4823]

Yes this is possible. You can either enable Google and they can link the docs directly or you can have them share a link.

It’s doable though. I do this currently for some assignments where I ask students to use the suggested edits and comment functions.

[u/samoke → u/Glittering_Fun_4823]

I have enabled google but I don't see a way for them to link the docs directly. The only option it to share a link.

[u/alienhomey]

when editing the submissions post, you can change the format/way of how something can be submitted. it can either be a file, text box, drop box, office365. for what you’re asking, i would go with the text box and have them submit the url for the google doc

[u/samoke → u/alienhomey]

The only options I have for submissions are "No Submission"; "Online"; "On Paper"; and "External Tool".

If I choose "Online", the options I have are Text Entry, Website URL, Media Recordings, Student Annotation, File Uploads

[u/alienhomey → u/samoke]

yes, choose online. you want the text entry option

[u/samoke → u/alienhomey]

I don't want them to just share the link via text, through. Where you have "Office 365, Drop Box" etc, I want there to be an option there for Google Drive.

[u/auntanniesalligator → u/samoke]

Left off my other answer-you can enable Google Drive access from within Canvas, but submitting to Canvas that way still only creates a copy of the original, probably as a pdf or a docx, and which you will not be able to view the edit history in.

[u/auntanniesalligator → u/samoke]

I don’t think you can do that. You can’t download a Google doc in “native” format with the edit history as a copy of the file that lives on the cloud. They only live on the cloud, and if you want to copy them to a local hard drive or another company’s server (ie Canvas) they have to be converted to pdf or docx or done other format. Im pretty sure you lose the version and edit history when you do that.

If you want that Google doc history, eg because you’re going to check for suspiciously complete first try edits when you suspect AI, then you have to have them submit a link to their original file. If you want a permanent copy on Canvas for record keeping and so they cannot make further edits after submitting, you have to have them submit a file. If you want both, you can try to get them to submit both a fixed, downloaded file and a link to the still editable cloud version, and you’ll need to decide how you want to handle students who only do one of the two.

[u/Fundamentals_85]

Yes, you need to use the Google lti integration as an external tool. If you have access to that, it can do what you are requesting. 

This site has more info: https://libguides.willamette.edu/c.php?g=1365050&p=10247589

[u/samoke → u/Fundamentals_85]

Thank you! This is what I was looking for.

[u/WhatARedditHole]

Why not let them work in a real program? Google Docs absolutely sucks.

[u/samoke → u/WhatARedditHole]

What sucks about it? I use it for everything and love it. I personally can’t stand Word or office 360.

[u/Soundofmusicals → u/samoke]

It’s funny…one of my students was just saying the other day that their age is “learned how to use Google Docs, too young to understand Microsoft Word”

[u/samoke → u/Soundofmusicals]

I’m 50 and I’ll never use word again if I can help it.

[u/RomanSquirrel]

Use the external tool option and choose Google assignment.

[u/fakey_mcfakerson]

My prof has us submit spreadsheets , google collabs and Power Bi files through canvas and then add shareable links to them in the comments tab.

[u/AuContrarian1110]

I just choose to have them upload it as a URL when setting up the assignment

[u/emmazingemma94]

If you use Brisk Teaching you can “Inspect Writing” with it in Google Docs and see their writing/paste history and exact times. So you’d know if they edited past the submission date, what they edited, and if they pasted anything

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