How Can Students Share Files For A Course?

Environment

Canvas
MiVideo
U-M Google
Perusall
Dropbox
MCommunity

Issue

Is there a way for students to share files (a Google doc, PDF, etc) with other students in a course?

Resolution

For a single assignment in Canvas

Create a graded or ungraded Canvas discussion. A discussion can be available to the entire course or assigned to specific student groups. Students are able to view replies from other students in their group.

• Instructure How to create a discussion article
• Instructure How to create a group discussion article
• Instructure How can a student reply to a discussion article

Students can reply to the discussion using the text editor which allows for embedding a file or link to the file from:

• File upload - see Instructure How do I upload a document in the Rich Content Editor article
• Canvas user files - see Instructure How do I embed a document from Canvas into the Rich Content Editor article
• MiVideo media (video, audio, images) - see Upload Student Video Assignments in Canvas article
• Google Drive files - see Instructure How do I create a hyperlink or embed a file from Google Drive article
• Dropbox files - select the Apps icon > View All > Dropbox

Use Canvas Group Files as a shared repository

Students are not able to upload files to the Course Files repository, however they can upload to Group Files. Note: by default, each group is allotted 50 MB of storage space in Canvas.

1. Create a Group Set and one or more Groups. Add students to the groups. To create one Group Files for the entire course, create one group and add all students to the group.

• Instructure Automatically Create Groups article
• Instructure Manually Create Groups article.
• Instructure Manually Assign Students to Groups article.

2. Each group has a Group Files repository. Students can upload and view files in the Group Files.

• Instructure Upload a File to a Group article

3. If the course contains only one Group Files, to make navigation to the files easier for students to locate, create a redirect link in the course navigation bar.

• Navigate to the Group Files repository and copy the URL.
• The URL will look something like "https://umich.instructure.com/courses/123123/external_tools/43326". 
• See the Adding a Redirect URL article.

Create a student upload folder in Perusall

Instructors have the ability to create a student upload folder that will enable students to upload materials to their course. Students can view each others’ uploads and the instructor can even then assign them to the class as a peer review exercise. Perusall is available in all Canvas courses. See the Perusall webpage to learn more.

Share U-M Google files with an MCommunity Course Group

Note: This option is external to Canvas.

Create an MCommunity group for the course. Students then share a U-M Google file with the MCommunity group using the group email address. Everyone in the MCommunity group will have access to the file.

• See the Course Groups in MCommunity and Google article. 

Additional Information

• Check out the new Academic Technology@Michigan website for course planning resources from across U-M
• Visit the Canvas @ Michigan site for faculty including the U-M Instructor Guide with links to additional support resources from across campus
• Check out the Canvas and MiVideo tutorials

For additional questions, please contact the ITS Service Center