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Canvas@Illinois, View discussions with or without context in SpeedGrader
When viewing a graded discussion in SpeedGrader, the default view is without context. In other words, you'll see only the individual student's posts and you won't see the larger context of the conversation (what post they replied to, who they replied to, etc.). But there may be times where you need to view the larger context of the conversation that took place or comment directly in the discussion forum. There are multiple ways to adjust your view depending on your preferences.
Option 1: Use the "Switch to" links to temporarily change views
This first option is great if you generally prefer the "without context" view of discussions to easily assess the individual student's work but only occasionally need to see the full discussion.
When viewing a submission, you'll see a hyperlink towards the top of the screen to "switch to viewing the full discussion context" as displayed in the example below.
Selecting the hyperlink to view the full discussion will reload the page to display the entire discussion. From the "with context" view of the discussion, you'll notice the following:
- Switch to Individual Posts Link: Selecting this link will bring you back to the "without context" view to see only the individual student's posts.
- Highlighted Post: The selected students first post (chronologically) is highlighted with a light blue background.
- Navigation Buttons & Total Replies: You can navigate between the student's posts with navigation buttons found on the right side of the screen. In this area, you'll also note how many posts the student made in the forum (in the example below, the student made three posts and the first post is highlighted).
Option 2: Change your default discussion view
If you find that you frequently need to see the full discussion, you can change your default discussion view by following these steps:
- In SpeedGrader with a graded discussion open, select the Settings button (it looks like a gear icon).
- From the drop down that appears, select Options. This will open a modal box.
- Under Default Discussion View Options, change the selection to Show replies in context.
- Select the Save Settings button.
The page will then reload and you'll see the full discussion with posts in context. If you want to adjust your choice again, you'll follow the same steps but select the "Show replies without discussion context" instead.