Submitting Large Media Files for Canvas Assignments

Issue

Canvas is limited to a maximum file size of 500 MB for media files in assignments. Media files can often exceed this limit, making it difficult for students to submit an assignment. This guide will explain how instructors can set up an assignment to accept large media files, and how students can submit such assignments.

Resolution

The solution in this situation is to use OneDrive, which has a maximum file size of 10 GB. Students can upload large media files to OneDrive, copy and share links to the files, and paste them into Canvas assignments. Instructors will then be able to access the media files via the shared links that the students have submitted.

Instructor Instructions

  1. Create a new assignment in your Canvas course.
  2. Set the Submission type to Online and check the box for Website URL.

Student

  1. Log into Microsoft 365 from the TXST website and select OneDrive.
  2. Select Upload.
  3. In the file browser window that opens, find your large media file.
  4. Select the file and Select open.
    • Once the file has finished uploading, you will see it in the list of Files.
  5. Select the circle to check it next to the large media file in OneDrive.
  6. Select Copy link at the top of the page, and then Select copy from the pop-up box.
  7. Open the necessary assignment in Canvas.
  8. Paste the link into the submission box and submit the assignment.

For additional assistance, please contact ITAC at 512-245-4822, through email at itac@txstate.edu, through LiveChat, or through the website: https://itac.txstate.edu/support/office365.

5 thoughts on “Submitting Large Media Files for Canvas Assignments”

  4. Hello Salwa,
    Unfortunately not; it must be a file. I know that you were not keen on them uploading a zip file but for now that is the only way for them to upload it to Canvas directly.

    (As an aside in case other instructors are wondering, you can create an assignment and require that type of file upload by specifying it as a required file type under assignment Submission Types.)

    However, when you do a bulk download, the file name will include the name of the student (last name first) automatically.

    Reply

  5. How does the instructor view the student file? I am assuming we would have to download student media files?

    I have run into a related issue with Canvas, because I have an assignment requiring students to upload a folder containing two HTML files and at least one image (JPEG) file. Canvas Assignments does not allow for folder uploads. Why? I have no idea! In TRACS, students would upload their folder to Dropbox. I would go to their Dropbox, and be able to click on the HTML files, which would open in the browser. That made for a simple and easy way to grade the assignment.

    In Canvas, students will have to zip their folder and then upload it to Canvas Assignments. I am hoping this will not be an issue for students, but as you probably know, not all students have the requisite technical skills.
    Now, for me to grade their zipped file, I will have to download all 40-50 zipped files to my computer, then open each zipped file and then click the HTML files to view and grade them. I will have to hope that students have named their files correctly, so that I know whose folder I am viewing. This is a lot more work, with a far greater chance of error and mixups.

    Is there any way of requesting that students be able to upload a folder to assignments in Canvas. Also, why do we have to download file submissions, if they are not Word docs/PDFs? Why can’t we view them in Canvas? I tried this with the much-vaunted speed grader which adds all sorts of HTML to my student HTML pages, thus making it completely useless for my purposes (which is to check the HTML code).

    Reply

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