Rendering of Word files in the marking user interface for assignments

Hermien.P.630
Hermien.P.630 Posts: 5 🌱
edited April 29 in Known and Fixed Issues

Hi,

We have come across a rendering issue with Word files in the marking user interface for assignments.

A student submitted a Word document to an assignment in Brightspace. The marking user interface rendered the first two pages (cover page and first page of text) on top of each other, resulting in the lecturer not seeing the first page of actual text. When opened in Word, the original document renders as expected.

I unfortunately can't post the example here due to privacy considerations.

Has anyone else come across a similar issue?

Best wishes,
Hermien

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Answers

  • Isidora.R.173
    Isidora.R.173 Posts: 11

    Hi Hermien,

    I hope your week is off to a great start! Thank you for reaching out about the rendering issue you're experiencing with Word files in Assignment Grader.

    It sounds like the issue is related to the document conversion process. As you may know, submissions uploaded to Assignment folders are automatically converted to PDFs for viewing. However, since Microsoft’s native formats are proprietary, Word documents may not always convert perfectly or at all, which can lead to occasional formatting inconsistencies during the conversion.

    To confirm if this is the case, you can try opening the document in LibreOffice, as Brightspace uses LibreOffice for rendering:

    • If the first two pages (cover page and first page of text) are overlaid on top of each other in LibreOffice, this would unfortunately be expected behavior.
    • However, if LibreOffice renders the document correctly, there may be an issue on our end, and I would recommend having your org admin submit a support case so we can investigate further.

    The recommended workaround to ensure consistent rendering in Assignment Grader is for students to submit their files as PDFs. Alternatively, as you mentioned, downloading the original document for local viewing also should display the file correctly. At this time, there are no additional solutions available.

    I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions or run into further issues, feel free to reach out—I’m happy to help! 😊

    Warm regards,

    Isidora

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  • Hermien.P.630
    Hermien.P.630 Posts: 5 🌱
    edited April 29

    Hi Isidora,

    Thank you for the info! 🙂

    Best wishes,
    Hermien

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