Google Drive for Coursework in an Education Apps Domain

Question

We're investigating the use of Google Drive in an Education Apps Domain.

The scenario we're considering is as follows (and we wonder if any or all of this is possible with the existing Docs API, or if it might be possible soon):

1. For each student /we/ create a coursework folder.
2. Within the coursework folder we create folders for each unit studied, eg. web101, web201 - the student then works within specific folders (and subfolders therein) for particular units.
3. Unit tutors and lecturers have read access to selected folders, enabling continuous formative feedback (and possibly automated feedback and monitoring).
4. The student does not have control over the structure of the coursework folder or the unit folders, only the work that goes within.

Answer 1

Google Drive provides user-managed storage, so if you create those folders in the students' accounts, they will have control over them.

A possible solution is to create all folders within a "teacher" or "admin" account and then share each of them with the corresponding student only.

All of this is currently possible with the Documents List API:

https://developers.google.com/google-apps/documents-list/