Grading FAQs

How do I add a column to the Gradebook for an off-line assessment?

For a single assessment, it is easiest to add a single On Paper or No Submission assignment through the Assignments page. On Paper assignments are good for anything physically submitted or electronically submitted outside of Canvas. No Submission assignments are good for intangibles like participation, attendance, etc. For information about creating an assignment, see Getting Started with Canvas Assignments.

To create multiple columns/assessments, it is easiest to use a CSV spreadsheet. This will generate No Submission Assignments. See the Canvas Guide.

How do I use complete and incomplete grades in Canvas?

Complete/Incomplete grading in Canvas can be entered via SpeedGrader and Gradebook. Grading states include: Ungraded, Complete (✓), Incomplete (X), and Excused. For more information, see How do I enter and edit grades in the Gradebook?

Can multiple graders use the Gradebook at the same time?

While it is possible for multiple users to enter grades into SpeedGrader or Gradebook, they will not see live changes. This increases the risk of duplicate work and one grader undoing the work of another. It is recommended you do not have multiple graders grading simultaneously unless they have strictly differentiated grading assignments (such as each TA being assigned to a specific discussion section).

How do I use rubrics for grading in Canvas?

To use a rubric for grading an assignment or graded discussion, the rubric must be added to the activity and set to be used for grading. For information about adding rubrics, see How do I add a rubric to an assignment? and How do I add a rubric to a graded discussion?

To use a rubric for feedback, but not grading, on a quiz, the rubric must be added to the quiz. For information, see How do I add a rubric to a quiz?

For information about using rubrics for grading, see How do I use a rubric to grade submissions in SpeedGrader?

For information about using non-scoring rubrics, see How do I use a non-scoring rubric to assess submissions in SpeedGrader?

How do I add extra credit?

Extra credit in a Canvas course can be added by generating an Assignment Group, using Weighted Grading, and making the extra credit assignment group push the total weighting over 100%. For more information, see Getting Started with Canvas Assignments and How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?

Extra credit can also manually be added to an assignment/quiz/discussion by manually changing a grade in SpeedGrader or Gradebook. For more information, see How do I enter and edit grades in the Gradebook?

How do I use Gradescope for grading?

Gradescope helps instructors grade problem sets and other assignments more quickly and consistently while still allowing for detailed feedback. It helps standardize grading across sections and graders, particularly in large classes. If a grading rubric is changed, Gradescope will retroactively adjust assignments that have already been graded. It has detailed analytics that show where students might be struggling with a particular concept. It integrates with Canvas and the Gradebook, so grades can be easily exported to Canvas. For more information on how to use Gradescope see CTI’s Learning Gradescope page.

How do I set up weighted grading in Canvas?

Weighted grading can be set up in Canvas via Assignment Groups on the Assignments page. For full details, see How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?

Can I do unique calculations in the Gradebook?

The Gradebook can only do simple straightforward calculations through weighted grading. Assignment Groups can be weighted overall, but not individual assignments/quizzes/discussions within an assignment group. You can see sample weighted grading calculations at How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?

How do I set Canvas to calculate late grades on assignments?

It is possible to set a Late Submission Policy to automatically apply a late penalty to any work that is submitted after its due date. For full details, see Getting Started in the Gradebook.

Note: The Late Submission Policy will apply to all assignments/quizzes/discussions and cannot be differentiated. To have it not apply to a specific late assignment, you would need to manually change the late status of that assignment. For more information, visit How do I change the status of a submission in the Gradebook?

How do I automatically give students a zero for assignments they don’t submit?

It is possible to set a Missing Submission Policy to automatically apply a score for any work that had a due date and has not been submitted. For full details, see Getting Started in the Gradebook.

How do I update the automatic grading on a quiz after I change a question?

Quizzes can only be automatically regraded if you change the correct answer selection on a Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer, or True/False question. Changes to other question types or questions linked to Question Banks, removal of questions, and/or changes in the point value of questions all require manual regrading of quizzes to calculate in the Gradebook properly. For more information, see What options can I use to regrade a quiz in a course?

How do I show grades to students but hide the totals?

Hiding grade totals in Canvas can be accomplished on the Settings page. For full details, visit Getting Started in the Gradebook.

How do I display a Letter Grade to students for the Total?

To display the Total column in the Gradebook as a letter grade, you must enable a grading scheme in your course. For full details, see Managing a Course Grading Scheme.

Note: The Total column will include a letter grade and a percentage. If not using weighted grading, it is possible to change this percentage to points.

What does the Gradebook look like for students?

How the Gradebook will look for students will depend on the specific settings in your course. The best way to know what students see is to enter Student View and visit the Grades page. For more information, visit How do I view a course as a test student using Student View?

How come my students can’t see the grades that I’m inserting?

The visibility of grades comes down to whether the Grades button has been enabled in the Course Navigation menu (see Managing Course Navigation Links) and the Grade Posting Policy being applied to the assignment being graded. If a Manual Posting Policy has been applied to the assignment individually or because of a coursewide setting, the grades will not become visible until the policy is changed for that assignment or grades are posted. For full details, see Getting Started in the Gradebook.

How do I limit which students I see when grading in Canvas?

The Gradebook has filters to allow you to view assignments by Student Groups or Sections. For full details, see Getting Started in the Gradebook.

How do I upload emailed papers that I’ve annotated or printed back into Canvas so students can see my edits?

For submissions that have come through outside of Canvas or images of printed assignments with feedback, you can attach a student’s paper to the feedback/comment area of an assignment via SpeedGrader or Gradebook. The submission will not display in the SpeedGrader tool for annotating and will not be fed through the Turnitin plagiarism checker.

For submissions that have come in through Assignments, you can download them in bulk, annotate them electronically, and upload them all back into Canvas. For more information, see How do I download all student submissions for an assignment in the Gradebook?

How can I enter feedback and comments while grading in Canvas?

Feedback and comments can be added to assignments/quizzes/discussions through the Gradebook (see How do I leave comments for students in the Gradebook?) and SpeedGrader (see How do I leave feedback comments for student submissions in SpeedGrader?). SpeedGrader also allows for annotated feedback for certain types of documents. Find more information at How do I add annotated comments in student submissions using DocViewer in SpeedGrader? Quizzes also allow for automatic feedback for individual questions. For more information, see Quizzes.

What notifications go out when I’m using the Gradebook?

The notifications students receive concerning grades and grading in Canvas are dependent upon whether they have those notifications enabled and the frequency at which they choose to receive those notifications. The following are grading notifications students can set and what triggers those notifications:

• Grading Policies: triggered by changes in weighted grading, Gradebook Total column score display method, setting default grades on an assignment, curving grades on an assignment, and changes in the course grading scheme
• Grading: triggered by entered/changed grades (when an Automatic Posting Policy is applied to the assignment) and by posting grades (when a Manual Posting Policy is applied)
• Submission Comment: triggered by adding of comments to assignment submissions and when an instructor re-uploads downloaded submissions

Do Canvas final grades get sent to Faculty Center?

No. Canvas and Faculty Center grades are not connected at all. If you’d like to export grades out of Canvas in order to organize them in a spreadsheet for entry into Faculty Center, see How do I export grades in the Gradebook? Information on uploading grades to Faculty Center can be found on the Registrar’s Grading page.

How do I submit papers into Canvas for students?

This is not possible in Canvas. You can attach a student’s paper to the feedback/comment area of an assignment in Canvas, but it will not display in the SpeedGrader tool for annotating and will not be fed through the Turnitin plagiarism checker.

What do those colored flags mean in the Gradebook?

For assignments utilizing Turnitin, a colored flag appears to indicate the originality of the submission. To learn more about Turnitin flags, visit Interpreting the Similarity Report. For more information about icons in the Gradebook, visit How do I use the icons and colors in the Gradebook?

How do I set up weighted grading in Canvas?

Weighted grading can be set up in Canvas via Assignment Groups on the Assignments page. For full details, see How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?

How do I display a Letter Grade to students for the Total?

To display the Total column in the Gradebook as a letter grade, you must enable a grading scheme in your course. For full details, see Managing a Course Grading Scheme.

Note: The Total column will include a letter grade and a percentage. If not using weighted grading, it is possible to change this percentage to points.

How can I override the Total grade that is automatically computed in the Gradebook?

Final Grade Override is a Feature Option available on the Settings page of a course. Via this feature, you can override the automatically calculated Total. See How do I override a student’s final grade in the Gradebook? for more information.

How do I add extra credit to the final grade?

Extra credit in a Canvas course can be added by generating an Assignment Group, using Weighted Grading, and making the extra credit assignment group push the total weighting over 100%. For more information, see Getting Started with Canvas Assignments and How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?

How do I download the grades?

To download grades. from Canvas, you can generate a spreadsheet export from the Gradebook. For details, see How do I export grades in the Gradebook?

How do I make the grades available to students?

Grade availability is a combination of Grade Posting Policy, grade posting status, and completion of necessary manual grading. For more details on Grade Posting Policies and posting status, see Getting Started in the Gradebook

What does the Gradebook look like for students?

How the Gradebook will look for students will depend on the specific settings in your course. The best way to know what students see is to enter Student View and visit the Grades page. For more information, visit How do I view a course as a test student using Student View?

Do the grades in Canvas automatically link to the Faculty Center?

Canvas grades do not sync with the official registrar system. Final grades are entered in the grade roster (not Canvas Gradebook) in Faculty Center. Grades may be entered for each student individually, or multiple grades may be uploaded from a spreadsheet by using the grade upload feature. See the registrar documentation for more details. 

How do I show the grade distribution to students?

You can reveal grade distribution graphs to students with an option under More Options on the Settings page. Enabling this feature will reveal grade distribution graphs for all graded activities. For more information, see Getting Started in the Gradebook