5

 Keys  to  Grading  in  Canvas  

1. Assignments  =  Gradebook  Columns.  

You  add  columns  by  adding  assignments.  They  can  be  no-­‐submission.  
See  http://screencast.com/t/qiGEuOqP  
2. All  assignments  must  eventually  have  a  grade.  
Students  with  missed  assignments  should  have  a  0.  Use  “Set  Default  Grade”  option  on  columns.  
See  http://screencast.com/t/QUa3DMQn  
3. All  required  assignments  must  specify  a  total  points  possible.    
This  is  done  in  the  assignment  settings  and  is  needed  for  Canvas  to  accurately  determine  the  
total  points  possible  for  the  course  and,  therefore,  calculate  an  accurate  total  percentage.  
Carefully  check  your  total  scores  column  to  make  sure  grades  are  what  you  think  they  should  be.  
See  http://screencast.com/t/dO4teZUuQAzs  
4. Unique  calculation  scenarios  are  managed  in  Assignments.  
Create  assignment  groups  with  grading  rules  to  drop  lowest  or  highest  n  scores.  
Check  the  “Weight  the  final  score”  box  to  set  up  weighting  by  assignment  group.  
See  http://screencast.com/t/wZYztYb5  
5. For  letter  grades,  set  up  a  grading  scheme.  
Go  to  Settings  >  Course  Details  Tab.  Click  Edit  Course  Details  and  check  “Enable  Course  Grading  
Scheme”  followed  by  “Set  Course  Grading  Scheme.”  
See    http://screencast.com/t/jucTBirdA  

How  Canvas  calculates  total  grades:  

Standard  Grading  Approach:  

(Points  Earned  /  Total  Points  Possible)    =  Total  Score  (as  percentage)  
 
Weighted  Grading  Approach:  
Where  En  =  Points  earned  in  assignment  group  n,    
Pn    =  Total  points  possible  in  assignment  group  n,  
Wn  =  Weighting  for  assignment  group  n,  as  decimal  (e.g.  wn  =  25%  =  .25)  
((  E1  /  P1  )  *  100)W1  +  ((E2  /  P2  )  *  100)W2  +  …  +  ((En  /  Pn)  *  100)Wn  =  Total  Percentage    

Current  Score  vs.  Final  Score  

Current  score  omits  all  empty  cells  from  the  calculation.  

Points  Earned  /  Points  Possible  of  Assignments  Graded  =  Current  Score  (as  Percentage)  
 
Final  score  includes  empty  cells  in  calculation  
Points  Earned  /  Total  Points  Possible  for  All  Assignments  =  Final  Score  (as  Percentage)  
Getting  Letter  Grades  

Set  up  a  grading  scheme  

1. Go  to  Settings  
2. Click  the  Course  Details  tab  
3. Click  the  “Edit  Course  Details”  button  

 
4. Check  “Enable  Grading  Scheme”  
5. Select  “Set  Grading  Scheme”  

 
6. Click  the  pencil  icon  to  edit  the  grading  scheme  

 
7. Edit  and  save  

 
8. Close  the  grading  scheme  box.  Save  your  course  details.  
9. Check  the  results  in  the  gradebook  for  accuracy.  
 
 
Things  you  may  not  have  noticed  about  the  gradebook  

• You  can  keyboard  navigate  (tab,  enter,  and  arrow  keys  to  change  cells)  
• You  can  click  on  the  Student  column  header  to  sort  by  Last  Name  
• You  can  click  on  another  column  header  to  sort  by  that  column’s  values,  either  in  ascending  
or  descending  order.  
• Message  Students  Who  option  lets  you  send  messages  to  
students  who  haven’t  submitted  assignments  or  have  scored  
more  or  less  than  a  given  number  of  points.  
• You  can  mute  assignments  to  prevent  students  from  seeing  
their  scores  
• You  can  go  directly  to  the  speed  grader  or  download  all  
assignments.  Use  tabs  for  less  clicking  and  waiting.  
• You  can  sort  columns  by  assignment  group  or  due  date  
• You  can  toggle  between  current  score  and  final  score  
• You  can  view  statistics  and  curve  grades  

About  curving  grades  …  

Curving  grades  actually  adjust  student  scores,  not  just  their  percentage  calculation  
1. Click  on  a  column  header  and  select  Curve  
Grades    
2. Enter  what  you  believe  the  average  score  for  
the  assignment  should  have  been.  
3. Canvas  will  adjust  students  scores  to  achieve  
that  average  score.  
Assignments  

The  Assignments  tab  is  arguably  the  most  central  to  Canvas’s  operation.  
• It  controls  the  columns  in  the  gradebook  and  gradebook  calculations.  
• It  displays  all  things  gradeable,  including  assignments,  gradable  discussions,  and  quizzes.  
Each  can  be  created  in  Assignments.  
• Dates  used  in  the  syllabus  and  calendar  are  rapidly  edited  in  Assignments.  
 
Use  assignment  groups  to  achieve:    
1. Assignment  
categorization  
2. Grading  rules  
a. Drop  lowest  n  
scores  
b. Drop  highest  n  
scores  
c. Never  drop  x  
assignment  
3. Weighting  of  Grades  
 
Icons  to  look  for:  

 Drag  and  drop  assignments  and  assignment  groups  to  desired  locations  

 Edit  Assignment  or  Assignment  Group  

 Delete  Assignment  or  Assignment  Group  

 Remove  Assignment  Rule  

 Add  Assignment  to  Assignment  Group  (or  add  a  new  Assignment  Group)  
 
Weighting  Assignment  Groups  
1. Check  the  “Weight  the  Final  Grade”  checkbox    
2. Enter  the  weight  for  each  assignment  group  in  
the  form  on  the  right.    
3. Weights  should  typically  equal  100,  but  can  
exceed  100  for  extra  credit.  
 
Common  Mistakes  when  Setting  Up  Assignments  and  Grading  

1. Failing  to  change  an  assignment  type  from  it’s  default  “No  Submission”  format  
Results  in  students  not  being  able  to  submit  their  assignments  online.  
2. Failing  to  specify  a  total  points  possible  when  setting  up  a  required  assignment.  
Results  in  assignment  functioning  as  extra  credit  
3. Failing  to  assign  students  who  have  not  turned  in  an  assignment  a  zero  once  the  assignment  
due  date  has  passed.  
Results  in  students  seeing  a  better  grade  than  they  are  actually  receiving  
4. Failing  to  set  and/or  edit  a  custom  grading  scheme  
Results  in  no  letter-­‐grade  calculation  or  an  inaccurate  letter-­‐grade  calculation  
5. Putting  assignments  that  don’t  belong  into  an  assignment  group  with  a  grading  rule  
Results  in  the  grading  rule  dropping  assignments  that  should  not  be  dropped  
6. Putting  an  assignment  rule  on  an  assignment  group  containing  assignments  having  different  
numbers  of  points  possible  
Results  in  assignments  already  worth  less  than  the  others  being  dropped    
7. When  using  weighting  for  extra  credit,  putting  more  than  one  extra  credit  assignment  in  an  
extra  credit  assignment  group  
Results  in  students  receiving  more  extra  credit  than  they  deserve  or  believing  they  are  
receiving  a  worse  grade  for  turning  in  extra  credit  before  grades  are  finalized  
8. If  publishing  grades  to  a  student  information  system,  failing  to  download  gradebook  as  CSV  
file  and  compare  final  scores  with  those  shown  to  students  in  the  gradebook  
May  result  in  uncaught  discrepancies  
Using  Darn  Near  Any  Grading  Scenario  

1. Create  at  least  two  assignment  groups  and  check  the  option  to  weight  the  final  grade  by  
assignment  group.  
2. Set  the  weight  for  one  group  at  0%  and  the  other  at  100%  
3. Place  all  of  your  assignments  in  the  group  that  is  weighted  at  0%  
4. Create  a  no-­‐submission  assignment  for  the  custom  final  grade  in  the  group  weighted  at  
100%  
5. Download  the  gradebook  as  a  CSV  file  and  use  Excel  to  calculate  your  own  unique  grading  
scenario  with  the  final  grade  appearing  in  a  column  that  will  match  with  the  custom  final  
grade  column  you  created  in  Canvas.  
6. Import  the  spreadsheet  into  Canvas  to  populate  the  custom  column.  
 
For  steps  5  and  6  you  can  also  use  some  other  method  to  calculate  grades  and  either  import  a  
spreadsheet  or  type  the  grades  in  by  hand.  Either  way,  because  the  custom  final  grade  column  is  all  by  
itself  in  an  assignment  group  weighted  at  100%  of  the  grade,  Canvas's  final  score  column  will  pull  its  
score  directly  from  it  as  an  exact  match.  All  you  need  to  do  now  is  customize  your  grading  scheme  in  
your  course  settings  to  reflect  your  own  letter-­‐grade  breakdown,  and  you  have  successfully  posted  
grades  calculated  by  your  own  algorithm  rather  than  Canvas's.  

 
Providing  Extra  Credit  

There  are  two  available  methods  for  providing  extra  credit  in  Canvas:  
   
Option  1:  Create  assignments  that  don’t  specify  the  points  possible  
Remember  how  Canvas  calculates:  Points  Earned  /  Total  Points  Possible  =  Total  
If  an  assignment  does  not  specify  the  points  possible,  any  points  earned  on  that  assignment  
are  extra  points  that  are  not  account  for  in  the  total  points  possible,  so  the  end  result  is  a  higher  score.  
See  http://screencast.com/t/xCnErjh6Wg  

   

This  method  works  as  long  as  you  don’t  have  extra  credit  quizzes,  which,  by  design,  have  a  defined  
number  of  points  possible.  It  can  also  be  tricky  if  you  are  weighting  grades  using  assignment  groups.  In  
these  cases,  you  may  need  to  use  method  2.  
 
Option  2:  Use  Assignment  Group  Weighting  that  totals  more  than  100%  
Organize  all  of  your  required  assignments  into  groups  and  put  your  extra  credit  assignments  into  
additional  extra  credit  assignment  groups.  
1. Make  sure  the  total  weighting  of  all  required  assignment  groups  equals  100%.  
A. If  all  required  assignments  are  in  one  group,  this  is  easy.  Make  the  whole  required  
assignments  group  worth  100%  of  the  grade.  
See  http://screencast.com/t/HkjyGZa8  
B. If  you  have  your  required  assignments  split  into  multiple  groups  and  you  were  already  
planning  to  used  a  weighted  grading  approach,  simply  set  up  the  weighting  scheme  as  
planned,  making  sure  it  equals  100%.  
 

 
 C. If  you  have  required  assignments  split  into  multiple  groups  and  you  were  not  planning  
to  weight  scores,  determine  how  to  weight  each  group  by  determining  how  many  points  
are  possible  in  the  group  and  their  percentage  of  the  total  points  possible:  
(Total  Group  Points  Possible  /  Total  Points  Possible)  *  100  
 

 
 
2. Determine  how  many  total  extra  credit  points  you  wish  to  provide.  
3. Determine  how  many  percentage  points  above  100  are  needed  to  achieve  the  desired  number  of  
extra  credit  points.  All  steps  condensed  into  one  formula  would  look  something  like  this:  
(((Extra  Credit  Points  +  Total  Required  Points)  /  Total  Required  Points)  *  100)  -­‐100  
See  http://screencast.com/t/WM3sdtYCjdA  
4. Weight  your  extra  credit  group(s)  accordingly.  
5. Test  your  outcomes,  if  possible.  Be  wary  of  unexpected  results.  
 
Note:  If  using  Option  2,  it’s  safest  to  put  each  extra  credit  assignment  in  its  own  assignment  group.    
Because  extra  credit  is  optional,  students  may  complete  all  extra  credit  assignments,  or  they  may  not.  If  
you  don’t  provide  a  grade  where  extra  credit  was  turned  in,  they  will  receive  a  higher  percentage  than  
they  earned.  If  you  do  provide  a  zero  where  they  didn’t  turn  in  extra  credit,  it  will  appear  to  bring  down  
their  overall  percentage  until  all  grades  are  finalized.  Keeping  each  extra  credit  assignment  in  its  own  
group  prevents  both  problems  as  long  as  you  leave  unsubmitted  extra  credit  grades  blank.  
Importing  Grades  Using  a  Spreadsheet  

Sometimes  grades  are  collected  using  another  source  such  as  i>clicker,  scantron  tests,  and  publisher  
websites.  Or  you  may  just  prefer  to  organize  your  grades  on  a  spreadsheet.  Here  is  a  brief  overview  of  
how  to  handle  the  import  and  export  of  spreadsheets  in  Canvas:  

The  Basics:  
1. Create  a  spreadsheet  table  in  Excel  (or  another  program)  that  meets  the  layout  format  Canvas  
expects  (see  below  for  details)  
2. Save  the  spreadsheet  file  as  a  .csv  file  
3. Go  to  the  gradebook  in  Canvas,  select  the  “Options”  menu,  and  choose  “Upload  Scores  (.csv)”.  
Follow  the  steps  from  there.  
 
The  Format:  
There  are  currently  5  required  columns  that  must  be  in  your  CSV  file.  They  all  must  contain  the  
following  headers,  which  are  case  sensitive,  but  most  columns  can  be  left  empty:  

 Student:  The  student’s  Last  Name  ,First  Name.  For  example,  Blue,  Big  
You  need  at  least  one  letter  from  each  student’s  name  in  this  column,  but  for  best  results  have  the  
student’s  full  Last  Name,  First  Name  
 ID:  The  student’s  internal  Canvas  ID.  You  can  leave  this  column  blank.  
 SIS  User  ID:  The  student’s  sourcedid.id  from  Banner.  You  can  leave  this  column  blank.  
 SIS  Login  ID:  In  most  cases,  the  student’s  number.  You  can  match  by  this  as  long  as  you  have  at  
least  part  of  each  student’s  name  in  the  student  column.  
 Section:  You  can  leave  this  blank  
Here’s  an  image,  provided  by  Instructure,  that  explains  the  format  visually.  
 

 
Demo:  Headers  and  Upload  Process  
For  an  overview  of  these  headers,  as  well  as  a  demonstation  of  a  CSV  upload,  
see  http://screencast.com/t/Cc1yIv86  
 
Demo:  Sharing  Spreadsheet  Data  Between  Systems  
 Preparing  spreadsheet  data  from  other  systems  for  import  into  Canvas:  
This  typically  involves  combining  a  last  name  and  first  name  column  into  a  single  “Student”  
column  using  Excel’s  concatenate  function,  and  then  adding  Canvas’s  additional  required  
columns  and  renaming  the  institution’s  student  ID  column  to  SIS  Login  ID.|  
See  http://screencast.com/t/s2Y4bdoqQ    
 Preparing  a  Canvas  gradebook  CSV  file  for  import  into  other  systems:  
This  process  typically  involves  removing  or  renaming  Canvas-­‐specific  columns  and  splitting  the  
Student  column  into  two  columns,  one  for  last  name  and  one  for  first  name,  using  Excel’s  text-­‐to-­‐
columns  tool.  
See  http://screencast.com/t/0IUzPvKgQ5  
 
Confused?  Try  downloading  your  gradebook.  
Perhaps  the  easiest  way  to  get  the  format  right  is  to  start  by  first  downloading  your  gradebook  as  a  CSV  
file.  Go  to  your  gradebook  and  select  Download  Scores  (.csv)  from  the  options  menu.  Simply  edit  that  
file  and  reupload  it.