Canvas Grading and Gradebook
Estimated Reading Time: 4 MinutesGrading and Gradebook
In Canvas, SpeedGrader allows you to view and grade assignment submissions in one place. You can view student submissions, assign a grade, view a Rubric to assist with grading (if a Rubric has been added to the assignment), view comments, and create a text, video, and/or audio commentary for the student. You can access the SpeedGrader through the Gradebook or through any graded assignment, quiz, or discussion. This link gives more details on how SpeedGrader works: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-2583. For information on how to grade Turnitin assignments in SpeedGrader, visit https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-2860.
Rubrics allow you to create assessment criteria for scoring assignments. To add a rubric to an assignment, first navigate to Assignments in the course menu. Click on the name of the assignment, then select +Rubric. This link provides more information adding a rubric to an assignment: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-2870. You can also visit this link for details on how to use a rubric to grade submissions in SpeedGrader: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1928.
You can weight final grades in Canvas by creating assignment groups. Then, you can assign a weight to each assignment group. To view more details on weighting grades and using assignment groups, visit https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-2625.
If you have set up your course using weighted assignment groups (see above), then Canvas will calculate your final grades for you.
In Canvas, you can create rules for assignment groups, such as a rule to drop the lowest and/or highest scores from grade calculations. To create a rule for an assignment group, navigate to Assignments in the course menu. Click on the Assignment Group Settings drop-down menu and select Edit. From here you can drop assignments with the lowest and/or highest grades. This link describes how to set the rules to suit your preferences: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-2626.
You can use the assignment group rules to prevent Canvas from dropping specific assignments. To access the assignment group rules, navigate to Assignments in the course menu. Click the Settings icon next to the assignment group and select Edit. Then, click “Add an assignment” to select which assignment should be excluded from being dropped. This link provides step-by-step instructions: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-2626.
To award extra credit, you can create a new assignment that doesn’t require a submission. You can also add extra points to an existing assignment, add fudge points to a quiz, or create extra credit within a rubric. This link explains how to use each of these options: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-2874.
You cannot create a new gradebook column directly from the Gradebook in Canvas: all gradebook columns must have a corresponding assignment in Canvas. If you want to create a column in which you can record scores from manual grading, you can create a No Submission or On Paper assignment. Navigate to Assignments in the course menu and click +Assignment. Then, in the Submission Type drop-down menu, select No Submission or On Paper. For more information, visit https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-4272.
You can use a CSV file to upload changes to the Gradebook. You can upload information for existing assignments, or you can also use a CSV file to create new assignments in the Gradebook. New assignments will automatically be published in your course. If you do not know how to save a file in a CSV format, please check the documentation for the program you are using to create your Gradebook changes (e.g., Excel). If you don’t want to create a new CSV file, you can always download the CSV from Canvas, change it, and re-upload the same file and the changes you made will appear in Canvas once you re-upload the CSV file. For more information on importing items into the Canvas gradebook, visit https://guides.instructure.com/m/4152/l/55013-how-do-i-upload-changes-to-the-gradebook.
You can export scores from the Gradebook and download them to your computer as a CSV file. At the time of export, the CSV file data matches the current filter(s) and settings shown in the Gradebook. For more information on downloading and exporting the Canvas gradebook, visit https://guides.instructure.com/m/4152/l/55012-how-do-i-download-scores-from-the-gradebook.
You can’t grade assignments in the Canvas app, but you can download the SpeedGrader app or grade assignments in a mobile browser. For more information about SpeedGrader’s mobile features, visit https://s3.amazonaws.com/tr-learncanvas/docs/Mobile_SpeedGrader.pdf.