Canvas Grading and Testing FAQ for Faculty
Overview: WebAdvisor remains the means for faculty to issue final grades for students and for students to review their final grades each semester. For tutorials in various formats on how to issue final grades in WebAdvisor, please click here.
Canvas provides a "gradebook" feature that enables instructors to share grades for individual items over the course of a semester with their students, and which students can use to monitor their progress in their courses. Canvas enables instructors to test students. Canvas also has a tool named the SpeedGrader, which facilitates the grading of work submitted through Canvas Assignments, posts in graded discussions in Canvas, and of tests or quizzes taken online in Canvas.
Canvas Gradebook
Canvas SpeedGrader
Testing in Canvas
Canvas Gradebook
How does the Canvas Gradebook work?
The Gradebook provides the instructor a means of easily inputting and distributing grades for students as the semester progresses. Final grades must still be issued via WebAdvisor.
Please click here to view a video introducing the Canvas Gradebook.
The Canvas Gradebook can serve as a communication tool between students and instructors and allows the instructor to monitor the activity of high-risk students. The Gradebook can calculate weighted grades, and assignments can be organized into groups for weighting as well. In Canvas, any graded task or item is considered an "assignment" so you may see that term used pretty widely! Canvas can also assign grades by percentage, complete/incomplete, letter grade, or by points. The Canvas gradebook is a fully featured management tool that allows instructors to:
- Simultaneously view grade information across all courses.
- Be notified when assignments submitted.
- Notify students when an assignment has been graded.
- View Grade history and revert updated assignment scores to previous scores.
- Download or upload grades from the Gradebook as a CSV file.
- Utilize offline grading capability by downloading assignment submissions into a zip file and upload when connectivity is available.
- Elect not to let students view their grades until they are published.
- Create custom weighting and grade ranges.
- Report of all historical grade changes is available to the instructor.
- Message students whom haven’t submitted yet, or scored more than X or less than Y on an assignment.
- Leave private grading notes/comments for the student these notes or comments can be in text form, audio, or video.
I have a question about Assignments.
Please click here for a video overview of Assignments, which includes an explanation of how Assignments integrate with the Gradebook.
What are Assignment Groups?
Assignment Groups are basically categories that you can use to sort anything that's graded in your course-- discussions, quizzes, Assignments. By default, all Canvas courses start off with one Assignment Group named Assignments. You can find it listed in the Assignments section of your course. For a tutorial on creating Assignment Groups, please click here.
When do students find out that I have entered or changed a grade?
By default, as soon as an instructor posts a grade students who visit the Canvas course will be able to see it, unless the instructor "mutes" the assignment (see question on muting on this page.) Students will need to set their notification preferences to be sure to receive prompt notifications about grades. Please see this page on Notifications.
How can I add columns to the Gradebook?
In Canvas, you can only generate more columns in the Gradebook by creating new graded items, such as tests, assignments, and graded discussions. You can however create assignments that are set to not require any submission by students and manually input grades into the column that is generated.
How do I sort my Gradebook?
Click on the Grades link to open the Gradebook. Click on the drop down menu next to the Gear icon to access the Gradebook sorting options. For complete, illustrated instructions please click here.
How do I enter and edit scores in the Canvas Gradebook?
Quizzes, tests, etc. that do not contain questions, such as essay questions, that must be manually graded will automatically place students' scores in the Gradebook. You can still overwrite these scores and adjust them in your Gradebook. For inputting and editing scores in columns in the Gradebook, please see this tutorial.
How do I leave comments for students in the Gradebook?
Please click here for a tutorial on how to leave a comment providing feedback for students via the Gradebook. You can also provide students with comments when using SpeedGrader; click here for instructions. Your comments to individual students are private.
How do I send a message to my students from the Gradebook?
From the Canvas Gradebook, it is possible to send messages (not email--but messages via Canvas' internal messaging system, the Conversations inbox) to students who have scored above or below a certain threshold or who haven't submitted work or who haven't been graded yet. For a tutorial on how to message certain categories of students from within the Canvas Gradebook, please click here.
How do I curve grades in the Gradebook?
For a tutorial on how to curve grades in your course's Gradebook, please click here for illustrated instructions and/or consult this video tutorial.
How do I drop the lowest score?
In order to drop the lowest score from a selection of assignments, you must set up Assignment Groups. For a tutorial on creating new Assignment Groups, click here. For a tutorial on how to drop the lowest score within a group of assignments, please click here.
Is the Gradebook counting ungraded items as zeroes?
Not necessarily. This is a setting that will govern how the Gradebook handles items which do not yet have data entered, e.g. ungraded Assignments or tests that no one has taken yet. Enter the Gradebook, click on the gear wheel icon at left, and from the dropdown menu you will see the option "Treat Ungraded as 0s". If there is a checkmark by this option, it is turned on and the Gradebook is treating ungraded items as zeroes. If this option is unchecked, then the Gradebook is ignoring those ungraded items.
How do I weight grades in the Gradebook?
By default, when you create graded items like assignments, tests, and discussions, Canvas categorizes them as belonging to its default Assignment Group named "Assignments." To weight grades, you'll need to create multiple Assignment Groups and then assign each Assignment Group its appropriate percentage, making sure that all of your Assignment Groups' percentages add up to 100%. For a tutorial on creating new Assignment Groups, click here. For a tutorial on weighting the final grade based on Assignment Groups, please click here.
How can students view what the average class grade is for a particular graded item in their course?
To see what the average class score is for a particular graded item, students must click on the Grades button in the left navigation panel of their Canvas course, and then once they arrive at the Grades screen, they must click on the "Show All Details" button at the right. This will reveal a graphic underneath each assignment title. The graphic shows that individual student's grade on the assignment as well as how that grade compares to the class as a whole (hover over it to see the mean, high, and low scores for the members of the class).
How do I grade attendance, participation, etc. in Canvas?
In general, you'll need to create an Assignment that is set to not require any submission. In the options for submission, choose "No Submission." This will generate a column in your Gradebook to use for categories like attendance, participation, etc. in which students have nothing to turn in, or for instances where students turn in real-world items, like baking a cake for a culinary arts course, rather than digital files. Students would not have a "submit" button so they would not be confused by the presence of this Assignment.
Additionally, if you need a weighted total for a final class grade which involves something like attendance, you could create an Assignment Group for that category. You would then be able to calculate the Attendance Assignment Group as a designated percentage of the final grade. For a tutorial on Assignment Groups, please see that topic on this page or click here. For a tutorial on weighting the final grade based on Assignment Groups, please see that topic on this page or click here.
How do I bulk download and upload submitted assignments in Canvas?
From the Canvas Gradebook, you can download all the submitted work for an assignment at once; make comments on those submissions, then bulk upload them for students to view. Students will see the uploaded files in the comments section for their submission. For detailed instructions on how to bulk download and upload submissions, please click here.
How can I view the Gradebook as a student?
Canvas has a "student view" feature that you can use to view your course in general as a student would, including even taking tests! Click here for a tutorial on how to launch the student view. Launching the student view feature adds a dummy "test student" to your Gradebook. For instructions on how to view a particular student's grades as he or she would, please click here.
How do I "mute" an assignment in the Gradebook while I'm grading it?
By default, Canvas allows students to see grades as soon as the instructor has graded the assignment, discussion, etc. In some cases, instructors may wish to prevent students from viewing their grades in order to release grades to all students at the same time. To hide student grades temporarily, an instructor can choose to mark an assignment as "muted." A "muted" assignment will not send out grade change notifications or any new instructor comments until the assignment is "unmuted." A muted assignment displays a "mute" icon on the student grades page so students know the assignment is muted and the instructor is at work on it. For a tutorial on muting an assignment, please click here.
How can I see a student's multiple submissions for the same assignment in the Gradebook?
Canvas Assignments permit students to upload multiple times for the same Assignment, which enables them to turn various drafts of their work. You can set time/date restrictions to open and close an Assignment--but while it's open, by default students can submit their work multiple times. Each submission is marked with the date and time it was submitted so you can easily distinguish among them. Canvas will also mark if a submission was turned in past the deadline. For a video tutorial on how to select a particular submission by a student who's submitted more than once, please click here.
How can I issue the same grade for all students for one assignment?
Issuing the same grade for all students for one assignment or other graded item is called issuing a "default grade" in Canvas. Please click here for a tutorial on how to issue a default grade.
Can students see a running total for their class grade?
Yes, students can see their running total to get a sense of their overall class grade during the semester. They will see their own data from the column labeled "Total" which instructors see listed at the far right end of the Gradebook. However, this is governed by a particular course setting. The default is to have this setting switched off, so that students can view their total. Please click here for a tutorial on how to turn this setting on or off.
How can I see the total points earned by a student (not the percentage)?
Although Canvas does not allow you to change the view from percentage to accumulated points you, and the students, just need to mouse-over the Percentage to see the points earned.
How can I set up a grading scheme so that I can use letter grades in my course?
A grading scheme correlates percentage ranges or scores to specific letter grades. You must first create your grading scheme in your Canvas course, then enable it. For a tutorial on how to create a grading scheme, please click here. For instructions on how to enable the grading scheme you've created already in your Canvas course, please click here.
How can I set up extra credit in my Gradebook?
One way to do this is to use Assignment Groups and make sure that the Assignment Groups total more than 100%. You could create a special Assignment Group whose worth increases the total percentage value of all Assignment Groups combined above 100%. For example, if all of your Assignment Groups total 100%, add an additional Assignment group labeled "Extra Credit" worth 5%. Now each time you create an extra credit assignment, make sure that it's categorized in this Assignment Group.
How does the Canvas SpeedGrader work?
For a video overview of the SpeedGrader, please click here.
For another illustration of SpeedGrader, please visit this page.
The Canvas SpeedGrader™ is a tool that enables teachers to quickly and easily grade a particular assignment, which can be launched from within the Gradebook or by visiting that assignment. Inside the SpeedGrader you will see each individual submission for that assignment, the date and time that it was submitted (students can submit their work multiple times and each version will be stamped with the date and time), and an alert if the assignment was submitted after the due date. Canvas accepts a variety of document formats and even URLs as assignment submissions. SpeedGrader automatically converts these various online submission types into a format that can be displayed by a web browser for your review. Within one frame, you can view, grade, start discussions, and provide students with written, video, and audio comments.When you have finished with one student, you can jump right to the next student without leaving SpeedGrader. Your private feedback to the student, through text, audio, or video, will be sent via the communication channels that they prefer. SpeedGrader also supports the use of Canvas' Rubrics, which can help you communicate your expectations for any given assignment. There is an iPad SpeedGrader app for teachers; for more information, please click here.
How do I launch the SpeedGrader?
The SpeedGrader can be launched from a graded discussion, assignment, or test in your Canvas course as well as from that item's own column in the Gradebook. For a video tutorial that covers launching the SpeedGrader from an assignment, quiz, or discussion, or from within the Gradebook, please click here.
How do I evaluate an assignment in SpeedGrader?
First, launch SpeedGrader (see instructions on this page.) You can evaluate an assignment by entering a grade in the textbox for each student. You can also click on the View Rubric button and use the rubric to evaluate the assignment. If a student has submitted more than one version of an assignment, you can select which submission you will view by click on the dropdown menu. If you would like to submit a comment on the evaluated assignment, click on the Submit Comment button. To see these steps illustrated, please click here.
How do rubrics work with the SpeedGrader?
To create a rubric for use with your Assignments, click on the Outcomes button, then Manage Rubrics. Then at the right, you'll see the option for adding a new rubric. For a tutorial on creating and editing a rubric, please click here.
Please watch this video tutorial to understand how rubrics work with the SpeedGrader.
How do I leave feedback for my students in SpeedGrader?
For a tutorial on how leave feedback for students via the SpeedGrader, please click here. Feedback left for students is not shared with the entire class.
How can I add a post to a discussion while I'm grading it in SpeedGrader?
For a video tutorial on how to add a new post to a discussion while you are grading that discussion in the SpeedGrader, please click here. Your comments will appear in the discussion for the class to read.
How do I download students' submissions via the SpeedGrader?
First you must launch the SpeedGrader for the assignment in question; see instructions on this page. Once you've launched the SpeedGrader, click on the Disk icon to download the assignment file to your computer. For an illustrated version of these instructions, please click here. For bulk downloading of students' submitted work, and for bulk uploading, please see the question in the Gradebook section above on this page.
How do I view multiple submissions for one Assignment in SpeedGrader?
Canvas Assignments permit students to upload multiple times for the same Assignment, which enables them to turn various drafts of their work. You can set time/date restrictions to open and close an Assignment--but while it's open, by default students can submit their work multiple times. Each submission is marked with the date and time it was submitted so you can easily distinguish among them. Canvas will also mark if a submission was turned in past the deadline. For a video tutorial on how to select a particular submission by a student who's submitted more than once, please click here.
I have a question about Assignments.
Please click here for a video overview of Assignments.
I'm having trouble previewing files in the SpeedGrader or in my Canvas course.
On Sept. 29, 2012, Canvas switched from the Scribd tool for previewing files to Crocodoc. Crocodoc currently can convert PDF files, Microsoft Word files (.doc, .docx), Microsoft PowerPoint files (.ppt, .pptx), and Microsoft Excel files (.xls, .xlsx) Crocodoc currently does not display images (.png, .jpg, etc.) Files generated by Microsoft Works, the free office suite on some PCs, are NOT accepted by Crocodoc. For more information regarding Crocodoc and Crocodoc tech support, please click here.
How do I use Crocodoc in the SpeedGrader?
Please click here for a tutorial on using Crocodoc in the SpeedGrader.
Testing in Canvas
How do I build a quiz in Canvas? (Canvas calls all tests, exams, etc. quizzes)
Please click here for a tutorial on how to create a quiz in Canvas via the Quizzes section of your course. Canvas calls all tests, exams, etc. "quizzes," by the way.
What are the various options available for quizzes?
Please click here for an explanation of the various quiz options in Canvas.
How do I insert an image into my quiz?
If your image is already posted publicly online, such as at Flickr.com, then you can use the "embed image" icon on the editing toolbar to insert the image. You'll just need to input the image's URL, i.e. its exact web address. To insert images that are not online, you must have the image file. You will then need to upload the image file into your Canvas course and link to it. Please click here for instructions that will show you how to link to course content, such as image files or other files stored in your Canvas course’s Files area.
How can I give a student a second attempt to take a test?
You must "moderate" a quiz to permit a student(s) more attempts. From the Quizzes area, click on the quiz in question, then click on the "Moderate This Quiz" option at right. You'll see a list of your students appear and you can edit their test-taking options from there. Please see this tutorial for instructions regarding how to permit a student to take a test again. Quizzes in Canvas can be set to allow multiple attempts for all students; this tutorial addresses how to give an individual student(s) a designated number of additional attempts to take the test. However, Canvas does not permit you to give students extra time or another try on a previous test-taking attempt. In other words, students cannot return to a previous attempt where they ran out of time and pick up where they left off. Canvas only will provide a fresh attempt at the test.
How can I give a student more time to take a test?
You must "moderate" a quiz to permit a student(s) more time than the time limit you've set up for that quiz. From the Quizzes area, click on the quiz in question, then click on the "Moderate This Quiz" option at right. You'll see a list of your students appear and you can edit their test-taking options from there. Please see this tutorial for instructions on how to give a student more time to take a test in Canvas or please consult this tutorial on how to give a student more attempts to take a test. You can grant more time or more attempts to an individual student, several students, or the entire class. However, Canvas does not permit you to give students extra time on a previous attempt. In other words, students cannot return to a previous attempt where they ran out of time and pick up where they left off. Canvas only will provide a fresh attempt at the test.
Can students save their answers while working on a test?
Students cannot save individual answers to test questions currently, but Canvas does save the chosen/inputted answers should the browser close or crash. While students are taking a quiz they will see a "Saved at" indicator at right, underneath the quiz information and due date, showing them when their work on the test was last backed up.
Can I add extra credit questions to my quiz?
Currently, there’s no automated way to incorporate extra credit on a quiz in Canvas. However, here is a workaround you can use if you wish to add extra credit questions to a quiz: set up the quiz with the extra credit questions included, making sure that those questions are worth 0 points each so that the quiz’s total number of points is not impacted by the extra credit questions. Include specific instructions to guide students. Then after the students take the quiz, you must check their answers to those extra credit questions and manually override the scores generated by Canvas in the Gradebook to award extra credit points as appropriate.
If I change a question in a question bank, will it change automatically in the quiz?
No, question banks do not automatically synchronize with the quizzes they're associated with. If a question is changed in a question bank, it will not be changed in the quiz unless you re-publish the quiz.
How can I enable Respondus LockDown Browser for my Canvas quiz?
Begin editing your quiz; you will see an option in the panel at right named "Restrict this Quiz." Check the checkbox for "Restrict this Quiz" and you’ll see more checkboxes appear, including "Require Respondus LockDown Browser." Check this checkbox to require the use of Respondus LockDown Browser for students taking this assessment. For an illustrated version of these instructions, please visit our Respondus LockDown Browser and Canvas page here or by using the link on this page, above on the left.
What about copying tests and question banks between Canvas courses?
The Course Import Tool will enable you to copy an entire course or parts of a course. Please click here for a video tutorial on copying materials between your Canvas courses. Or click here for illustrated instructions on using the Course Import Tool. In Canvas, course copying should be initiated in the course which lacks the materials you intend to copy-- the Course Import Tool will import or "pull" materials into the course where you launch it. (This is the opposite of how CMC's Blackboard system worked, where you "pushed" materials over to the new course from the old course to copy them.) You can find this tool from the Course Setup Checklist (details about the Course Setup Checklist can be found here in the Canvas FAQ for Faculty) and clicking on the "Import Content" option; or by clicking on the Settings button, and then on the screen that appears, clicking on the button at right marked "Import Content Into This Course." Then select "Copy content from another Canvas course," and follow the prompts Canvas will give you to transfer quizzes from your other Canvas courses into the course where you're working. Do not select "Import Quizzes" unless you have QTI files of your quizzes.
Another way to copy Canvas tests between courses is to create an export file package which can then be imported into a Canvas course. (This kind of file will end with .imscc) This would be a solution for sharing materials between instructors as an instructor can only copy directly between courses he or she is teaching. For a video tutorial on creating a Canvas export file package and importing it into a Canvas course, please click here.
I would like to use the Respondus 4.0 test authoring software with Canvas.
Please visit this page on Respondus 4.0 FAQ for CMC; you can also find the link for this page above at left. CMC instructors and staff can obtain a license from CMC to install Respondus 4.0 permanently on their computers by registering for and completing the Respondus 4.0 Licensing course offered by the Office of Innovations. Please consult the training calendar at www.coloradomtn.edu/training for that course's details and WebAdvisor registration information. You can also download a free 30-day trial version of Respondus 4.0 online here.