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 columns values, either in ascending
or descending order.
Message Students Who option lets you send messages to
students who havent 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 Canvass 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 its 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 dont 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 dont 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 dont 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, its 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 dont 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 didnt 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.