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Grading in Canvas

Canvas allows instructors post grades and share feedback on student work using the Gradebook. The Gradebook provides features that assist instructors with displaying, sorting, and calculating grades. It helps you and your students keep track of course grades and missing assignments and can also serve as a communication tool between students and instructors.

Setting up your Gradebook

The Gradebook helps instructors easily view and enter grades for students. Depending on the Grade display type, grades for each assignment can be viewed as points, percentage, complete or incomplete, GPA scale, or letter grade. The Gradebook can be used to add grades for assignments submitted digitally (through Canvas) as well as on paper or without submissions (such as attendance, participation, etc).

As you build your course you will want to make sure your gradebook is set up to reflect the way you plan to assess your students’ work. Canvas automatically creates the gradebook columns based on assignments in the course. You will need to create an “assignment” for each column of the gradebook.

The Gradebook Settings allow you to apply Late and Grade Posting Policies or a Final Grade Override in your course.

Grading with the SpeedGrader

As an instructor, SpeedGrader allows you to view and grade student assignment submissions in one place using a simple point scale or complex rubric. Canvas accepts a variety of document formats and even URLs as assignment submissions. Some document assignments can be marked up for feedback directly within the submission. You can also provide feedback to your students with text or media comments.

You can use SpeedGrader to:

Best Practices:

  • Determine whether you will be using percentage/weighted grading or points
  • Set up your grade posting policies before you begin grading
  • Set up assignment groups to match your grading scheme from your syllabus
  • Use the SpeedGrader to view and grade student assignment submissions
  • Use the Gradebook’s send a message to students option to communicate with your students

Additional Support

To learn more about grading in Canvas, register for a workshop or schedule a one-on-one appointment with a member of the ITDS team.

For technical support, contact the IT Service Desk by phone at 973-655-7971, option 3 or email itservicedesk@dos5.net.