Best Practices for Canvas Grades

This article lists the Best Practices for setting up an accurate Canvas Grades. If you ever need assistance or have questions:

For immediate assistance, contact the Boise State Help Desk.
For a consultation opportunity, join us for a daily Canvas Q&A Session (hosted on Zoom). These events are posted on the LTS Training Calendar.

Beginning of the Semester

Setting up the Canvas Grade Book in the beginning of the semester helps ensure:

Faculty: Easier grading for faculty, if everything is set up in the Grade Book the instructor can simply enter grades throughout the semester and can feel confident that students are seeing the correct scoring and overall grade for the course.
Students: Smoother and more transparent experience with the course regarding grading, being alerted to missing assignments, and seeing a correct final grade based off of the work that has been received.

Grade Center Tools:

Understanding the Tools:

Update the Canvas Grading Scheme

*Optional

*Required to use the Canvas Grade Transfer Tool

To tell Canvas what each student’s Total Grade % should equate to in a Letter Grade.

For example, an instructor might want to tweak the scheme to allow students who receive an 88% or higher to receive an A.

Default scheme is:

Set up the Missing Submission Policy

*Recommended

Set up the Missing Submission Policy to automatically apply Zeros for missed assignments that use Due Dates. Note: This policy does not impact "no submission" or "on paper" assignments. These items will require the instructor to manually assigning the zeroes.

It is very important to make sure that Zeros are entered for missed assignments in a timely manner.
This step is what informs students they are missing an assignment and their grade has been lowered accordingly.

Change the default Grade Posting Policy

*Optional

Choose if grades become visible to students automatically, or must be “Posted” by the instructor.

Build the Course Items Associated with Grades.

Pro-Tip: Create shells for all Assignments, Discussions, Quizzes, etc. and sort them into their respective Assignment Groups at the beginning of the semester. This allows for the entire course to be “built” as far as the Grade Center goes, and leaves the instructor time to fill in the assignment details at a later time.

Resources:

How to Create an Assignment in Canvas
How to Create a Quiz in Canvas
How to Create a Discussion
How to Create a Grade Center Column for Manual Grading in Canvas
- For any graded items for which students will not submit work online, e.g., an in-class exam, create an on-paper assignment. For any graded items for which students do not submit anything tangible, e.g., participation, create a non-submission assignment.
How to Give Extra Credit in Canvas

Create Assignment Groups in Canvas

*Optional

Sort assignments by categories
Creates filters for faculty to use to navigate the Grade Center
Use to set up Weighted Grades (see below)
Use to drop grades with the “lowest score” – When dropping lowest grades remember to designate All Extra Credit Assignments as “exemptions” to the drop rule.

Pro-Tip: If not using Assignment Groups, note that one “group” MUST exist for calculations in the Grade Center to work correctly. A great trick is to update the name of the single Assignment Group to “Subtotal” so that students are not confused by its existence in their Grades area.

Set up Weighted Grading in Canvas

*Optional

Weighted Grades Example:

Tests = 50% of total grade
Assignments = 20% of total grade
Final Project = 30% of total grade

Learn how to Navigate Grades in Canvas

Pro Tip: Organize and rearrange the columns in the gradebook by clicking-and-dragging them into the desired display order.

Use “Filters” to order the gradebook via Assignment Groups, Student Groups, Modules, etc. (Must create the item for it to be used to filter).

Use Filters to order the gradebook via Assignment Groups, Student Groups, Modules, etc. Must create the item for it to be used to filter.

Use “Arrange By” to order the Grades area in an automatic way.

Use Arrange By to order the Grades area in an automatic way.

During the Semester: Grading

Grade Student Submissions Using Speedgrader in Canvas:

Grade Student Submissions Using Speedgrader In Canvas

SpeedGrader

Grading Pro-Tips:

Grades can be “Excused” by typing EX into the grade book.
- Excusing a grade allows an assignment to be ignored while determining the final grade.
Don't like working in Canvas? You can complete your edits in Excel!
- You can export your Canvas gradebook to excel and make changes to student grades, and then use the Import a CSV file option to upload your grade changes to Canvas.

End of Semester: Canvas to Peoplesoft Grade Transfer Tool

Step 1

Review your Grade Center and verify that all columns and students contain grades.
Missed assignments should receive either a 0 or “Excused”.
The Grade Transfer Tool will not work if this step is not completed.

Step 2

Important: When users report error messages in the Grade Transfer process, this is usually the step that has been missed and/or goofed up

Confirm the Grade Schema is “checked” in Canvas.
Select Update Course Settings button on the bottom of the page to preserve any changes.
The Canvas to Peoplesoft Grade Transfer Tool will not work if this step is not completed.

Confirm the Grade Schema is checked in Canvas. Select Update Course Settings button on the bottom of the page to preserve any changes.

Step 3

You are now ready to use the Canvas to Peoplesoft Grade Transfer Tool! Select this link for next steps: Canvas Grade Transfer Instructions

Relevant Information

Have a suggestion?

Email us! lts@boisestate.edu