1 of 35

Canvas Investigations:

Gradebook Setup, Weights, Extra Credit, Challenges

October 5, 2022

2 of 35

Agenda

  • Intro (Host Silke Moeller, Psychology TC)
  • Pedagogical Considerations of Extra Credit (11:30 - 11:40)
    • Grace Atkins, CLA Latis-LX – CEI resources
  • Technical aspect/challenges/limitations of Canvas Gradebook setup (11:40 - 11:55)
    • Dennis Svendsen, OIT & Soni Froyen, ATSS
  • Grade Posting Policy and Late Policy Considerations (11:55 - 12:05)
    • Tracy Wilson, CFANS
  • Consideration about Weighting vs Total Points - Differences and Why's? (12:05 - 12:15)
    • Kalli-Ann Binkowski, CBS
  • Instructors sharing Challenges, Solutions, Issues with Canvas Gradebook (12:15 - 12:35)
    • Penny Nichol, Psychology TC
    • Merc Chasman, Mathematics Morris (Recording)
    • Sara Nystuen, CFANS
    • Sarah Buchanan, Language Morris (Recording)
  • Discussion (12:35-13:00)

3 of 35

Pedagogical Considerations of Extra Credit

Grace Atkins, CLA LATIS-LX

Resources from CEI:

4 of 35

What’s wrong with extra credit?

  • Extra credit = work outside of the assigned work of the class
  • Extra credit doesn’t necessarily produce learning
  • Usually doesn’t address deficiency in performance�
  • Enforces false understanding of what grading is
    • Emphasizes the grade as the goal of education, not learning
    • Grade = reward for effort or measurement of learning?�
  • Question for the group: do you know of any programs, depts, or colleges that don’t allow extra credit practices?

5 of 35

Pedagogically effective alternatives

  • Provide formative feedback and frequent low stakes learning opportunities
    • Student will know where they stand and be able to work toward the grade they want�
  • Revise and resubmit
    • “...students are not demotivated by failure itself. They are demotivated by failure where they cannot see a path to success.”
    • Canvas Instructor Guide: Can a student resubmit Canvas assignments?

6 of 35

If you still offer extra credit

  • Adding extra points in Canvas: 10 ways to give EC in Canvas

Tips

  • Make sure EC opportunities actually serve course objectives and are verifiable
  • Set max % of EC that can be earned
  • Specify EC practices in syllabus
  • Don’t allow last-minute requests for EC
  • Use rubrics
  • Explain early in the course that grades aren’t negotiable

7 of 35

Technical aspect/challenges/limitations of Canvas Gradebook setup

Dennis Svendsen, OIT & Soni Froyen, ATSS

  • Gradebook view options for large classes
  • Total Score column points or percentages
  • Gradebook ordering of activities
  • Unusual symbols
  • Curving scores
  • Group / Moderated / Anonymous grading�

8 of 35

Large class gradebooks - view sections

  • Takes long times to load. Load once.
  • Use the View > Filters > Sections
  • New drop-down menu upper right corner
  • All Sections or individual sections
  • Handy for TA grading

​

9 of 35

Total Score column

  • Canvas defaults to Percentages
    • Click student score box for numeric values

​

  • Toggle to Points

​

  • Students see both points & percentages regardless of instructor setting

10 of 35

Unusual Symbols in the Totals column

  • The Slashed Eye.
    • There are items that are Hidden or Not Posted.
    • The score the teacher and student see are different if scores have been entered.
  • The Exclamation Point.
    • There is a weighted assignment group that has NO activity worth any points.
    • Even if assignment group is weighted 0%.

11 of 35

Gradebook Layout

  • The Assignment Index Page is the (Moodle) gradebook layout.
  • Move items on AIP and GB layout matches it.
  • Move in item in GB and it breaks the connection
  • AIP Assignment Groups are placed at the end of the GB order. Not changeable.

​

12 of 35

Curving Grades

  • Gradebook activity �option.
  • Cannot be undone.
  • Adjusts the scores

as a bell curve; �66% around the �average score.

  • Perfect scores not�affected.

​

13 of 35

14 of 35

Group Grading

  • Settle groups before submission and grading.
  • If grading as group, cannot see names of individuals in Speedgrader
  • Group or Individual Grade - cannot have blend of both - but you can toggle setting and the individual grades stick.

15 of 35

Moderated Grading (aka Multiple Graders)

  • Enable in Course Settings > Feature Options
  • Cannot combine with Group assignment
  • Creates a cast of reviewers
  • Set the number of �reviewers
  • Deputize one as �final grader

16 of 35

Anonymity in Different Contexts

  • Sprinkle anonymity in different �contexts or go full Stealth
  • Anonymity Lite
    • Speedgrader > Options
    • Moderated Grading settings
    • Anonymous Instructor Annotations Feature
  • Full Stealth
    • Anonymous Grading Feature Option

17 of 35

Grade Posting Policy and Late Policy Considerations

Tracy Wilson, CFANS

  • Grade-posting policy confusion and
  • Late Policy confusion, and
  • How they make each other more confusing�

18 of 35

Grade Posting Policy (GPP) Confusion

Can the students see the grades?

  • You must set GPP before grading and hide grades after posting.
  • GPP can be applied at course and assignment levels; individual grades can (retroactively) be “hidden.” Illustration.
  • The slashed eye icon is not what it seems; the red dots that do mean what the eye appears to mean (hidden grades) are buried in “Post Grades.”

19 of 35

20 of 35

21 of 35

Late Policy Confusion

How is late policy applied?

  • Late policy is applied to total possible points, not to points earned.
  • Lateness is immediately rounded up to the next whole unit of time.

�

22 of 35

More Late Policy Confusion

  • The only way to exempt an assignment is to remove “Late” from everyone’s grade status.
  • If you download grades with late policy applied to them, adjust them, and upload them again, late policy penalties are applied again.

23 of 35

Inconsistency

  • Grade Posting policy applies only to grades posted after you set it.
  • Late policy applies retroactively to all course grades, regardless of when you turn it on.
  • Grade Posting Policy can be set at the assignment level, and people expect that of Late Policy, too.

�

24 of 35

Conclusion

  • Both are confusing, and more so because they aren’t consistent with each other.
  • Many instructors find GPP useful.
  • Very few use Late Policy. Some might, if individual assignments or assignment groups could be set or different conditions could be set for different assignments. What are good use cases?

�

25 of 35

Consideration about weighting vs total points - differences and why's?

Kalli-Ann Binkowski, CBS�

26 of 35

Definitions

Weighted grades

  • Categories are assigned an importance in the final grade by percentages

​

Total points grades

  • Each point counts the same, so assignment points must be set to reflect their importance

27 of 35

​

Weighted

Total Points

Student understanding

Students struggle to calculate their own grade

Student understand and can easily check calculations

Instructor effort

Instructor can set assignment points to create easier grading

Instructor must manage points for every assignment

In progress accuracy

Large grade swings are possible, especially when entering first score in a category

Grades move a lot at the beginning of semester but stabilize.

Grading

Assignment scores have direct effects inside category only. Avoids having to hit a point total to balance categories. Grade individual assignments easily (points for everything). Beware: categories with no scores don’t count.

Assignment scores have direct effects on final grade Often instructors try to hit a round number, may need to scale scores or grade in half points to keep categories in balance.

28 of 35

Weighting Use Case

  • Good for developing courses while teaching to keep grades balanced between categories without too much concern about assignment points.
  • Good to keep grades aligned between multiple instructor courses. Allows individual instructors more leeway with assignments.
  • More student concerns are likely with grade swings and grade “checks”.

When do you see weighted grades used?

​

29 of 35

Total Points Use Case

  • Many courses use this and manage scores of individual assignments to create category balance.
  • Easiest to understand and setup.
  • Reduced student concerns.

​

When do you see total points grades used?

30 of 35

Weighting and Dropping

Penny Nichol, Instructor Psychology TC

  • My (Brief) Experience with Weighting
    • Use/Handling of Extra Credit
  • Dropping Assignments
    • Why I do this – benefits and drawbacks

​

31 of 35

Weighted Grades with Solution to Show Students a Better Predictor

Merc Chasman, Math Instructor Morris

https://mediaspace.umn.edu/media/t/1_uq7104nx

​

32 of 35

Gradebook Messaging

Sara Nystuen, CFANS

33 of 35

Challenges Working with the Gradebook

Sarah Buchanan, Language Instructor Morris

  • First semester using Canvas Gradebook with Weights
  • Assignment Groups View
  • Meaning of Colors

​

https://mediaspace.umn.edu/media/t/1_se0gg2a7

34 of 35

Questions?

35 of 35

Resources

​