Importing Grades Using a Spreadsheet

Sometimes grades are collected using another source such as i>clicker, scantron tests, and publisher websites. Or you may just prefer to organize your grades on a spreadsheet. Here is a brief overview of how to handle the import and export of spreadsheets in Canvas:

The Basics:

1. Create a spreadsheet table in Excel (or another program) that meets the layout format Canvas expects (see below for details)
2. Save the spreadsheet file as a .csv file
3. Go to the gradebook in Canvas, select the “Options” menu, and choose “Upload Scores (.csv)”. Follow the steps from there.

The Format:

There are currently 5 required columns that must be in your CSV file. They all must contain the following headers, which are case sensitive, but most columns can be left empty:

• Student: The student’s Last Name ,First Name. For example, Blue, Big
  You need at least one letter from each student’s name in this column, but for best results have the student’s full Last Name, First Name
• ID: The student’s internal Canvas ID. You can leave this column blank.
• SIS User ID: The student’s sourcedid.id from Banner. You can leave this column blank.
• SIS Login ID: The student’s A number. You can match by this as long as you have at least part of each student’s name in the student column.
• Section: You can leave this blank.

Here’s an image, provided by Instructure, that explains the format visually. Click to view it larger:

Demo: Headers and Upload Process

For an overview of these headers, as well as a demonstation of a CSV upload, see http://screencast.com/t/Cc1yIv86

Demo: Sharing Spreadsheet Data Between Systems

• Preparing spreadsheet data from other systems for import into Canvas:
  This typically involves combining a last name and first name column into a single “Student” column using Excel’s concatenate function, and then adding Canvas’s additional required columns and renaming the A number column to SIS Login ID.|
  See http://screencast.com/t/s2Y4bdoqQ
• Preparing a Canvas gradebook CSV file for import into other systems:
  This process typically involves removing or renaming Canvas-specific columns and splitting the Student column into two columns, one for last name and one for first name, using Excel’s text-to-columns tool.
  See http://screencast.com/t/0IUzPvKgQ5

Confused? Try downloading your gradebook.

Perhaps the easiest way to get the format right is to start by first downloading your gradebook as a CSV file. Go to your gradebook and select Download Scores (.csv) from the options menu. Simply edit that file and reupload it.

More Information

You can learn more about grading in Canvas, including how to curve grades, use the speed grader, comment on grades, and much more at http://guides.instructure.com. Go to the Instructors and TA’s section and scroll down to Grades.

There are two available methods for providing extra credit in Canvas:

Option 1: Create assignments that don’t 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 don’t 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%.
1. 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
2. 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%.
     Click image to view larger
3. 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
    Click image to view larger
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, it’s 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 don’t 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 didn’t 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.

It’s the end of the semester and time to get those grades finalized. As this may be your first semester ever using Canvas to grade your students, here are many of the things you need to know about how to manage and finalize your grades in Canvas:

The Basics: How Canvas Handles Grades

Here are the most important things to keep in mind:

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. How Canvas calculates total grades:
   Points Earned / Total Points Possible = Total Score (as percentage)
4. Therefore: All required assignments must specify the points possible for the total percentage score to be accurate.
   Carefully check your total scores column to make sure grades are what you think they should be. See http://screencast.com/t/dO4teZUuQAzs
5. 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
6. 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

Grade Publishing from Canvas to Banner

1. Download grades to a CSV (Excel) file for backup.
   This is done in the Options menu at the top-left of the gradebook.
2. Review the final grades in the downloaded file. If they are incorrect, they will post incorrectly to Banner unless you follow the directions in the following screencast.
   http://podcasts.usu.edu/MediaPlayer/genplayer.html?filename=Podcasts/canvas/bugs/GradebookFix.mp4 (1 min)
3. If downloaded grades are correct, use the Grade Publishing feature.
• Publishing Grades to Banner Video (2 min)
• Publishing Grades to Banner PDF 
4. Double-check grades in Banner. The status of the grade publishing will appear not long after you push the Publish Grades button. Once the status shows that the grades have been posted, login to Banner as soon as possible to ensure that grades have been recorded properly. Try to do this before grades are rolled in case you need to make corrections.

Copying a course

With the semester’s end fast approaching we thought it appropriate to show you how to copy your existing courses into next semester’s courses.

Start by going to your new course:

When your course loads the course setup checklist will appear at the bottom of the screen. Click on the Import Content link.

If the course has already been published, you can click Settings,

in the Navigation panel and click Import Content into this Course.

Click on the Copy content from snother Canvas course button.

From here you can search for a course or use the dropdown menu to see a list of available courses you are teaching.

When you have made a selection click the Copy From this Course.
 

A list of content from your course is displayed. By default all content is selected except for ungraded discussion topics.

If you would like to copy everything you can check the box next to
Copy Everything from …

When you choose to copy everything you will be asked if you want to copy Discussion topics only or Discussion topics with replies. Since we are copying content into a new course choose Just Copy Topics.

Checking the Settings from … box will set your homepage preferences along with other settings the same in the new course.

When you have finished selecting the content you want imported, the last option you have is to adjust event and due dates. This feature can help you adjust all due dates to a comparable date in the upcoming semester, by entering the start and ending dates for both semesters.

If you are switching days that you teach you can add a day substitution by clicking on Define a day substitution link and changing the days in Move everything on and to happen on dropdown boxes. You should double-check the dates that it substituted to ensure that they are correct.

When you are finished click the Import Course Content button.

A progress bar will be displayed and the button text will say Copying… this will take a few minutes.

When the course is finished copying the next screen that appears is the list of resources that have been imported successfully. You can click the Back to the … Home Page link to return to your course.

This would be a good time to double-check that everything was copied correctly into your course.

Adding a TA to your course by A-number

When adding a TA to your course you can use their A-number rather than their email address.

Start by clicking on the People tool in the navigation panel.

Click on the Manage Users button in the right panel.

Click on the Add Users button.

From the Add More dropdown menu select TAs.

You can also restrict TAs to be able to only grade and interact with students in the section the are assigned to. To assign a TA to a section click the For the section dropdown menu, and select a section.

In the box enter the TA’s A-number. If you need to add multiple TAs to the same section you can seaperate each A-number with a comma (,).

Click Continue… 

Canvas will confirm that the A-number is linked to a valid user account, and the user details will be displayed.

If you are satisfied with the results click the OK Looks Good, Add This 1 User button.

If there were problems or it is the wrong person click the Go back and edit the list of users link and you can make changes.

You should now see a TAs Current Users section with the person or people listed as TAs and their section they are assigned to if you specified that.