Instructor Help

When students withdraw from a course through Banner/MyInfo, they are not removed from the course in Canvas. Instead, their status is changed to Inactive.

Inactive students will still appear in your Canvas class list, but they no longer have access to the course or its content. This status allows instructors to view student participation, report the last date of attendance, and access any grades as needed.

Set Up a Graded Discussion

1. Go to Discussions
   1. In your course navigation, click Discussions.
2. Create or Edit a Discussion
   1. Either select + Discussion to start a new one or click on the title of an existing discussion and choose Edit from the three dots on the right-hand side.
3. Enable Grading
   1. In the settings area of the discussion, check the box for Graded.
4. Set Points and Assignment Options
   1. Enter the total points possible.
   2. Optionally, add to an Assignment Group, set a due date, or add a rubric.
5. Save and Publish
   1. Click Save (or Save & Publish) when ready.

View a Graded Discussion

1. Open SpeedGrader
   1. Go to the discussion, then select SpeedGrader from the three dots on the right-hand side.
2. Review Student Posts
   1. In SpeedGrader, you’ll see each student’s posts and replies collected in one view.
3. Enter Grades and Feedback
   1. Enter the score in the Grade field.
   2. Add written or audio/video feedback if desired.
4. Move Between Students
   1. Use the arrows in SpeedGrader to switch between students.
5. Grades Sync Automatically
   1. Scores entered in SpeedGrader will appear in the Gradebook.

Posting Grades

• Grades → Settings (gear) → Grade Posting Policy
• Automatic: students see grades as soon as the instructor enters them.
• Manual: grades stay hidden until you Post Grades.
• Can also set per assignment (column header → Grade Posting Policy).

Zeros for Missing Work

• Grades → Settings (gear) → Late Policies
• Check Automatically apply grade for missing submissions → enter 0%.
• Leave it unchecked if you want blanks (no score entered).

Note: Blanks are ignored in Canvas grade totals until the instructor enters a score (like 0).

1. Go to Quizzes in your course and open the quiz (make sure it’s Published).
2. Click the Moderate tab and locate the student.
3. Click the Edit (pencil) icon to the right of the student’s name to add accommodations such as extra time, additional attempts, or reopening attempts.
4. To apply accommodations to all quizzes in the course for that student, click on the student’s name in the Moderate tab and add needed adjustments.