[Gradebook] Post Feedback/Annotations and Grades Separately

[h_carmichael]

Post Annotations and Grades Separately

It would be extremely beneficial to have the ability to post feedback separately from posting grades.

This is an extension of a previous idea on the community:

https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/14428-release-feedback-and-marks-grades-separately-assignments

Current Situation:

Feedback and grades are posted simultaneously. With the new development (in beta) it will allow entering feedback without a grade and releasing this, a grade is therefore not entered or it is entered at a later stage.

There are a number of workarounds in order to accommodate the current functionality including providing feedback outside of Canvas, storing grades separately then going back and entering them into the system, not releasing feedback until a later stage, etc.... I'm sure there are more!

What we would like to do:

Enter feedback at the same time as entering the grade and have the ability to post grades and feedback separately (posting feedback would include annotations within SpeedGrader).

 

Benefits include:

• Students will get their feedback in a timely manner and not need to wait for ratification of grades.
• This will save time as staff will not have to go back and enter grades at a later stage (which would be required in order to release timely feedback)
• Reduce risk of error as grades will not need to be recorded separately before being entered / imported into Canvas.

Thanks,

Helen

[Stef_retired]

Hi,  @h_carmichael , thank you so much for sharing this idea. I hope you don't mind that I changed "feedback" to "annotations" in the title to remove any ambiguity and so that the idea clearly references DocViewer; if this doesn't comport with your intention, please let us know.

[h_carmichael]

Hi stefaniesanders, thank you for this! Just to clarify, when I talk about feedback I am referring to overall comments on the sidebar as well as annotations within DocViewer (in essence all feedback), I hope that makes sense!

Thanks again,

Helen

[Stef_retired]

 @h_carmichael , I understand, yet it would be best to keep this idea focused on DocViewer, as it needs to be prioritized for potential development separately from Speedgrader comments, which is the focus of the idea referenced in the description.

[h_carmichael]

Hi stefaniesanders, we have carried out a few tests and the development in beta seems to encompass the annotations in DocViewer as well as the SpeedGrader comments, other users have also alluded to this being the case as well. The idea I referenced didn't specify between the two (although a comment within the idea did). My idea is regarding all feedback as it shouldn't really be a two step process to release feedback should annotations and comments both be utilized by staff. 

If I should raise a separate idea for combining feedback avenues to be released separately from grades please let me know!!

Thanks,

Helen

[Stef_retired]

 @h_carmichael , based on your testing experience, that makes considerable sense. That said, I would suggest waiting until the functionality currently in beta is released to production to get a broader sense of how the new workflow is working out for your instructors.

[h_carmichael]

No Problem, thanks for this stefaniesanders!

[liamstakelum]

Voted up! This would be a great addition- in line with what the research tells us about how feedback should be used. Be great if Canvas could add this as it seems like a common request.

[Estefania]

This is brilliant! When our students submit final exams, we must provide feedback to justify our marking for external examiners, but it is a pity that this feedback never reaches the student because final marks cannot be released until much later when the boards approve them. At that stage, the feeback is not of any use to the students. With this idea, students would be able to benefit from tutors' comments while marks remain hidden until they are officially confirmed.

[caseylouisee]

I also think this would be a great feature. Since going digital we've had to put our tests online. Usually with tests students only see their marks and not the feedback but with Canvas this is not possible to do. Releasing the annotations and the grades separately would be so beneficial!

[ccassidy1]

Currently there is no way to natively hide marks from students whilst still revealing feedback. In our Junior School context (specifically grades 3-6) our focus is on providing concrete student feedback, as opposed to marks or grades. However, teachers still require marks to monitor student progress and for reporting purposes.

My feature idea is to have the option to ‘hide grades but show feedback’ at an individual assignment level. This would allow our junior school teachers to utilise the grade book functionality of Canvas whilst hiding these grades from the students. 

Note: A rubric without points doesn't solves the issue as we still want the grades getting sent to the gradebook.