Override final grade

[johnpj]

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

It would be convenient if instructors could override the calculated final grade. Many faculty use the gradebook export to send grades to the student information system and there are sometimes factors in determining a final grade that are based on the discretion of the instructor.

This idea has been added to our product plan for Q1 2019 and will influence development within Canvas. To find more information about this idea’s related priority, please follow Priority: Gradebook Enhancements‌

:smileyinfo: Adding this idea to our product plan means we will be working on it, but it does not guarantee that it will be developed exactly as defined by the idea, or that it will be added to the production environment.

Read more about the feature idea process:

• Adaptation: Feature Idea Process Changes
• How does the feature idea process work in the Canvas Community?
• What is the feature development process for Canvas?

Comments from Instructure

For more information, please read through the Canvas Release Notes (2019-02-16) .

[esteinberger]

I am trying to vote YES on this.

[avinson]

I too would like to vote YES as well.

[scottdennis]

Hello Deactivated user​ and johnpj​

Thank you for taking the time to submit to the feature ideas forum.

I just now updated your idea submission to the queue that will open for vote on June 3rd.

Cheers,

Scott

[vkg]

In addition to the desire on the part of instructors to bump a borderline grade up (say, from a D+ to a C-), we also find here at the University of Michigan that we have some grades that can never be calculated and must always be assigned.  For example, the difference between a NR (No Report), an E and an I (Incomplete) cannot be calculated by any Canvas grade scheme.  The inability to assign these types of grades in Canvas is a barrier to more of our faculty using existing mechanisms to transfer grades between Canvas and our SIS.

[KAilsa_Rowan]

I would love to see a comment field attached to the override option so that the instructor could record the reason for the override.

[snugent]

I agree with  @vkg ​ on this. We have an instructor that finds the Canvas gradebook frustrating because he wants to be able to make adjustments to the final grade based on his knowledge of the student work in the course especially when the grade is borderline.

[kona]

From an admin perspective I'd like to see what the ORIGINAL course grade was - based on student work - and then (if this option was added) the final grade of record (the one turned in).

[snugent]

Agreed the paper trail is needed.

[esteinberger]

I think from admin perspective, this is already in there. You can see two fields (Current Grade and Final Grade) when grades are exported. I would hope only the 'final grade field' would be modifiable, and the calculated 'current grade field' would not change. I would agree that these two fields should both remain.

[vkg]

Here at the U of Michigan we see one other case where instructors want the ability to assign a final grade for a course -- where they're using some factor that the Canvas grade calculations just doesn't allow.-- e.g., allowing students to determine the weighting for some group of assignments.  We don't have many of these but in cases where the final calculations can't be done in Canvas it'd be great for the instructors to still store the assignment grades in Canvas and do only the calculations elsewhere before uploading the final scores.  Without the ability to store a final score in Canvas that the instructor has calculated, some folks are tempted to forego assignments scores altogether in Canvas.