Canvas assigning zeros before assignment is due

[elainew]

What would cause Canvas to assign a zero to an assignment that is not yet due.  We have checked that the due dates are correct for the assignment.  And it doesn't happen to every student in the class, just a few. I'm not sure what else to check.  TIA.

[JeffCampbell · Accepted solution]

There have been multiple different reports about grades being automatically set to 0 when they shouldn't. This could be related to a known issue that Instructure is working on. https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Known-Issues/OPEN-Investigate-how-the-missing-policy-triggered/ta...

That it is happening only to a few students is odd. Is this happening with content that was copied from another course?

You might consider submitting a Help Ticket about the issue in case it is related to the issue linked above. Per their instructions: "If you are encountering the behavior outlined in this document, please ensure you have submitted a Support case (per your institution's escalation process) so Canvas Support can adequately gauge the overall customer impact and prioritize appropriately."

[iwoods]

This did not used to happen, but it did happen this term. It is causing me to have to manually go through the hundreds of boxes and delete the 0s. 

I am fairly sure that the reason is that, when I ported all of the content from a previous term, some of that content had due dates in the past. When I updated the info for the future, the zeros were still there. If a student added the class late, they did not get the 0s because they weren't in the class when the assignment had the old due date. 

What we need is a system wherein when we change a due date to the future, any 0 grade gets replaced with a not-submitted blank. We also need a way to auto-fix all of these future 0s so that I we don't have to sit here and waste time manually deleting them. 

[JeffCampbell]

You mentioned changing the due date. Did you do this using the option to adjust due dates during the import process, or after the content was imported?

If after, it is possible that the system saw it was assigned with a past date and, upon setting up the automatic 0's for past due assignments, gave the zero. I tell the teachers in my building that when they import content, make sure to turn on the "Adjust due dates", then turn on "Remove Due Dates". I know there is an option to automatically adjust them based on term start and end dates, but find (in my experience) that using this still required me to make adjustments. Drills or assembly costing class time, scheduled days off, etc. It is easier for me to set the dates as I go.

I have not seen this issue personally, only on here. I have seen a teacher at my building who had something similar, but it was sending 0's to PowerSchool, not assigning 0's in Canvas.

[tstuwe]

And a full year later, this mysterious zero thing is still happening in my classes. Zeros are showing up for students before the due date of an assignment. Students think that I have given them the zero when I have not even graded the assignment. When I explain that it is one of Canvas' many ongoing design defects that never seem to get fixed, it does little to inspire confidence in your product. What have your techs been doing all this time to resolve it?

[JeffCampbell]

Have you submitted a ticket? That is the recommendation because there was a documented concern and Tech Support was trying to determine how widespread the issue was, and would likely want to look at or communicate with affected users to narrow down possible causes.

Also, is this happening with content created in the course or imported content? If imported, are you removing due dates, shifting due dates using option to set new term start/end dates, or leaving the "adjust due dates" unchecked? It is helpful to narrow out those potential causes before submitting a ticket and you should identify which option you used if this is imported content when submitting a ticket (they will likely ask that same question if not mentioned in the ticket). Particularly because part of the known issue I linked last Fall was related to an error when copying content.

[JeffCampbell]

As you mentioned, this should not be happening. There does appear to be an issue being worked on regarding the matter. One of the more identified causes seems to be copying the course. Even if due dates are removed during the process, it seems to be marking things as missing right away. Based on what you are experiencing, I would definitely suggest submitting a ticket if you have not. Particularly since you observed students joining AFTER the copy did not have their items automatically marked with a zero. The more info they have on what users are experiencing, the better they can diagnose and solve.

[RuthTrimble]

I have seen this phenomena only in Fall. 2024 and my course is a copy from FALL 2023. I wondered if it was only with LATE add students, but that is not the case. It seems random. I always used to set up the 0 to be posted if a student missed the assignment, but now they show up randomly. I found that the Zero helps when checking the gradebook that it shows up for a missing grade. I did not have that one year, and the grade % comes out differently. This term, I am not going through to erase them as it seems the submissions still can be posted and graded even if it was marked at Zero before. So I trust the technicians can figure this one out... but I am not going to worry about it any further.

[JeffCampbell]

Based on my understanding, this issue appears to have popped up sometime since the end of the last school year. As you mentioned, it seems random as it did not happen to me, but plenty of reports of it happening to others. Even if you are proceeding without worry about it, submit a ticket anyway. Techs are trying to gauge how widespread the problem is and the more reports, the more they can dig into finding what is causing it.