Option to omit selected assignments from Total Grade (Points based grading)

[reitel]

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

  Idea will be open for vote Wed. July 1, 2015 - Wed. October 7, 2015  Learn more about voting...

Please allow the option to omit or not count certain assignment columns (for all students) toward the course grade.  This has a number of use cases addressing a number of common feature requests!

For example:

• Allows faculty to upload externally calculated columns (weighted scores, mid-term grades, etc) without modifying the course grade.
• Allows posting of mid term grades or grades for just a single portion (or Module) of a larger course
• Allows displaying both a group grade and an individual grade for differentiated group assignments (allows students to see the team score and there own weighted/adjusted indivudual score). In such case the individual grade could be used in the Final grade calculation and the team/group grade would be omitted.
• Allows for mistakes/adjustments. For example an assignment or quiz with mistakes it (not all of us are perfect ) . Faculty could suppress an old version of an assignment and just count the new version (would also allow the faculty to manual override the revised assignment giving credit for the erroneous assignment as appropriate)

NOTE: The above is possible in the % weighted grading schemes by creating one or more assignment groups with a weighting of zero. However, this capability goes away when using a points based grading scheme!

  Instructure Comment

For More information: Canvas Production Release Notes (2016-08-06) 

[Renee_Carney]

 @reitel ​

This is a great feature to have.  There is currently a tool in grading called "mute".  Using "mute" you can accomplish all of your desired use cases above!

Here are 3 guides that tell you more about mute

What is a muted assignment?

How do I mute an assignment in the Gradebook? 

How do I mute or unmute an Assignment in SpeedGrader?

[reitel]

Renee,

I was aware of and had experimented with "Mute" and there are certainly times it is useful. However this function does not actually to serve the above cases. My understanding (confirmed by testing) is that "mute" only hides the grade from the students. . . .

What I actually the OPPOSITE of "mute" I want to specifically SHOW the scores for uncounted columns to the students. For example I'd like a permanent record of the midterm grade DISPLAYED to students (a midterm grade is permanent and would not update as new assignments are submitted it should also not "count" towards the course grade).

Also when working with "mute", I found that muting a grade did not change the total number of available points for the course. The total points possible for the course (but not the points earned) still included the contribution of the muted assignment. So this does not address the ability to exclude an assignment from the course calculation either. (Although I understand students may in fact see their final grade without the muted assignment included, I can't use this practically as the "FINAL" Canvas grade (for example when I use Canvas to submit grades to the university at the end of the semester) still includes the "muted" assignment).

[Renee_Carney]

Thank you so much for the detailed response!  This helps to differentiate this idea from mute for sure!  Your idea will be open for voting on July 1!

[scottdennis]

This feature idea is now open for voting.

[bushsl]

It drives me crazy that Canvas doesn't have this feature. It's impossible to give the students information without it going into the grade.  I want to tell each student which group number's project they are responsible for evaluating, but the group number becomes a grade.  Muting the column won't work because then the students can't see their assigned number. It should also be possible to provide ungraded feedback to students, but I can't.  It almost makes me want to - gasp - go back to Blackboard.

[biray]

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[biray]

Good news! (aka, do not be bummed about your idea being archived). It appears you can now officially do exactly what you're hoping to do with How do I excuse an assignment for a student in the Gradebook?​​ This feature was made available after you had already posted your idea! W00t-W00t!

Check out Canvas Production Release Notes (2015-06-27)​ for all the additional details!

[bushsl]

Thanks, but this doesn’t address the problem. If all that students see in the grade book is EX, then this feature doesn’t allow me to give students feedback without it counting toward their course grade. They need to be able to see the actual number in the grade book, but not have that number included in grade book calculations. This is an option in Blackboard but not in Canvas. I used to use the Blackboard grade book to give students lots of information that didn’t get figured into their course grades. I wish I could do that in Canvas.

Sarah

[scottdennis]

Hi Sarah,

I apologize if I'm missing something but why not just create an On Paper submission type assignment worth zero points and then add comments for students via the gradebook?  I just tested that and it seems to work fine.  Another option would be to use assignment group weighting to make it so that one or more assignment does not affect the student overall grade.

[biray]

Thanks  @scottdennis ​

Question for @reitel ​. You stated:

NOTE: The above is possible in the % weighted grading schemes by creating one or more assignment groups with a weighting of zero. However, this capability goes away when using a points based grading scheme!

What do you mean that this capability goes away when using a points-based grading scheme? Can you elaborate or provide screenshots? I think if we better understand this aspect, we may be able to address it further.

Looking forward to your feedback.

FYI  @bushsl ​