Grade for Student Success

Created by your peers to address grading challenges, Grade for Student Success is a faculty guide for leveraging Canvas to enhance student learning while making grading more efficient and customizable.

Thanks to your hard work in and out of the classroom, С Boulder celebrated record-high undergraduate retention and graduation rates in 2023. Grade for Student Success emerged from faculty recommendations, with the goal of supporting our campus community and enabling success for our faculty and students.

This collaborative effort has resulted in the creation of 16 comprehensive guidelines, 14 new tutorials and 26 Canvas enhancement requests designed to promote efficiency, consistency and ease in the important work you’re doing.

For questions about Grade for Student success or the broader Canvas Grading Initiative, please contact Kelly Gildersleeve, Assistant Director of the CTL, at Kelly.Gildersleeve@Colorado.EDU.

The BUS Canvas Grading Initiative Faculty Working Group

As part of theBuff Undergraduate Success (BUS) Initiative, a working group of nine faculty members joined theCenter for Teaching & Learning (ճ)Ի(OIT) to review problem statements from faculty and students about grading and propose solutions to improve the faculty and student experience with the Canvas gradebook.

Bobby Benim, Assistant Teaching Professor, Applied Mathematics

Daniel Bolton, Associate Teaching Professor, Physics

Al Bronstein, Teaching Assistant Professor, Mathematics

Ryan Curtis, Teaching Associate Professor, Psychology and Neuroscience

Jessica Gorski, Associate Faculty Director Health Professions RAP, Associate Teaching Professor EBIO and MCDB

Susan Hendrickson, Teaching Professor, Chemistry

Shaw Ketels, Lecturer, Psychology and Neuroscience

Sreesha Nath, Assistant Teaching Professor, Computer Science

Mark Valkovci, Teaching Assistant Professor, Economics, Student Academic Success Center

Dear Colleagues,

We hope your semester has been going well! As members of the Canvas Grading Faculty Working Group, we wanted to take a moment to share the resources that resulted from our work during the Fall 2023 semester to promote student-centered grading practices in Canvas. Our working group was part of the Canvas Grading Initiative, a collaboration between the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) and Office of Information Technology (OIT) and endorsed by the Buff Undergraduate Success (BUS) Initiative.

Our working group discussed common pain points for students and faculty, and their solutions. These discussions were informed by our experiences teaching critical, high-enrollment courses for first- and second-year students in a wide variety of disciplines, and by what we learned from faculty interviews and student usability testing sessions.

We are excited to share two new resources: new recommendations for student-centered grading in Canvas and a set of faculty- and student-facing Canvas video tutorials to support the implementation of these guidelines. We hope these new resources will be helpful for your teaching (e.g., by making grading in Canvas more customizable and efficient), while supporting the success of all of our students (e.g., by ensuring their grades in Canvas are accurate, up to date and easy to find).

We encourage you to share these resources with your colleagues and discuss them within your department or unit.

If you have any questions or ideas to share, please contact the CTL@colorado.edu, whose team is continuing to work on the Canvas Grading Initiative and related initiatives to support С faculty and students.

Faculty Perspectives on Grade for Student Success

In this video, faculty members share their perspectives on the benefits of implementing the Grade for Student Success guidelines in their own courses.

Recommendations for Student-Centered Grading in Canvas

These faculty-recommended guidelines help you implement consistent Canvas grading practices that aim to provide greater success for you, our students, and the university. Please note some of the guidelines are more relevant to traditional than alternative grading approaches.

1. Developing Your Syllabus
2. Developing Your Canvas Courses
3. Setting Up Assignments in Canvas
4. Communicating with Students about Grades
5. Maintaining Your Canvas Courses Throughout the Semester

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Developing Your Syllabus

  1. Include a complete schedule of assignments. By the first day of class, share a syllabus that includes a complete list of all assignments with due dates for the entire semester. Unless you are using an alternative approach to grading, you should also include the percentage of the final grade each assignment and group of assignments are worth. Students can plan ahead, set priorities and manage their time better when all of their responsibilities are clearly laid out. Canvas provides a central location for students to find this information for all their courses.
  2. Include grading policies. In your syllabus, include a clear explanation of all grading policies. This may include drop policies, late and partial credit policies, or attendance and participation policies, as well as the circumstances under which these policies apply.
  3. Provide grades and/or meaningful feedback before drop and class withdrawal deadlines. Design your courses to include at least one opportunity for students to get a grade and/or meaningful feedback (e.g., via a low-stakes formative assessment) before the initial drop deadline and several opportunities to get grades and/or meaningful feedback (e.g., via formative and summative assessments) before the class withdrawal deadline. Providing early and frequent opportunities for assessment and feedback helps students track their own learning and progress, while receiving constructive guidance on how to improve their work. It also empowers students to make informed decisions about whether to stay in or drop a course.
    1. For the fall and spring semesters, there are two drop deadlines:
      1. Initial drop deadline: The last day for students to drop a course without penalty is Friday of the 3rd week of classes (see the revised academic calendar).
      2. Class withdrawal deadline: The final drop deadline is Tuesday of the 11th week of classes (see the revised academic calendar). This is the last day for students to self-service withdraw from a class via Buff Portal. Students who withdraw by the class withdrawal deadline are required to pay 100% of tuition and fees, and a “W” grade is posted to their transcript.

        How Students Can Drop a Class

        Academic Calendars

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Developing Your Canvas Courses

  1. Your syllabus and Canvas should be in alignment. Your syllabus and Canvas should include the same list of assignments, due dates, point value of each assignment and assignment group weightings, if applicable. There should be no inconsistencies between the syllabus and Canvas. If the course schedule changes as a result of a snow day or other unexpected event, please update your syllabus and Canvas accordingly and notify the students of whatever changes have been made.

  1. Build all assignment due dates into Canvas by the first day of classes. Whenever possible, add all assignments with due dates, correct point values and assignment group weightings, if applicable, by the first day of classes. Add placeholders with due dates if you have not developed all assignments yet or if certain types of assignments will accumulate throughout the semester, such as clickers. Set the “available from” date on each placeholder to a date in the future so students cannot access it until you’ve replaced it with the real assignment.

  1. Use Canvas, not an external program, to calculate total grades.
    1. If you are using a traditional points- or percentage-based approach to grading, do not hide the total grades. Whenever possible, set up Canvas to automatically create total and letter grades. If you must calculate grades in an external program, add an extra “assignment” to Canvas to create a new column in the gradebook where you can enter students’ current total grades. Update total grades regularly, such as every week.
    2. If you are using an alternative approach to grading, hide the total numeric grade that appears as a default in Canvas. Make sure you have not enabled a grading scheme in Canvas that will display inaccurate letter grades.

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Setting up Assignments in Canvas

  1. Use specific, meaningful and consistent assignment names. Assignment names in Canvas should be specific enough to indicate what the assignment is, clearly communicate to students the nature of the assignment, and adhere to consistent naming conventions within your course.
  2. Clearly communicate in the assignment description the mode of submission. For each assignment, select the appropriate submission type from the dropdown menu, such as online, on paper or through an external tool. If the assignment is a paper submission, include a detailed description of how and where students should submit their assignments. This may include providing the location and person to whom students must submit their assignments.

  1. Clearly communicate in the assignment description where to find feedback. Include a note in the assignment description explaining to students where they can find feedback on their work (e.g., annotated directly on their assignment submission, in the Canvas gradebook, or on the rubric for that assignment). This is especially important when external tools such as Gradescope contain the feedback. This.

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Communicating with Students About Grades

  1. Make your grading system explicit and transparent. Set aside time the first week of class to discuss your grading system, take a syllabus quiz or share another resource that explains your grading. Explain to students why you use a particular grading system, ideally in terms of how this will support their learning. Explain how you curve grades, if you plan to do so. Show students where they can find a list of all assignments that will count toward their final grade, the number of points or percentage each assignment is worth, grading policies, and cutoffs for different letter grades. This transparency allows students to understand what is expected of them, plan ahead, set priorities and manage their time.

  1. Explain weighted grade calculations, if applicable.If you attach weights to assignment groups, show your students an example demonstrating how to calculate the contribution of an individual assignment to their final grade. For example, you could explain that if five quizzes are worth 10% of the final grades, each individual quiz is worth 2% of their final grades.
  2. Tell students to trust the Canvas gradebook.Some С Boulder students report they hear in 75% of courses that their total grades in Canvas are not accurate. We encourage you to actively tell students throughout the semester that the total grades in Canvas are accurate representations of where their grades are right now, given the assignments submitted and graded so far. However, you may note that the grades displayed are not necessarily good predictions of their final grades, which could change as they submit more work, complete extra credit or benefit from drop policies.

  3. Remind students of the drop deadline. Tell students to consult with their academic advisors if they are unsure what to consider when deciding whether to drop your course.

    How Students Can Drop a Class

    Academic Calendars

Back toRecommendations for Student-Centered Grading in Canvas

Maintaining Your Canvas Courses Throughout the Semester

  1. Keep the gradebook up to date. Commit to ensuring the grades in the Canvas gradebook are accurate and as up to date as possible. Throughout the semester, enter all grades within one week of the deadlines to ensure students are receiving timely information about how to improve. If that is not possible, explicitly communicate to students when they will receive their grades. When assignments build on each other, make sure students receive feedback on one assignment before any subsequent assignments are due. The CTL, OIT and other campus units are developing resources to support instructors as they implement these practices.

  1. Sync grades from external tools regularly. Throughout the semester, regularly sync the Canvas gradebook with grades from any external tools or programs, such as Smartwork, Inquizitive or iClickers. Tell your students how often you will sync those grades.
  2. Replace blanks in the Canvas gradebook with zeros in a timely manner. When setting up the gradebook, set them to automatically change grades for missing assignments from blanks to zeros once the deadlines have passed. You may need to also share these expectations with teaching assistants and/or graders. Do not leave grades for missing assignments blank unless you really don’t want those assignments to count toward the students’ grades, in which case you can use the “excused” feature to show you’ve intentionally left them blank.

How Helpful Did You Find These Guidelines?

Other Grading-Related Canvas Video Tutorials and Resources

Student Resources

Faculty Resources

GSS Rollouts and Key Assessment Findings

We conducted two major rollouts of the Grade for Student Success guidelines over the 2024-25 academic year:

First, we conducted a formal pilot of the GSS practices in Fall 2024 and again in Spring 2025 through partnering with the related A&S Grade Early (and Take Attendance) Often Initiative.

Participants

Participants consisted of all instructors and students in all Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 A&S RAP courses (Residential Academic Program courses), as well as several MATH courses (MATH 1150, 1300, 2300, 2400, and 2510). In Fall 2024, this included 76 instructors and 3,272 students representing 140 sections of 34 distinct courses. In Spring 2025, this included 70 instructors and 3,160 students representing 133 sections of 31 courses. The pilot reached a cumulative total of 6,432 students across two semesters.

Intervention

Instructors were asked to Implement the16 Grade for Student Success practices. The Canvas Grading Initiative team provided instructors with training on how to implement the GSS practices. Additionally, as part of the GEO initiative, instructors were asked to enter a meaningful grade within the first two weeks of the semester and take attendance in Canvas. Below, we focus only on findings relevant to the pilot of the GSS practices.

Assessment methods

We assessed instructor and student experiences with the GSS practices via surveys administered at the beginning (pretest) and end (posttest) of the semester.

Instructor results

Response rates

In Fall 2024, 61% of pretest surveys (n = 57) and 37% of posttest surveys (n = 34) were completed. In Spring 2025, 47% of pretest surveys (n = 41) and 36% of posttest surveys (n = 31) were completed.

Feasibility of implementation

The vast majority of instructor respondents (91% in Fall 2024, 95% in Spring 2025) reported at pretest that they intended to implement “most or all” GSS practices in their courses, and similar albeit slightly lower rates (85% in Fall 2024, 94% in Spring 2025) reported by posttest that they had followed through with this intention. Moreover, most instructor respondents reported no barriers to implementation or that they were already implementing the GSS practices.

Benefits for instructors and student success

At posttest, instructor respondents reported mild agreement that the Grade for Student Success guidelines had made grading more efficient, allowed them to spend less time grading and more time on teaching and learning, helped them customize their Canvas courses to their grading needs, and would promote the success of all С students (in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, all means fell between 3-4 on a 5-point Likert scale, allSDswere less than or equal to 1).

Sample instructor quotes

  • “I thought assigning deadlines for work helped; I hadn't realized how many students are scheduling based on Canvas deadlines.”

  • “Students know where they stand in the course earlier and more continuously. They also have a better understanding of the expectations of the course from the outset and can plan their time better when all assignments are visible from day 1.”

  • “[What I found most effective about the GSS guidelines was] talking with students about their grades and the weights. . . . Having conversations with students about their grades and the weights was really important, it's good to be transparent with the gradebook.”

  • “I think that students have less anxiety about their academic performance when they have assignments outlined clearly ahead of time with descriptions and due dates. Getting regular grades or feedback also supports their ability to assess their learning and plan their time and energy investments for the rest of the semester.”

Student results

Response rates

In Fall 2024, 10% of pretest surveys (n = 453) and 3% of posttest surveys (n = 148) were completed. In Spring 2025, 8% of pretest surveys (n = 279) and 4% of posttest surveys (n = 135) were completed.

Benefits for students

At posttest, student respondents reported strong agreement that they could trust that the Grades in the Canvas gradebook were accurate, that they received grades in a timely manner, that the Canvas gradebook helped them understand how they were doing in the class, that they understood how final grades would be calculated, that they understood the grading policies more generally, that Canvas helped them understand what was expected of them in terms of number and type of assignments left, that the instructor was invested in their success, and that they had opportunities for academic success similar to those of their classmates (as a measure of perceived equity) (in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, all means fell between 4-5 on a 5-point Likert scale, allSDswere less than or equal to 1).

Sample student quote

  • “The grading practices were well communicated on the first day of class, which allows for you to plan and understand what you can and can’t miss.”

  • “Everything in Canvas was neatly organized, week by week.”

  • “I always knew what grade I had and where I stood, so I knew how successful I was.”

  • "The most effective aspect of the grading practices was the quick and clear grading as well as updating everything to Canvas immediately. Many professors will not use Canvas effectively; however, this course was very clear and helped with my success in the course."

  • “It was very easy to see my grade and how it was calculated. This helped me to know how much I needed to prioritize something in order to balance all my work.”

Second, we conducted a less formal rollout of the GSS practices in Spring 2025 only and with a specific focus on high-impact courses.

Participants

Participants consisted of all instructors and students in all Spring 2025 high-impact courses, defined as high-enrollment, introductory courses, with large numbers of first-year students and that had been identified as particularly important for student success. In Spring 2025, this included 44 instructors and 5,500 students representing 46 sections of 11 courses (APPM 1350, CHEM 1021, CHEM 1113, CHEM 1133, CSCI 1300, ECON 2010, MATH 1150, MATH 1300, MCDB 1150, PHYS 1110, PSYC 1001).

Intervention

Instructors were encouraged to implement the 16 Grade for Student Success practices. In this case, instructors were not provided with training for implementing the GSS practices but were directed to the Grade for Student Success Guide, which includes tutorials to support implementation.

Assessment methods

We assessed instructor and student experiences with the GSS practices via surveys administered at the beginning (pretest) and end (posttest) of the semester.

Instructor results

Response rates

22% of pretest surveys (n = 10) and 24% of posttest surveys (n = 11) were completed.

Feasibility of implementation

All instructor respondents (100%) reported at pretest that they intended to implement “most or all” GSS practices in their courses, and a vast majority (91%) reported at posttest that they had followed through with this intention. Moreover, most instructor respondents reported no barriers to implementation or that they were already implementing the GSS practices.

Benefits for instructors and student success

At posttest, instructor respondents reported mild agreement that the Grade for Student Success guidelines had made grading more efficient, allowed them to spend less time grading and more time on teaching and learning, helped them customize their Canvas courses to their grading needs, would promote consistency in students’ experiences in Canvas, and would promote the success of all С students (all means fell between 3-4 on a 5-point Likert scale, allSDswere less than 1).

Sample instructor quote

  • “The recommendations for setting up the Canvas gradebook and tips on communicating with students about grades are the most effective. They help instructors provide a more uniform gradebook experience for the students.”

  • “Having all assignment due dates [in] Canvas assignments made students not forget to complete their . . . assignments.”

Student results

Response rates

6% of pretest surveys (n = 364) and 3% of posttest surveys (n = 219) were completed.

Benefits for students

At posttest, student respondents reported fairly strong agreement that they could trust that the Grades in the Canvas gradebook were accurate, that they received grades in a timely manner, that the Canvas gradebook helped them understand how they were doing in the class, that they understood how final grades would be calculated, that they understood the grading policies more generally, that Canvas helped them understand what was expected of them in terms of number and type of assignments left, that the instructor was invested in their success, and that they had opportunities for academic success similar to those of their classmates (as a measure of perceived equity) (all means fell between 4-5 on a 5-point Likert scale, allSDswere less than or equal to 1.11).

Sample student quotes

  • “All of the assignments were listed on Canvas even if they were turned in somewhere else.”

  • “Grading was quick with feedback, allowing me to know how I did on an assignment and where I need to improve while it is still fresh in my mind.”

  • “It was clearly laid out and grades were quickly put into the gradebook.”

  • “Grades in Canvas were accurate and helped me to understand how I was doing in the course.”

  • The two rollouts included a total of 76 distinct courses, with a combined enrollment of 11,932 students.

  • Instructor respondents generally reported strong intentions to implement the GSS practices and found the practices feasible to implement in their courses. They also reported mild agreement that the GSS guidelines improved efficiency, helped them customize Canvas for their course-specific grading needs, and would promote the success of all С students.

  • Student respondents in the target courses reported a high level of trust in the Canvas gradebook and a strong understanding of course-specific grading policies, expectations, and of their own grades. They also reported perceiving their instructor as invested in their success and the course as providing equitable opportunities for academic success. Students also spontaneously commented on how increased transparency in Canvas, clear grading, and quick feedback supported their success.

  • As a limitation, this survey was voluntary, with response rates ranging from 22-61% for instructors and from 3-10% for students (depending on the semester and rollout). To that end, those who responded to our surveys may not be representative of all instructors or students in the target courses. For example, those who responded may have held stronger opinions than those who did not respond. Nonetheless, the responses we received representmany instructors’ and students’ experiences with GSS. As such, the findings reported here are informative for ongoing and future efforts to support student success via transparent, student-centered grading in Canvas.

Archive of Past Grade for Student Success Tips of the Week

GSS Tip for Week 1 (posted during winter break on Dec. 22, 2025)

As you look ahead to the spring semester, here’s a reminder of a few key Canvas setup steps to help you and your students start the semester strong:

  • Post a syllabus that includes a complete list of assignments, due dates, how each assignment contributes to the final grade, and a clear explanation of all grading policies (e.g., drop policies, late and partial credit, attendance and participation).
  • Add all assignments, with due dates, correct point values, and (if applicable). Your syllabus and Canvas should be in alignment.
  • If you have not yet developed all assignments, addplaceholder assignments in Canvas with the correct due dates, but to a date after the placeholder will be replaced by the real assignment.

Collectively, these practices empower students to set priorities, plan ahead, and manage their time. For more support, set up acourse design consultation with the CTL or a!

Learn more about Grade for Student Success!

GSS Tip for Week 2 (posted Jan. 12, 2026)

Transparency around gradingallows students to understand expectations, plan ahead, set priorities and manage their time.If you haven’t already, set aside time this week to explain your grading system to your students, including how each assignment (or group of assignments) will count toward their final grade; how you will curve grades, if applicable; the, and, if you attach, provide an example of how to calculate the contribution of an individual assignment to their final grade. Lastly, consider showing students how to use the feature in Canvas to calculate what their total grade will be if they receive various hypothetical grades on assignments.

GSS Tip for Week 3 (posted Jan. 20, 2026)

Provide at least one grade or meaningful feedback in Canvas before the initial drop deadline (Friday, Jan. 23, for full-semester main campus courses), and remind your students this date is approaching. Early andfrequent feedback–such as via low-stakesformative assessments–enables students to receive guidance on how to improve their work, seek out support as needed, and make informed decisions about whether to stay in or drop a course. To that end, your Canvas assignment descriptions should clearly communicate where students can find feedback on their work (e.g., annotated directly on their assignment submission, in the Canvas gradebook, or on the rubric for that assignment). This is especially important when external tools, such as Gradescope, contain the feedback. To learn more about students’ experiences in Canvas, this.

GSS Tip for Week 4 (posted Jan. 26, 2026)

Accurate grade information in Canvas is essential to students understanding how they are doing in your course. Set up Canvas to automatically create total and letter grades rather than calculating total grades in an external program like Excel. Furthermore, donot hide total grades in Canvas. See this tutorial for (if applicable) and this tutorial for setting up a to apply course-specific letter grade cutoffs. If using an alternative approach to grading that does not involve points- or percentage-based grades, consider to discuss how to implement this grading system in Canvas.

GSS Tip for Week 5 (posted Feb. 2, 2026)

As you prepare to submit course alerts by the suggested deadline of Feb. 18 (for 16-week courses; see), ensure students’ total grades in the Canvas gradebook are accurate. Double-check that blanks from missing assignments have been or replaced with zeros. To save time, remember that you can after the due date has passed. Having accurate grade information helps students and academic advisors work together to get students connected with tutoring resources and other forms of support.

GSS Tip for Week 6 (posted Feb. 9, 2026)

If at any point in the semester your course schedule changes as a result of a snow day, instructor illness, or another unexpected event, please update your syllabus and Canvas accordingly, and notify the students of the changes (e.g., via a). Students often have many competing demands on their time and appreciate being able to plan ahead for upcoming assignments and due dates.

GSS Tip for Week 7 (posted Feb. 16, 2026)

Throughout the semester, assure your students that they can trust that the grades in the Canvas gradebook are accurate. You may note, however, that their total grade right now is not necessarily a good prediction of their final grade, which could change as they submit more work, complete extra credit, benefit from drop policies, etc. Additionally, consider reminding students to use the to see how their grades could change depending on their scores on future assignments.

GSS Tip for Week 8 (posted Feb. 23, 2026)

Providing students with opportunities to practice new knowledge and skills–and make mistakes without penalty–is essential to supporting their motivation, learning, and success. Consider building or in Canvas to provide your students with no-stakes opportunities for practice, without disrupting the overall grading scheme of your course. This helps students gauge their own learning and progress, seek out support as needed, and take on more major summative assessments feeling confident and prepared!

GSS Tip for Week 9 (posted March 2, 2026)

Provide several opportunities for students to get grades or meaningful feedback before the class withdrawal deadline (Tues., March 24, for full-semester main campus courses).Frequent feedback–viaequitably designed summative assessments, for example–allows students to receive guidance on how to improve their work, seek out support as needed, and make informed decisions about whether to stay in or drop a course (potentially in consultation with their academic advisor). Also, remind students of the class withdrawal deadline (see the revisedacademic calendar), and refer them to their academic advisors as needed.

GSS Tip for Week 10 (posted March 9, 2026)

Throughout the semester, commit to ensuring grades in the Canvas gradebook are as up to date as possible so that students have an accurate understanding of how they are doing in the course. If you use external tools like Smartwork, Inquizitive, or Clickers, sync grades from these tools on a regular basis. In general, it is recommended that you enter (or sync) grades in the Canvas gradebook within one week of the due dates.Timely feedback allows students to correct errors before building new knowledge on misunderstandings.

No GSS Tip for Week 11 - Enjoy Spring Break!
GSS Tip for Week 12 (to post March 23, 2026)

As we head into the last few weeks of the semester, you may ask your students to submit majorsummative assessments, such as papers, research projects, and portfolios. For each assignment in Canvas, remember to select the appropriate submission type (e.g., “no submission,” “online,” “on paper,” or “external tool”) from the dropdown menu. For “On paper” submissions, where students are not expected to submit their work via Canvas but are expected to submit a physical paper or other artifact, include a detailed description in the Canvas assignment explaining how and where students should submit their work. For cases where students are not expected to submit anything for the assignment (e.g., participation), we recommend using the “” option.

GSS Tip for Week 1 (posted Aug. 18, 2025)

This fall, Grade for Student Success with these simple Tips of the Week!

To support campus educators in implementing grading practices in Canvas shown to support student success, the CTL and OIT are offering a newGrade for Student Success Tip of the Week throughout this fall. GSS Tip for Week 1: By the first day of class, share a syllabus with your students in Canvas that includes a complete list of assignments with due dates for the entire semester, as well as the percentage of the final grade each assignment is worth. This empowers students to set priorities and manage their time. For more support, set up acourse design consultation with the CTL or a!

Learn more about Grade for Student Success!

GSS Tip for Week 2 (posted Aug. 25, 2025)

Include a clear explanation of all grading policies in your syllabus (e.g., drop policies, late and partial credit, attendance and participation), as well as the circumstances under which these policies apply.

GSS Tip for Week 3 (posted Sept. 2, 2025)

Provide at least one grade or meaningful feedback in Canvas before (Friday, 9/5, for full-semester main campus courses), and remind your students this date is approaching. Providing early andfrequent feedback, such as via low-stakesformative assessments, enables students to receive guidance on how to improve their work, track their own progress, seek out support as needed, and make informed decisions about whether to stay in or drop a course.

GSS Tip for Week 4 (posted Sept. 8, 2025)

For all assignments in Canvas, ensure you have selected the appropriate submission type from the dropdown menu to indicate where students are expected to submit their work (e.g., online, on paper, or through an external tool). Additionally, in the assignment description, clearly communicate where students can find feedback on their work (e.g., annotated directly on their assignment submission, in the Canvas gradebook, or on the rubric for that assignment). This is especially important when external tools, such as Gradescope, contain the feedback. To learn more about students’ experiences in Canvas, this.

GSS Tip for Week 5 (posted Sept. 15, 2025)

Double-check that your syllabus and Canvas are in alignment, displaying the same list of assignments, due dates, point values for each assignment, and if applicable, assignment group weightings (). If the course schedule changes as a result of a snow day or other unexpected event, please update your syllabus and Canvas accordingly, and notify the students of the changes.

GSS Tip for Week 6 (posted Sept. 22, 2025)

As you prepare to submit course alerts by the suggested deadline of Oct. 1 (for 16-week courses;), it is important to ensure that students’ total grades in the Canvas gradebook are accurate. Consider. Do not leave missing assignment grades blank unless you really do not want those assignments to count toward students’ grades, in which case it is recommended to instead.

GSS Tip for Week 7 (posted Sept. 29, 2025)

Rather than calculating total grades in an external program like Excel, consider allowing Canvas to automatically calculate total numeric grades while to apply your course-specific letter grade cutoffs. If you are instead using an alternative approach to grading that does not involve points- or percentage-based grades, consider scheduling a consultation with an Academic Technology Consultant to discuss how to implement this grading system in Canvas.

GSS Tip for Week 8 (posted Oct. 6, 2025)

Throughout the semester, assure your students that they can trust that the grades in the Canvas gradebook are accurate. You may note, however, that their total grade right now is not necessarily a good prediction of their final grade, which could change as they submit more work, complete extra credit, benefit from drop policies, etc. Consider reminding students to use the to see how their grades could change depending on their scores on future assignments.

GSS Tip for Week 9 (posted Oct. 13, 2025)

Provide several opportunities for students to get grades or meaningful feedback–such as viaequitably designed summative assessments–before the class withdrawal deadline (Tues., 10/28, for full-semester main campus courses).Frequent feedback allows students to track their own learning and progress, receive constructive guidance on how to improve their work, seek out support as needed, and make informed decisions about whether to stay in or drop a course. Also, remind students of the class withdrawal deadline (see the revisedacademic calendar), and refer them to their academic advisors as needed.

GSS Tip for Week 10 (posted Oct. 20, 2025)

Throughout the semester, commit to ensuring grades in the Canvas gradebook are as up to date as possible so that students have an accurate understanding of how they are doing in the course. If you use external tools like Smartwork, Inquizitive, or Clickers, sync grades from these tools on a regular basis. In general, it is recommended that you enter (or sync) grades in the Canvas gradebook within one week of the due dates and before any assignments are due that build on those assignments.Timely feedback allows students to correct errors before building new knowledge on misunderstandings.

GSS Tip for Week 11 (posted Oct. 27, 2025)

Providing students with opportunities to practice new knowledge and skills–and make mistakes without penalty–is essential to supporting their motivation, learning, and success. Consider building or in Canvas to provide your students with no-stakes opportunities for practice, without disrupting the overall grading scheme of your course. This helps students gauge their own learning and progress, seek out support as needed, and take on more major summative assessments feeling confident and prepared!

GSS Tip for Week 12 (posted Nov. 3, 2025)

As we head into the last few weeks of the semester, you may ask your students to submit majorsummative assessments, such as papers, research projects, and portfolios. For each assignment in Canvas, remember to select the appropriate submission type (e.g., “no submission,” “online,” “on paper,” or “external tool”) from the dropdown menu. For “On paper” submissions, where students are not expected to submit their work via Canvas but are expected to submit a physical paper or other artifact, include a detailed description in the Canvas assignment explaining how and where students should submit their work. For cases where students are not expected to submit anything for the assignment (e.g., they are being evaluated on participation), we recommend using the “” option.

GSS Tip for Week 13 (posted Nov. 10, 2025)

Transparency around grading is essential to your students understanding how they are doing in your course so they can plan ahead and support their own success as the semester wraps up. This week or next, consider reminding your students of your grading system, including how each assignment (or group of assignments) will count toward their final grade; how you curve grades, if applicable; and the. If you attach, show your students an example demonstrating how to calculate the contribution of an individual assignment to their final grade. Lastly, you may wish to tell your students about the Canvas feature and show them in Student View how to calculate what their total grade will be if they receive various hypothetical grades on assignments.

GSS Tip for Week 14 (posted Nov. 17, 2025)

Looking ahead, consider adopting the newCanvas template in your Spring 2026 courses! With resources like a start-of-semester survey, campus resources page, fillable student-centered syllabus, and all of the Grade for Student Success tips built in, the course template aims to reduce the time spent creating your Canvas courses, while supporting promising practices in teaching, learning, accessibility, and design. For support adopting the template in your own courses, the CTL and OIT are offering

No Week 15 Tip - Enjoy Fall Break!
GSS Tip for Week 16 (posted Dec. 1, 2025)

As you prepare for your spring courses, support your future students’ success by adding all assignments with due dates, correct point values, and (if applicable) to your Canvas site by the first day of class. If you have not yet developed all assignments, addplaceholder assignments with due dates. Just to a date after the placeholder will have been replaced by the real assignment. Lastly, remember that giving assignments consistent names that clearly indicate the nature of the assignment (e.g., homework 1, homework 2, reading response 1, reading response 2) helps students plan ahead and manage their time.

Learn more about Grade for Student Success, brought to you by the CTL and OIT!