Have you ever had a student reach out to let you know that their total grade in Canvas doesn’t match what you’re seeing in the instructor gradebook? This guide on the Canvas gradebook will clarify why discrepancies occur between the total grades that appear in the instructor and student gradebooks as well as explain how instructors can view total grades as they appear to students.
Grade Totals in the Instructor vs. Student Gradebooks
- In the instructor gradebook, total grades can be found in the “Total” column located on the far-right side of the gradebook. The instructor gradebook totals all inputted grades regardless of whether they have been published for students to see or not.
- In the student gradebook, a student’s total grade can be found in the top-righthand corner of the page, or in the last row of the grades list. Total grades in the student gradebook reflect only the grades that have been published for students to see.
Viewing Total Grades as they Appear to Students
To view the total grade as it appears to a student from the instructor gradebook, select the student’s name in the “Student Name” column on the far-left. This will bring up a list of the student’s recently graded items, as well as the total grade as it appears to the student.
Unpublished Grades
In this video, we can see that the total grade in the instructor gradebook is different than what is being shown in the student gradebook. Why is this?
You may have noticed that the final exam grade was unpublished in the instructor gradebook. Since the student gradebook does not include unpublished grades in the total grade calculation, the total grade in the student gradebook does not reflect the final exam grade. In this case, once the grade for the final exam is published, the grade discrepancy will be corrected.
If you are seeing a discrepancy between total grades as they appear in the student gradebook and in the instructor gradebook, try verifying that all graded items have been published for students to see. Once all grades have been published, the eye strikeout icon will disappear from the Total Grades column in the instructor gradebook.
As per Schulich Grading Policy, it is recommended that instructors release all graded course components to students throughout the term in a clear and timely manner.