How do I create a graded discussion?
You can create and assign a graded discussion to everyone in the course, individual students, or to a course section.
You can also assign a graded discussion to a course group.
When Multiple Grading Periods are enabled in a course, graded discussions are also validated against closed grading periods.
Only the students assigned to the graded discussion can view the graded discussion.
Notes:
- Graded discussions do not support anonymous grading.
- You can learn more about grading a graded discussion in SpeedGrader.
- If your course is using Mastery Paths for conditional assignments, you do not have to manually assign graded discussions to individual students. Learn how to assign a graded discussion to Mastery Paths.
- Within the Gradebook, a graded discussion appears as a column for all students, but grade cells are grayed out for students who have not been included in the discussion. Grades cannot be assigned for students who have not been included in the graded discussion, and graded discussions that are not assigned to a student are not factored into overall grades.
Open Discussions
In Course Navigation, click the Discussions link.
Add Discussion
Click the Add Discussion button.
Enter Discussion Details
Enter a title in the Topic Title field [1]. Enter discussion details using the Rich Content Editor [2]. You can also attach files [3].
To add Mastery Paths to a graded discussion, click the Mastery Paths tab [4].
Learn more about creating a discussion.
Set Graded Discussion
Click the Graded checkbox.
Note: Graded discussions cannot be anonymous. If the Graded checkbox is not visible, you may need to turn off anonymous discussion.
Enter Grading Details
Enter the total number of points possible in the Points Possible field [1].
To select a grading type, click the Display Grade As drop-down menu [2]. Then, select a grading type. You can display grades as points, percentages, complete/incomplete, a letter grade, or a GPA scale.
To choose an assignment group, click the Assignment Group drop-down menu [3]. Then, select an assignment group.
Choose Letter Grade Scheme
If you display grades as letter grades, the grading scheme defaults to the Default Canvas Grading Scheme. To select another grading scheme, click the Grading Scheme drop-down menu [1] and select another scheme.
You can view [2] or copy [3] the current grading scheme. You can also create a new grading scheme [4] or manage all grading schemes [5].
Learn more about adding grading schemes to an assignment such as a graded discussion.
Manage Peer Reviews
By default, peer reviews are not assigned.
To assign peer reviews manually, click the Assign manually radio button [1].
To assign peer reviews automatically, click the Automatically assign radio button [2].
Manage Assignment Settings
In the Assignment Settings section, you can manage assignees [1], the due date [2], and availability dates [3].
Select Assignees
By default, graded discussions are assign to everyone in the course [1]. However, you can differentiate the assignments.
To assign a graded discussion to an individual student, section, group, or Mastery Path, remove Everyone by clicking the Remove icon [2].
Select Student or Section
To add individual student, click the Assign To field [1]. Then, select a course section [2] or a student's display name [2].
Note: You can also assign a graded discussion to a course group.
Find Student or Section
To find a student or section more easily, enter a few letters of the name [1] and select the name from a filtered list [2].
To remove an assignee, click the assignee Remove icon [3].
Note: You can include more than one student or section in the Assign To field as long as the students are to be assigned the same due and availability dates.
Edit Due and Availability Dates
In the date fields, add your preferred date(s) for the following:
- Due Date [1]: Set the date and time that the graded discussion is due.
- Available From [2]: Set the date and time when the discussion will become available.
- Until [3]: Set the date and time when the discussion will no longer be available.
Notes:
- If you have set section override dates in your course, you may need to select a course section and set due and availability dates that fall within the section override dates.
- If the course does not include specified course start and end dates, Canvas validates the discussion against the term date set for the course.
- If your course is not using Multiple Grading Periods, the due date is validated against the closed grading period and requires the discussion date to be past the date of the closed grading period.
- Canvas displays time zone dates and times according to context. If you manage courses in a time zone other than your local time zone and create or edit a due date for a graded discussion, the course and local times are displayed for reference.
Add Additional Assignments
To add an assignment with a different due date and availability dates, click the Assign To button. Then enter a new set of assignees, due dates, and availability dates.
Remove Assignment
You can also delete assignments by clicking the Remove icon in the appropriate assignment section [1].
To remove the dates in the Due Date, Available from, or Until fields, click the Clear link [2].
View Date Error
If you submit an invalid string of due dates, Canvas generates an error notification. Invalid entries include not unlocking the discussion before it is due, not placing the due date inside the range of availability dates, or assigning a date that is outside the course or term dates.
Correct the date and then update the discussion again.
Notes:
- If the course does not include specified course start and end dates, Canvas validates the graded discussion against the term date set for the course.
- If your course is using Multiple Grading Periods, the Assign field validates the due date against the closed grading period and requires the discussion due date to be past the date of the closed grading period.
Save and Publish
If you are ready to publish your discussion, click the Save and Publish button [1]. If you want to create a draft of your discussion and publish it later, click the Save button [2].
View Due Date Warning
If you do not add course sections or students to the assignment, a warning message displays.
If you don't want to add any others to the assignment, click the Continue button [1], or to go back and add additional sections or students, click the Go Back button [2].
Note: This warning message does not display if Everyone, Everyone Else, or all course sections or students in the course are assigned to the assignment.
View Discussion Dates
If there is only one set of assignment dates, you can view the assignees [1], the due date [2], and the number of points possible [3].
View Multiple Due Dates
If there are multiple assignments, you can view users and due dates for the discussion by clicking the View Due Dates link.
View the dates assigned to the graded discussion [1].
To close the Due Dates window, click the Close icon [2].
