Table of Contents
Existing Functionality
The New Gradebook in Canvas has the same functionality as before, but you may need to access it in a different place.
Entering Grades
Teaching teams may enter grades several ways:
- In SpeedGrader
- In the Gradebook cell
- in the Grade Detail Tray
- Imported via CSV file
Grades entered in any of these places will appear automatically in the gradebook.
Enter Comments (now via Grade Detail Tray)
Enter text comments into the New Gradebook through the Grade Detail Tray, which slides open on the right side of the Gradebook. The Grade Detail Tray also allows you to see view any comments made by the student or previously entered in SpeedGrader. Graders can also delete or edit comments in the Grade Detail Tray.

Navigating to SpeedGrader from the Gradebook
The pathway from the Gradebook to SpeedGrader has changed. To get to SpeedGrader from the New Gradebook:
- Open the Grade Detail Tray by selecting a Gradebook cell, then select the Grade Detail Tray icon (the arrow).
- Click on the SpeedGrader link.
Exporting and Importing the Gradebook
You can enter or change grades by importing a CSV file. You will need to ensure that the file is set up correctly, or you can download the CSV file from Canvas, update it, then import the updated gradebook.
Access the Import and Export features from the Gradebook Actions menu.

“Message students who . . .”
New Gradebook allows you to send messages to all students who meet a specific criterion for an assignment:
- Haven’t submitted yet
- Haven’t been graded
- Scored less than [X]
- Scored more than [X]
Each student receives an individual message. Access Message students who… from the Assignment Options Menu (three dots) at the top of the Gradebook column.

New Functionality
The New Gradebook in Canvas also offers new and expanded functionality as before.
Grade Posting Policies
Grade Posting Policies control visibility and release of grades to students, and they may be set for the entire course or for a specific assignment. The feature replaces the legacy Mute/Unmute feature in the previous gradebook.
- Automatic Grade Posting releases grades and feedback to students as soon as they are entered.
- Manual Grade Posting hides grades and feedback by default. When an assignment has a manual grade posting policy, the word “MANUAL” appears at the topic of the assignment column in the gradebook.
To set a course-level Grade Posting Policy, go to Grades, click on the Settings (gear) icon, and select the Grade Posting Policy tab:

To set an assignment-level Grade Posting Policy, open the Assignment Options Menu (three dots) at the top of the Gradebook column and select Grade Posting Policy.
Posting Grades
Assignments with a “Manual” grade posting policy need to be released. A gray visibility icon appears when there are grades hidden from students.
Release grades or feedback to students by selecting Post Grades from the Assignment Options menu, which will open the Post Grades Tray. An orange dot appears next to hidden grades in the gradebook column.
- Everyone releases all grades and feedback for all students. NOTE: Students only see their own grades.
- Graded releases grades that have been entered, but keeps any newly entered grades hidden.
- Specific Sections will release grades for one or more sections.
If necessary, you can hide already-released grades for an assignment. (Note: “Hide Grades” is not the same as the previous gradebook’s “Mute Assignment” setting.)

Late Policies
New Late Policies specifics automatic policies for handling late and missing work for all assignments in a course. To set course-wide late policies, go to Grades, click on the Settings (gear) icon, and select the Late Policies tab.
- Missing Submissions: Automatically apply a grade (0) for missing work that should be submitted to Canvas.
- Late Work: Deduct a specific percentage for each day or hour late, and optionally specify the lowest-possible grade percent.

Sorting and Filtering
The New Gradebook allows you to arrange, sort, and filter assignment columns and student names in new ways. Access arrange by and filter options through the View menu.
- Arrange columns by module or assignment name, or manually sort them through drag-and-drop.
- Filter assignments so you see only selected assignment groups or modules.
- Filter students so you see only students from certain sections or student groups.
- Sort student names by first or last name, and display secondary information like students’ sections, groups, or PennKey username.
- Sort an assignment column by grade or assignment status.

Grade Detail Tray
The new Grade Detail Tray provides an overview of a student’s submission and feedback:
- Enter or edit grades, submission status, and comments
- Click-through assignments and students
- Access a new pathway to SpeedGrader
- Shows assignment and grade posting status

Viewing Unpublished Assignments
The New Gradebook allows you to view all unpublished assignments in the Gradebook. The default setting shows unpublished assignments, but this can be disabled through the View menu.
Last Updated: 25 Sep 2020