Many of us may have course grade categories that contribute different percentages to the final grade. For example, essays are 25%, quizzes are 30%, exams are 30%, and student contribution (aka “participation”) is 15%.
In Canvas, you assign category weights via the “Assignments” section in the left menu bar (the menu bar will show once you click the three red horizontal lines in the upper left). On the assignment page in Canvas, anything that contributes to course grades is considered an assignment (even exams, quizzes, presentations, and student contribution). We recommend that you do not make this page visible to students- they should find each assignment within your modules.
Ideally, prior to classes, enter all your assignments/graded items here before assigning weights (or if you are in a time crunch, create at least one assignment in each category).
To create a new assignment, click the red “+Assignment” button in the upper right. After naming it, the second box is labeled “Assignment group”. Here you can “create group,” such as exams.
Once you have entered your assignments (at least one in each category), you can assign weights to groups:
- Navigate back to the original assignments page with the red button. (You should now see the exam or other assignment you created.)
- Click the three dots beside the red button and choose “Assignment Groups weight.”
- Click the box “Weight final grade based on assignment groups”. Now you will see the various groups appear, and you can assign percentages to each group.