End of Semester Canvas Cleanup

There are many features in Canvas that can help you finalize grades for students. From before the semester ends to after you have already submitted grades, there are steps we can take to ensure that students and faculty are all up to date around Canvas grades.

Before the Semester Ends

"Message Students Who"

If you have students who are missing work, use the Message students who… to reach out and offer support towards completion.

Image description: "Message students who" feature on Canvas Gradebook. Three dots lead to a selection of features including "Message Students Who" option which will allow you to email groups of students.

Check Canvas Gradebook for Missing or Resubmitted Materials

Check for any grade entries that show up as “-” (when a student did not submit). If you leave these cells as “-”, those missing assignments won't count towards a student’s total grade. You can enter a score (“0” or other value) or “ex” to excuse a student.
Ensure that no active grade columns show as hidden (crossed out eye icon).
If desired, learn how to give extra credit in the Canvas Gradebook.
For more info on grading, check out the Canvas Instructor Guide: Grades.

Did you know that you can create grading policies on Canvas to automatically enter grades for missing work or apply late submission policies?

As You Assign Final Grades

Incomplete Student Access on Canvas

Check out the full process in our Technology Resources course to get what you and your student need as soon as possible. You'll need to start with your Dean's approval then move to the Canvas incomplete process to ensure all parties have access to what they need to complete.

Enter Final Grades in InSite

While Canvas provides a great way for you and students to track grades, you must enter final grades on the Multi-purpose Roster in Insite. Find all the InSite support you need in our "InSite Faculty How-Tos" module in the Technology Resource Course.

After the Semester Ends

Download Your Canvas Gradebook

Click Grades from your course navigation menu.
Click Actions from the top menu.
Click Export.
Download your Gradebook in a secure place as it contains student records.

Preparing for a New Semester

Copy an Entire Existing Course into a New Shell

Teaching the same course next semester? You can import materials directly from your former/current shell for easy editing! Start the process once you have your next Canvas shell ready and begin editing with was. Review the Canvas guides before you begin: How do I use the course import tool?

Go to the new course
Click "Settings" from the course navigation menu.
Click "Import Course Content" from the menu on the right.
From the drop down menu, choose “Copy a Canvas Course.” Make sure the box is checked next to "Include completed courses” if copying from a concluded course.
Search for the course you want to copy in the text box.
Choose whether to copy all content or select specific content (for example, select specific modules).
Click “Adjust events and due dates” and click to choose whether to “remove dates” completely or “shift dates” to have Canvas translate dates for you. We recommend removing dates completing to avoid errors.
The import will take a few minutes. Once it is completed, it will say complete.
You can check to see if the content was imported.
Review due dates throughout
Review for broken links. See "How do I validate links in a course"

Watch as Emma Rogers, District Dean of Distance Education and Digital Equity, explains each step:

Download Your Entire Course as a File

If you are teaching at a different campus, you may want to download your course file to upload into your other campuses' instance of Canvas. First, you'll need to export your Canvas course as a file. Then, import a Canvas course export package to your new shell.

Click Next to continue.