Instructors sometimes ask us if there is a way to create Canvas assignments that are automatically graded and marked as complete without the instructor having to do anything. The question often arises when there is a need to track student completion of tasks that don’t require qualitative grading.
There are, of course, many reasons to use auto-graded quizzes for instructional purposes but that’s not the use case we are examining here. Our focus here is on tasks that the student gets full credit for if they complete the task at all, not necessarily how well they complete the task.
Examples might include things like, 1) Have you arranged travel for a summer abroad program? 2) Have you recorded your name in the NameCoach tool? 3) Have you completed required safety training?. Attendance tracking is another example of an item that could be auto-graded.
An obvious question is, why not just use the complete/incomplete option in the regular assignment tool? The answer is that those types of assignments are not auto-graded by Canvas. An instructor would still have to record a grade for each submission.
Using Canvas Quizzes and Surveys for Auto-graded Assignments
In Canvas the only assignments that can be auto-graded are quizzes and surveys.
Sometimes a simple true/false question in a quiz might suffice for our purposes. If, however, we need any kind of text entry, file attachment or recording, those question types cannot be auto-graded by Canvas. Those question types require review by an instructor in order to receive a grade. Another reason a regular quiz might not meet our needs is because all of the question types that can be auto-graded are either marked right or they are marked wrong. We want our students to receive credit regardless of what they submit. So how do we do it?
Graded Surveys to the Rescue!
The Graded Survey option (only available in the Classic Quizzes tool) allows you to set a point value that is recorded for simply completing the “survey”. You can use any of the question types, including file upload and essay questions and as soon as the student submits the assignment, it is graded and marked complete. The answers that are submitted do not affect the grade that is recorded. You can bulk-download uploaded files and view response statistics and comments.
Watch this short video for a quick overview of the Survey tool.
For detailed instructions on using these tools visit these pages in the Canvas Instructor Guide:
Getting Help With Course Design and Development
The Emory Teaching and Learning Technologies team is here to help you with all of your teaching and technology questions and needs.
Please visit our Appointment Tool to schedule a consultation with one of the Teaching and Learning Technologies consultants. You can also find this link in the Help tab in Canvas.