Making Flexible, Supportive End-of-Term Allowances in Canvas

by Pat Fellows

Faculty may be considering how to enact end-of-term flexibility for students in keeping with Academic Council’s June 4, 2020 advice. UO Online and TEP are available to help you consider how to communicate changes to students and technically make allowances within Canvas.  Submit a support request here.

Here are some suggestions:

• When students are excused from an assignment, enter an “EX” for their grade in the gradebook.
• If an assignment is changed so that it does not count toward the final grade, check “Do not count this assignment towards the final grade” in the assignment set up.
• In a weighted gradebook, the weight of the final can be lowered and other assignment groups increased.
• In a points-based gradebook, the number of points for the final can be lowered.
• When students opt out of the final exam, enter an “EX” for their grade in the gradebook or put the exams together in an assignment group, then create a rule to drop the lowest grade. This will adjust the exam grades for all students automatically. Students who opt out of the final or do poorly are not penalized, and those who do well on the final will see an increase in their grade.
• If you want to have a record of students who opt out of the final or to prevent opt-out students from viewing the exam, you can have them take a one question quiz where they answer either “Take Final” or “Opt Out.” Those who opt out get a zero and cannot access the final exam. Those who answer “Take Final” are given access to the final in Canvas.

Please contact us for assistance with any of these options or to explore other solutions.