Solved: Synchronous classrooms and the Missing Assignment

 

Canvas

Solved: Synchronous classrooms and the Missing Assignment

Created by Scott Aten, February 11, 2021

For those Middle School and High School classes that are teaching synchronously, one issue that has come to our attention in Canvas is the "missing" assignment issue in the gradebook for your in-person students. The challenge is you have to give an assignment to all of your students but the in-person students are going to do something in class for the grade or turn it in on paper and the at home student need to turn it in through Canvas. The in-person students get a "missing" mark next to the grade that causes confusion for the student and even more so for the parents. You could go in and change each student to "none" in the side menu, but that would take a lot of time.

So here is the way to avoid extra work for you and keep parents and students on the same page as the teacher. 

Setting up the Assignment

• Create your new assignment as you normally would.
• Assign points, assignment type
• Submission type needs provide two options: "Text Entry" and "File Upload". NOTE - If you are using the External Google LTI tool, you don't have to do anything special.  External tools don't mark things as "Missing" in the Canvas Gradebook.
• Set your "Sync to ProgressBook" 
• Assign should be "everyone"
• Set your Due Date 
• Save and Publish

What will the students Do?

In-person students can simply turn in the assignment to the teacher directly during class, BUT they also need to go into the assignment and type something in the text box.  Something like "I turned this in on paper". The teacher can enter the grade in on the "grade" page of Canvas after grading the student paper given in person.

The online students can submit the document using the file upload.  The teacher can grade the assignment using the SpeedGrader. 

That's it!  The parents and students will not see "Missing" on the assignment because technically both types of students turned something in through Canvas.  And the classroom teacher just has ONE assignment that will sync to PB correctly.

Please keep in mind if you ever need to schedule me for a 1-1 help session, these can be scheduled using this link.

[Green Technology Training Center]

[Click here to go to the YouTube Channel]

For more helpful information and the archive of previous posts, look for items in the menu to the left.

Green Local Schools

Tech Integration Team

Creating Group Assignments in Canvas

 

Canvas

Creating Group Assignments in Canvas

Created by Scott Aten, February 5, 2021

Many of you have really started to get the hang of Canvas, so I thought it would be a good time to introduce the Group Assignment feature available in Canvas. Many times teachers create assignments for a group of students to work on together as a team. Canvas has the ability to allow these groups to be created and allow students to submit something as a group.

Group Options Canvas allows these "Group Sets" or groups of students to be created in several ways.

1. The "Group Set" can be created manually by the teacher, meaning the teacher creates the groups.
2. Canvas will randomly create the "Group Set". Cross-listed courses can still have these groups made within sections.
3. Teacher can create the number of groups with a limit on number of students in the group and then the students sign-up for a group

Where are the "Group Sets" made? The course teacher can set these groups up by clicking on the "people" menu in their course. To create a new "Group Set", click the "+Group Set" button.

• The teacher will be asked to provide a name for the Group Set. This can be anything but should represent. the type of work being done, so it is easy to distinguish from other groups you may make in the future.
  
  
  
• Self Sign-up can be turned on if you want the students to pick their own groups. You can also require the students to be in the same section as the rest of their Group members. Students will need access to the "People" menu option if they are going to pick their own groups. The students will see the Group Set in the people area and be able to join one of the groups the teacher has created.
  
  
  
• The Group structure allows the teacher to control the number of groups to be created, how many students are in each group, if the groups are randomly created by Canvas or if the teacher will create the groups.
  
  
  
  
  
• Each "Group Set" has a group leader that can be assigned, randomly selected, or designated by the first student to sign-up for the group (option 3 above). When students are assigned to be a group leader, they can manage members of the group and edit the group name. However, they cannot change the number of members allowed in the group.
  
  
  

The teacher can always override and make changes to the groups even if the initial groups are generated by the Canvas.

NOTE - The Group Set needs to be created BEFORE the assignment is published.

How do I use the Group Sets in the Assignment?

With the Group Set created you are now ready to create the assignment itself. You begin by clicking the new assignment button. The assignment creation is the same as any other assignment where you include directions, assignment type, points, etc.

Some things to remember:

• You can't use a group set until the students have been added to the groups. So if you are making the groups, they need to be made BEFORE you publish the assignment. Similarly if you are letting students pick their groups, they need to be picked BEFORE you publish the assignment. Grades and submissions may be affected for students who were not in a group at the time of assignment submission but who were later added to a group.
• In Group assignments ONE submission will count for the entire group. Any group member can submit for the group.
• The Google LTI tool CANNOT be used with group assignments.
• Additional information from Canvas

To use the group set in the assignment you check the "This is a Group Assignment" box.

The teacher has the option to give each student their own individual grade or leave the grade 
as a group grade (meaning when you add the grade all students in the group get the same
grade).  The teacher also selects the created group here as well.  Notice that you can also 
begin the Group Set creation process from here as well (just remember students need to be
in the groups prior to publishing the assignment.)

Once the students are all in the groups, the teacher can publish the assignment and the students can get to work.

This may seem complicated, but once you have run a few group assignments it really is not too difficult.  This is a nice feature that Canvas offers to allow group work to continue digitally.

Please keep in mind if you ever need to schedule me for a 1-1 help session, these can be scheduled using this link.

[Green Technology Training Center]

[Click here to go to the YouTube Channel]

For more helpful information and the archive of previous posts, look for items in the menu to the left.

Green Local Schools

Tech Integration Team