Canvas features equivalent to Blackboard's Grade Center options

Canvas has features similar to those found in Blackboard's Grade Center. However, some of these options are found in other Canvas tools (Assignments, the course's Settings, New Analytics, and your Dashboard), rather than in Grades.

Below are tables listing tasks in Blackboard's Grade Center and their Canvas equivalents, with links to help articles for how to complete those tasks in Canvas. Each table includes a set of related tasks.

Tip: Before getting started, see the following articles to familiarize yourself with UVACanvas:

Create and manage categories and columns.

Task in Blackboard's Grade Center Canvas Equivalent
Create categories. Create categories: In Assignments, add assignment groups (opens new window).

Add weighting: Weight the final grade based on assignment groups (opens new window).
Create a column. In Assignments, create a No Submission or On Paper assignment (opens new window).

In Grades, create multiple No Submission assignments by uploading a spreadsheet (opens new window).

Note: All graded activities (assignments, quizzes, and discussions) display in the Canvas Gradebook. However, you may exclude an assignment from the final grade calculation (opens new window).
Create a calculated column (average). The Canvas Grades tool automatically displays a column with each student's calculated average grade for:
  • Each assignment group
  • And the total course grade.
Create a calculated column (min/max). In Grades, sort an assignment in order of the students' numeric scores, as described in How do I sort and display student data in the Gradebook? (opens new window).
Create a calculated column (weighted). The Grades tool automatically displays the total grade as weighted if you have enabled weighting for your assignment groups. To set up weighting, see the following articles.

Create categories: In Assignments, add assignment groups (opens new window).

Add weighting: Weight the final grade based on assignment groups (opens new window).
Create a calculated column to drop the lowest or highest scores. In Assignments, create rules for an assignment group (opens new window).
Create an extra credit column. Unfortunately, this feature is not available in Canvas. However, Canvas has provided a list of recommended workarounds for giving students extra credit (opens new window).
Hide released grade columns from students. In Canvas, grades for an assignment are either posted (visible to students) or not. In the McIntire course template, the default setting for the grade posting policy in the Gradebook (opens new window) is to manually post grades. This allows the instructor to choose when they post grades for each assignment to make them available to students.
Reorder columns. In Assignments, move or reorder assignment groups (opens new window) or move or reorder assignments (opens new window).
Delete a column. In Assignments, delete an assignment (opens new window).

Display grades to students.

Task in Blackboard's Grade Center Canvas Equivalent
Choose how grades display to students: score, letter, text, percentage, or complete/incomplete. In Grades, change an assignment's Enter Grades as setting (opens new window).
Display the course grade to students. By default, each student's course grade is visible to them in Grades.

You may hide the course grade from students by editing the course's Settings and hiding totals in the student grades summary (opens new window).
Make grades visible to students.
 Post grades for an assignment in the Gradebook (opens new window) or hide grades that were previously posted in the Gradebook (opens new window).

Note: In Canvas, students receive an email notification when a grade is posted, and they may opt in to have the grade included in this notification.

Enter and edit grades and comments.

Task in Blackboard's Grade Center Canvas Equivalent
View the Needs Grading list.

Via your Dashboard, use the To Do list (opens new window).
Enter a grade.

Enter a grade in the Gradebook (opens new window) or use SpeedGrader (opens new window).
Add a comment.

Leave comments for students in the Gradebook (opens new window).
View the Grade History.

View the Gradebook History (opens new window).
Exempt a student's grade from the course grade calculation.

Change the status of a submission in the Gradebook (opens new window).
Override a student's course grade.

Override a student's final grade in the Gradebook (opens new window).

Manage the grading schemas.

Task in Blackboard's Grade Center Canvas Equivalent
Modify the Grading Schemas. In Settings, enable a course grading scheme.

Important: The course grading scheme set in the Canvas course's Settings will not apply to final course grades when exporting them to the Student Information System (SIS). You will need to follow the steps in How do I update grading schemes for course grades? to ensure that the grading scheme is correct for each course roster before exporting your grades.

Customize your gradebook view.

Task in Blackboard's Grade Center Canvas Equivalent
Manage Row Visibility to filter the list of students.

Sort and display student data in the gradebook (opens new window).
Filter to hide the average and/or course grade columns in the instructor's view.
  1. Follow the steps to manage new features for a course (opens new window) and enable Enhanced Gradebook Filters.
  2. Go to Grades.
  3. Select the Settings (cog) button near the upper right corner of the Gradebook.
  4. Select the View Options tab.
  5. Under Show, select Hide Assignment Group Totals and/or Hide Total and Override Columns.
  6. Select Apply Settings.
Manage color codes. The Gradebook includes a default set of colors that indicate various statuses for assignments. You can find information about the defaults in How do I use the icons and colors in the Gradebook? (opens new window) and change the color for a grading status in your Gradebook (opens new window) as desired.
View an individual student's grades.

View students individually in the Gradebook (opens new window).

Tip: If you have enabled the Enhanced Gradebook Filters feature, you can also create custom filters (opens new window).

Import and export grades.

Task in Blackboard's Gradebook Canvas Equivalent
Work Offline and download grades as a spreadsheet.

Export grades in the Gradebook (opens new window).
Work Offline and upload grades from a spreadsheet.

Import grades in the Gradebook (opens new window).

View statistics.

Task in Blackboard's Grade Center Canvas Equivalent
View column statistics for an assignment. View a course average chart graph with an assignment filter in New Analytics (opens new window).
View column statistics for the course grade. View average course grade analytics in New Analytics (opens new window).