ELMS-Canvas offers faculty and students options to view the impact a change to one or multiple scores would have on the total score visible to them in their view of the Gradebook. The what-if scenarios are view-only and do not impact the actual course Gradebook.

Faculty: View ungraded as 0

Instructure released a new Gradebook feature for instructors that ELMS-Canvas admins enabled in University of Maryland course spaces on March 4.

The View Ungraded as 0 allows instructors to opt to view student grades as if all ungraded assignments were worth zero points. This setting is a visual change only and does not affect grades for students. When the View Ungraded as 0 setting is selected, the Gradebook displays a window explaining the details about the setting.

When an instructor enables the setting from the View menu in the Gradebook, only the assignment groups and total column will factor in scores of zero into the overall percentages for each student. Zeros are not inserted into the individual assignment cells in this view.

The term ungraded as zero is added to the Assignment group and Total column headers. Students do not see the what-if difference on their own view of the Gradebook. The option can be disabled by returning to the View menu and unselecting it.

1. Click on the Grades link in the course navigation menu.
2. Click on the down arrow next to the View menu.
3. Select the View Ungraded as 0 option.
4. Click OK to accept the pop-up window that explains the purpose of the View Ungraded as Zero option.
5. Review the impact that zeros have on student Assignment Group scores and the Total score column.
6. Return to the View menu and unselect the option.

NOTE: The View option is different from the Set a Default Grade (to 0) that is discussed in the Prepare Your ELMS-Canvas Gradebook to Upload Scores to UMEG article.

Students: Approximating assignment scores using the What-if grade feature

Students can view their grades based on what-if scores in order to glimpse how grades will be affected by upcoming or resubmitted assignments.

This feature simulates updates to the students’ current and final grades, but may not be available if an instructor restricts students from viewing running total and final grades. This impacts the student view of grades only; it does not actually impact the Gradebook itself.

1. Click on the Grades link in the course navigation menu.
2. Enter a score in the Score column on the Grades page. You can test scores for an assignment that has yet to be graded or for an assignment that already includes a score.
3. The revised what-if total score can be seen in the sidebar on the right side of the screen.
4. To revert to the actual score, click on the left arrow icon next to the what-if score you entered, or click on the Revert to Actual Score link in the sidebar on the right side of the screen.