Canvas offers flexible options to organize your gradebook, allowing you to manually reorder columns or sort them based on various criteria to suit your grading workflow and quickly access the information you need.
Manually Reordering Assignment Columns
The most direct way to customize your gradebook layout is by physically dragging and dropping columns into your preferred order. This gives you complete control over the visual arrangement of your assignments.
- How to Manually Reorder: To manually arrange columns, simply click the column heading and drag the heading to the desired location. As you drag, a visual indicator will show you where the column will be placed.
- Persistence of Arrangement: This customized placement will remain in the Gradebook until the column is reordered again, or until a specific "Arrange By" sorting option is applied from the "View" menu, which will override manual placements.
- Important Note on New Assignments: When columns have been manually reordered, any new assignment added to the Gradebook will automatically display at the very end of the gradebook columns, regardless of its due date or default sorting preference. This means you will need to manually reposition new assignments if you wish them to appear in a specific custom order.
For more detailed steps, refer to the Canvas guide on How do I manually arrange columns in the New Gradebook?.
Sorting and Organizing Gradebook Views
Beyond manual reordering, Canvas provides powerful sorting options within the "View" menu to help you analyze student performance and assignment data in different ways without permanently changing the column order.
Sorting Student Rows
You can sort the list of students in your gradebook to quickly find specific individuals or identify groups based on performance or identification.
Common Sorting Options for Students:
- Alphabetical Order (A-Z or Z-A): Sorts students by their first name or last name.
- By SIS ID: Sorts students by their Student Information System (SIS) ID, if your institution uses this feature.
- By Secondary ID: If applicable, sorts by an alternative ID.
- By Total Grade (High to Low or Low to High): Arranges students based on their overall course grade, allowing you to quickly identify top performers or students who may need additional support.
Steps to Sort Student Rows:
- Navigate to your course's Grades tab.
- Click the View menu.
- Hover over Sort by.
- Select your desired sorting option (e.g., Last Name, A-Z or Total, High to Low).
For more information, see the Canvas guide on How do I sort the Gradebook by student name?.
Sorting Assignment Columns
While manual dragging offers specific placement, using the "Arrange By" options in the "View" menu allows you to quickly reorder all columns based on a systematic criterion, overriding any prior manual arrangements.
Common Sorting Options for Assignment Columns:
- Default (by Due Date): This is the standard arrangement, where assignments are ordered by their due date (oldest to newest).
- Assignment Name (A-Z or Z-A): Arranges all assignment columns alphabetically by their title. Useful when you need to quickly locate an assignment by name.
- Due Date (Oldest to Newest or Newest to Oldest): Reorders columns strictly by their due date.
- Grade (Low to High or High to Low): Sorts columns based on the average score achieved for each assignment.
- Assignment Group: Gathers all assignments belonging to the same assignment group (e.g., Quizzes, Essays, Discussions) together.
Steps to Sort Assignment Columns:
- Go to the Grades tab in your course.
- Click the View menu.
- Hover over Arrange By.
- Select your preferred sorting method (e.g., Due Date, Assignment Name, or Assignment Group).
For additional details, consult the Canvas guide on How do I sort columns in the New Gradebook?.
Using Filters for Focused Views
Beyond reordering, Canvas also offers filtering capabilities that allow you to display only specific sets of assignments or students, helping you focus on particular data without changing the overall arrangement.
Examples of Filters:
- By Assignment Group: Show only assignments from a specific group (e.g., only "Quizzes").
- By Module: Display assignments associated with a particular module.
- By Section: If your course has multiple sections, you can view the gradebook for a specific section.
Best Practices for Gradebook Management
- Consistent Naming: Use clear and consistent naming conventions for your assignments to make them easier to locate, especially when sorting alphabetically.
- Utilize Assignment Groups: Organize assignments into logical groups (e.g., "Homework," "Quizzes," "Exams"). This not only helps with weighted grading but also provides a useful "Arrange By" option in the gradebook.
- Regular Review: Periodically review your gradebook arrangement and sorting preferences, especially after adding new assignments or making major course changes, to ensure it continues to meet your grading and tracking needs.
