Assign Graded Discussions
By default, graded discussions you create in your course will be assigned to everyone. You can specify a due date and availability dates that apply to everyone. You can also assign a graded discussion to an individual student, course section, or course group.
When Multiple Grading Periods are enabled in a course, assignments are also respected against closed grading periods.
- Due [1]: Set the date and time that the graded discussion is due. The due date will already be populated for you if you created a discussion shell, but you can change it if necessary.
- Available From [2]: Set the date and time when the discussion will become available.
- Until [3]: Set the date and time when the discussion will no longer be available.
When creating or editing a graded discussion, you can assign a graded discussion to a specific student. Availability date functionality is still available for each graded discussion.
Only the student(s) specified in the discussion details can view the graded discussion.
When using differentiated assignments with the Gradebook, the graded discussion appears as a column for all students, but grade cells are grayed out for students who have not been included in the discussion. Grades cannot be assigned for students who have not been included in the graded discussion, and graded discussions that are not assigned to a student are not factored into overall grades.
When Multiple Grading Periods are enabled in a course, assignments are also respected against closed grading periods.
Note: If your course is using MasteryPaths, you do not have to manually assign graded discussions to individual students. Learn how to assign assignments to MasteryPaths.
1. In Course Navigation, click the Discussions link.
2. Click the + Discussion button.
3. Enter a topic title and discussion details.
4. Click the Graded checkbox.
5. Enter the number of points possible [1]. Select the Grading Type [2] and Assignment Group [3], and assign Peer Reviews [4], if any.
6. By default, Canvas will set your assignment for everyone in your course. To create the assignment for a specific student, click the Everyone remove icon [1], then start to type in the name of a student [2]. Search fields are dynamic, and you can search for students by first or last name. When the full name appears, click the name. Lists are not scrollable.
You can include more than one student in the To field as long as the students are to be assigned the same due and availability dates.
7. In the date fields, add your preferred date(s) with the following options:
- Due: Set the date and time that the graded discussion is due. The due date will already be populated for you if you created an assignment shell, but you can change it if necessary.
- Available From: Set the date and time when the graded discussion will become available.
- Until: Set the date and time when the graded discussion will no longer be available.
Note: Beneath the Due Date and Availability date fields, Canvas will display the time zone date and time according to context. If you manage courses in a time zone other than your local time zone and create or edit a due date for a graded discussion, the course and local times are displayed for reference.
Add Additional Individuals and/or Dates
To add another student with a different due date and availability dates, click the Add button [1]. You can also delete additional dates by clicking the remove icon [2] next to the appropriate date.
8. If you are ready to publish your discussion, click the Save & Publish button. If you want to create a draft of your discussion and publish it later, click the Save button.
Due Date Warning
If you do not add course sections to the assignment, you will see a warning message asking you if you want to add those sections.
You can click the Continue button [1] if you don't want to add any sections to the assignment, or click the Go Back button [2] to go back and add additional sections.
Note: This warning message will not appear if Everyone or all course sections are assigned to the assignment.
View Date Error
If you submit an invalid string of due dates and try to save the graded discussion, Canvas generates an error notification. Such invalid entries include not unlocking the discussion before it is due, not placing the due date inside the range of availability dates, or assigning a date that is outside the course or term dates.
Correct the date and then update the discussion again.
Notes:
- If the course does not include specified course start and end dates, Canvas validates the graded discussion against the term date set for the course.
- If your course is using Multiple Grading Periods, the Assign field validates the due date against the closed grading period and requires the discussion due date to be past the date of the closed grading period.
View Graded Discussion Dates
To view users and due dates for the discussion, click the Show Due Dates link.
View the dates assigned to the graded discussion.
View On Assignments Page
On the Assignments Page, the graded discussion shows there are multiple users and dates assigned to the discussion. Hover over the text to view date availability or due dates.
When creating or editing a graded discussion, you can assign a graded discussion to a specific student. Availability date functionality is still available for each graded discussion.
Only the student(s) specified in the discussion details can view the graded discussion.
When using differentiated assignments with the Gradebook, the graded discussion appears as a column for all students, but grade cells are grayed out for students who have not been included in the discussion. Grades cannot be assigned for students who have not been included in the graded discussion, and graded discussions that are not assigned to a student are not factored into overall grades.
When Multiple Grading Periods are enabled in a course, assignments are also respected against closed grading periods.
Note: If your course is using MasteryPaths, you do not have to manually assign graded discussions to individual students. Learn how to assign assignments to MasteryPaths.
1. In Course Navigation, click the Discussions link.
2. Click the + Discussion button.
3. Enter a topic title and discussion details.
4. Select the All Sections option in the Post to drop-down. This option allows you to set the discussion as a graded discussion and assign the discussion to course sections in the Assign To section.
5. Click the Graded checkbox.
6. Enter the number of points possible [1]. Select the Grading Type [2] and Assignment Group [3], and assign Peer Reviews [4], if any.
7. By default, Canvas will set your assignment for everyone in your course. To create the assignment for a specific student, click the Everyone remove icon [1], then start to type in the name of a student [2]. Search fields are dynamic, and you can search for students by first or last name. When the full name appears, click the name. Lists are not scrollable.
You can include more than one student in the To field as long as the students are to be assigned the same due and availability dates.
8. In the date fields, add your preferred date(s) with the following options:
- Due: Set the date and time that the graded discussion is due. The due date will already be populated for you if you created an assignment shell, but you can change it if necessary.
- Available From: Set the date and time when the graded discussion will become available.
- Until: Set the date and time when the graded discussion will no longer be available.
Note: Beneath the Due Date and Availability date fields, Canvas will display the time zone date and time according to context. If you manage courses in a time zone other than your local time zone and create or edit a due date for a graded discussion, the course and local times are displayed for reference.
Add Additional Sections and/or Dates
To add another student with a different due date and availability dates, click the Add button [1]. You can also delete additional dates by clicking the remove icon [2] next to the appropriate date.
9. If you are ready to publish your discussion, click the Save & Publish button. If you want to create a draft of your discussion and publish it later, click the Save button.
Due Date Warning
If you do not add course sections to the assignment, you will see a warning message asking you if you want to add those sections.
You can click the Continue button [1] if you don't want to add any sections to the assignment, or click the Go Back button [2] to go back and add additional sections.
Note: This warning message will not appear if Everyone or all course sections are assigned to the assignment.
View Date Error
If you submit an invalid string of due dates and try to save the graded discussion, Canvas generates an error notification. Such invalid entries include not unlocking the discussion before it is due, not placing the due date inside the range of availability dates, or assigning a date that is outside the course or term dates.
Correct the date and then update the discussion again.
Notes:
- If the course does not include specified course start and end dates, Canvas validates the graded discussion against the term date set for the course.
- If your course is using Multiple Grading Periods, the Assign field validates the due date against the closed grading period and requires the discussion due date to be past the date of the closed grading period.
View Graded Discussion Dates
To view users and due dates for the discussion, click the Show Due Dates link.
View the dates assigned to the graded discussion.
View On Assignments Page
On the Assignments Page, the graded discussion shows there are multiple users and dates assigned to the discussion. Hover over the text to view date availability or due dates.
You can create a graded discussion for a course group by using the Group Discussion checkbox. Canvas uses group sets to assign group discussions, and each group within the group set that is assigned to the discussion is required to complete the discussion.
You will need to assign a group set as part of the discussion. You can add an existing group set, or you can create a new group set as part of the assignment and add students to groups later. However, if you create a group set with self sign-up or manual group assignments, you will not be able to use the group set until users have been added to the subgroups.
When differentiating groups in graded discussions, students can only view the discussion if they are a member of an assigned group. Otherwise the discussion does not appear in the group's discussions page. Grades cannot be assigned for students who have not been included in the graded discussion, and graded discussions that are not assigned to a student are not factored into overall grades.
You can still view the links to all groups that are in the group set (as with any other group discussion). However, if you do not select a group in the differentiated assignments list, the group does not show a differentiated due date.
When Multiple Grading Periods are enabled in a course, graded discussions are also respected against closed grading periods.
Note: Please ensure all students have been added to a group before assigning a group set to the group discussion. If a student is not added to a group and replies to the discussion, the student's reply will be part of the original discussion topic. Replies on the original discussion topic can be viewed by clicking the View the full discussion link in SpeedGrader.
1. In Course Navigation, click the Discussions link.
2. Click the + Discussion button.
3. Enter a topic title and discussion details.
4. Click the Graded checkbox.
5. Click the This is a Group Discussion checkbox [1].
6. Click the Group Set drop-down menu to select which groups will be assigned [2] or create a new group category [3].
Note: Groups created by students cannot be used for Group Discussions and do not appear in the drop-down menu.
7. By default, Canvas will set your discussion for everyone in your course. This option means all users in the course regardless of section will be assigned the assignment. All students will still be assigned to a group based on the previously selected group set.
To create the discussion for a specific group in the group set, click the Everyone remove icon [1], then start to type in the name of a group [2]. Search fields are dynamic; when the group name appears, click the name. Lists are not scrollable.
You can include more than one group in the To field, as long as they are to be assigned the same due and availability dates.
8. In the date fields, add your preferred date(s) with the following options:
- Due: Set the date and time that the graded discussion is due. The due date will already be populated for you if you created an assignment shell, but you can change it if necessary.
- Available From: Set the date and time when the graded discussion will become available.
- Until: Set the date and time when the graded discussion will no longer be available.
Note: Beneath the Due Date and Availability date fields, Canvas will display the time zone date and time according to context. If you manage courses in a time zone other than your local time zone and create or edit a due date for a graded discussion, the course and local times are displayed for reference.
Add Additional Groups and/or Dates
To add another student with a different due date and availability dates, click the Add button [1]. You can also delete additional dates by clicking the remove icon [2] next to the appropriate date.
9. If you are ready to publish your discussion, click the Save & Publish button. If you want to create a draft of your discussion and publish it later, click the Save button.
Due Date Warning
If you do not add course sections to the assignment, you will see a warning message asking you if you want to add those sections.
You can click the Continue button [1] if you don't want to add any sections to the assignment, or click the Go Back button [2] to go back and add additional sections.
Note: This warning message will not appear if Everyone or all course sections are assigned to the assignment.
View Date Error
If you submit an invalid string of due dates and try to save the graded discussion, Canvas generates an error notification. Such invalid entries include not unlocking the discussion before it is due, not placing the due date inside the range of availability dates, or assigning a date that is outside the course or term dates.
Correct the date and then update the discussion again.
Notes:
- If the course does not include specified course start and end dates, Canvas validates the graded discussion against the term date set for the course.
- If your course is using Multiple Grading Periods, the Assign field validates the due date against the closed grading period and requires the discussion due date to be past the date of the closed grading period.
View Graded Discussion Dates
To view users and due dates for the discussion, click the Show Due Dates link.
View the dates assigned to the graded discussion.
View On Assignments Page
On the Assignments Page, the graded discussion shows there are multiple users and dates assigned to the discussion. Hover over the text to view date availability or due dates.