It will benefit you to think through grading considerations before the semester so that you can anticipate the critical feedback points for students, how to support their success on assignments, and how to manage your grading workload and schedule.

Prior to creating any assignments, discussions, or quizzes in Canvas, we recommend thinking through the following questions? 

• How do you usually approach grades? How has this approach worked in the past? Do you feel that the grades accurately reflect students’ mastery of the material, or might adjustments need to be made?
• Are all assignments of equal weight or do you have different components or sets of assignments worth different percentages? How do these weights relate to the importance of the learning outcomes?
• How flexible do you want to be in allowing students multiple attempts at an assignment or submitting late work? What is the rationale for your decision, and what might some implications be of your policies?
• Do you offer multiple ways for students to demonstrate their knowledge, in line with the principles of Universal Design for Learning?
• How can you provide transparency in the feedback and grading process to students? If using a rubric, what criteria and performance levels do you need to outline on it to support your assignment objectives?
• How do due dates align with your schedule and your ability to give timely feedback? How much time will you need to provide students with meaningful feedback that they can apply to the next assignment before it is due?