Canvas Gradebook, Setting Default Grades

As you are furiously grading you might be looking for some shortcuts to quickly add grades. Maybe you have finished grading an assignment and will need to add just a few grades. Instead of searching through all your students, you can set the default grade.

From your Canvas gradebook, find the assignment you want to add a single grade to for multiple students. Next to the name, click the 3 dots and choose “Set Default Grade.”

You will now have the ability to add a grade for the assignment (whether full credit points, half points, or 0). You will also have the option to overwrite the grades you have already entered. Only check the box if you want to change all the grades for that assignment. Otherwise, leave it unchecked and it will only fill in blank grades as you choose.

Now that you have added a score, you will see it updates from blank scores to the score you have set where previously there was a dash ( – ).

You might choose to use this option in lieu of using the grading missing work policy or to quickly updates grades for a whole assignment. For more on using this feature, check out the Canvas Guide.