Assessment and grading improvements across SIS and Canvas

As part of the ongoing Grade Journey project, which aims to improve assessment and grade management across SIS and Canvas, there are several important progress updates for staff. These improvements focus on streamlining the university’s assessment and grading process, reducing manual work for both school admins and academics, while also improving data accuracy and consistency.

What’s new and why it matters

Automatic assessment setup in Canvas

• Validated summative assessments and their weightings, as listed in the module pro forma in CourseLoop, will now be created automatically in Canvas for each module, saving hours of manual setup by the module leader or academic staff.

One-click grade transfer from Canvas to SIS

• Grades entered and submitted in Canvas will be automatically transferred to the SIS Gradebook, removing the need for manual CSV uploads or duplicate entries across systems.

Smart student enrolment and filtering in Canvas

• Students will be automatically enrolled into their respective class sections (for example First attempters, REF, DEF, ESR, FRA) and assigned to the relevant assessment components in Canvas after the enrolment process in SIS, ensuring accuracy and consistency.
• The smart filter feature in Canvas simplifies navigation of enrolment types, class sections, and assignment groups, enhancing the efficiency of managing large cohorts.

Clearer Reassessment Records in Canvas

• Academics will be able to see reassessment components set up in Canvas after automatic OEE enrolment, removing the need to manually check and recreate failed components for reassessment.

These enhancements represent a significant step forward in our Grade Journey transformation, improving staff efficiency for academics and school admin, as well as enhancing the student experience.

Next steps

After completing development work and system testing, IT Services will organise 'show and tell' sessions for early visibility of the new development, followed by User Acceptance Testing. Regular updates on the roll-out will also be shared.

The Grade Journey project team would like to thank all individuals and teams who have supported the project’s work to date.

Staff who have any questions or require further information about the Grade Journey project, should contact Rafi Afridi, Liz Whitfield or Di Fitch.