[ARCHIVED] Grading - Weighted subcategories & weighted assignments

[JordanSims]

Is it possible to create subcategories in assignment groups? (i.e. A course is divided into 70% Lecture and 30% Lab. Within the 70%, I want to design 4 categories at 25% each. Same with the 30%).

Also - Is it possible to weight a singular assignment within a category? Or do you assign it more "weight" by assigning more points to the assignment?

From what I've researched and tried, I do not believe there is a way to do this.

[nwilson7]

@JordanSims  Your findings are correct.  There is not sub-weights or weights per assignment.  To accomplish this you would use points like you suggested.   

I know there have been some feature requests for this:

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Idea-Conversations/assignment-weighting-in-assignment-groups/idi-...

-Nick

[Ron_Bowman]

@JordanSims 

Looking at the first part of your question, (I do not know if you want to do this) you could create 4 groups instead of 1 - each worth 17.5% for the lecture portion.  And then another 4 groups for the lab portion - each worth 7.5%.  I understand this may not be what you want based on the actual course material.  However, it is a way I thought of to solve that part of the questiion.

As for the assignment weighting in a group, then you have to assign more points to one assignment than others - however, I cannot remember how Canvas calculates the grade for that group - I believe that it is all points earned divided by all points possible.  If so, then different points for the assignments will work.  If it uses an average of the percentages for the assignments in a group, then that approach will not work.

[JordanSims]

Can we confirm that Canvas uses a total points logic summation system within a catgory? Or is it an average of all the scores?  Is there a way I can change this or is it a standard Canvas function/forumla?

[Ron_Bowman]

@JordanSims 

It is calculated based on points.  It is a standard canvas feature.

I checked with a dummy student account where I have multiple assignments of different number of points

four assignments worth 2, 74, 12 and 12.  I assigned 0 to the 2 point assignment and the assignment group score goes to 98.

If it had been based on percentages, then it would have dropped to 75%

The tricky part that I may have confused myself with because I rarely use it - is drop the lowest score in a group.  With different points, I believe that it drops the lowest percentage.