[Gradebook Settings] Allow marks deductions for late work to be calculated based on points possible or points awarded

[tam_nguyenmaith]

With the assessment late policy feature, Gradebook 2.0 removes the burden which our lecturers have to deduct the mark for late submission manually. The late submissions are identified automatically (with calculations of late hours/ days) and marks are deducted accordingly.

However, we found that the current Canvas Gradebook 2.0 late policy setting does not meet our institution policy.Canvas calculates the penalty point based on the full mark/ point possible of the assignment (Link to Gradebook 2.0 late policy) while our institution decides the penalty point are based on the awarded mark/ the mark given for each student.

An example of how our institution calculates penalty mark:

Case Note's weight is 20% of the total marks (= 20 marks point possible)

John is late for 2 days (10% per day)

John is awarded/given 15 marks.

=> Penalty = 20% of 15 marks (awarded mark), not of 20 marks (weight/ point possible of the assignment).

Suggestion: Add a switch so penalties can be calculated per institutional requirements (i.e., based on marks awarded or marks possible). The switch should be set/lockable at the account/subaccount level.

[joshua-stuart]

I agree, it would be nice if it would allow deductions by points as well which is what Canvas grades are based on.

[sunwall1]

Absolutely!

I've recently found that for students who turn in an assignment late, Canvas is making no grade distinction between those who do an exceedingly poor job and those who do a good job. This would seem to undermine a late policy all together as students can easily game the system by turning in poor work when their assignment is late. Some students will quickly realize that as long as they earn at least the lowest possible grade for an assignment (here let's say 50%), it makes no difference if they work hard and earn 100% or do a really sloppy job and earn a 50%. Either way, they earn a 50%.

Certainly, instructors can go through and manually override grades. So, those students who gamed the grading policy won't be rewarded by this behavior. Yet, that would seem to undermine the point of setting an automatic grading policy in the first place. 

Perhaps as an alternative to Josh Stuart's great suggestion above, would be to add one option to the current Late Policies menu: an option to select Maximum possible late penalty deduction. Thus an individual who turned an assignment in late and did poorly on it would not receive the same grade as one who turned the same assignment in late, worked hard, and did well.    

[kdemello]

YES! This is definitely what I need! well communicated!

[mhealy1]

Please change the functionality as outlined above! It is not a useful feature to most of our faculty on our campus as it currently stands. 

[rogerwong_sdcc]

+1 

All the comments and the original posting are spot on. In my syllabus I specified that late assignments will be "marked down by 20%" regardless of when it's turned in, as long as it's before the end of the semester. In grading a student's submission today I found out how strangely Canvas currently calculates the late penalty. 

[jack_mangas]

Our campus late policy is the instructor may deduct up to 20% for late submissions. I have tried using this late policy. When I set the policy at 2% percent per day and lowest possible at 80% and a student scores 85 points on an assignment worth 100 points 11 days late there is a 5% late penalty created. However, based on my class policy, the grade would have been 65%. (2% per day up to a maximum of 20%). 

It would be nice to have all these options available for the example above.

Interval deductions            (2% per Day)

lowest possible                 (60%)

Maximum deductions        (20%)

Deduction based on earned grade or possible grade (Possible Grade)

[Steven_S]

Yes, a maximum deduction would be more useful than a lowest possible score for my classes as well.  You might like: Late Grade: Maximum % deduction, NOT minimum grade

[dpotts2]

Yes, this is what I would like to see also!

[cohenf]

How do you upvote this?

[JJohnson30]

I would LOVE it if Canvas allowed just a flat rate for a late penalty. The closest I can get is setting it to deduct 50% every hour, with the minimum score of 50%, but I am also running into the issue of students who do good work getting the same grade as students who do poorly because 50% is the lowest it will penalize. 

For example, Canvas is doing this:

10/10 (late) = 5/10

6/10 (late) = 5/10

But I want it to do this:

10/10 (late) = 5/10

6/10 (late) = 3/10