Canvas: Exporting and Importing the Gradebook
Exporting and Importing the Canvas Gradebook
The Canvas Gradebook can be exported as a CSV file, which can be opened in a spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel for editing. Gradebook manipulation in Excel can be helpful for uploading paper exam grades to Canvas, or for manipulating grades in ways too advanced for the Canvas Gradebook. Edited CSV files can then be imported back into Canvas to update student grades in the Gradebook.
Exporting Grades from Canvas
- In your Canvas course navigation menu, click Grades.
- In the Gradebook that opens, click Actions.
- In the drop-down menu that appears, click Export.
- The Gradebook will download as a CSV file.
Adding Grades to the Exported Gradebook CSV
- In Microsoft Excel, open the CSV file you exported from Gradebook.
- It is best to delete:
- grade columns that you are not editing before importing back into Canvas.
- rows of students whose grades you are not editing before importing back into Canvas. In the case of Teacher’s Assistants (TAs) who grade a portion of a class, this avoids overwriting the grades that another TA may have imported.
- Keep the following columns: Student, Student Number, ID, SIS User ID, SIS Login ID, Section, Lecture, Lab, Tutorial, Seminar, Discussion and Notes.
- Add any new grades in a column to the right of the columns listed for keeping above. This will create a new column in your Gradebook when imported back into Canvas. For example, add a column for the grades from a paper exam, Midterm #1, as shown below.
- In the cell below the column label, enter the total points possible; for example, 100.
- When finished adding grades, save the file as a CSV (Comma delimited) file.
Importing Grades to Canvas
IMPORTANT: Before importing grades, it is best to export a copy of the grades as they are. This way you have a record of how the gradebook was before importing grades.
- In your Canvas course navigation menu, click Grades.
- In the Gradebook that opens, click Actions.
- In the drop-down menu that appears, click Import.
- In the Upload Gradebook page that appears, click Choose File.
- Browse your computer for the updated CSV file, then select and open it.
- Back in the Upload Gradebook page, click Upload Data.
Note: If you get the alert, “Invalid CSV file. Grades could not be uploaded,” verify that the file is in CSV format as instructed for adding grades on the previous tab, and then try importing again.
- If you added a new column or assignment in the CSV file, Canvas will prompt you to make it a new assignment or omit it from import. Click Choose Assignment, and then in the drop-down menu, click A new assignment.
- Check that Points Possible is correct, and then click Continue.
- Whether you added a new column, Canvas will show the changes. Click Save Changes.
To learn more about exporting and importing Canvas Gradebook, contact ctl.helpdesk@ubc.ca.
Updated September 2020