extra credit assignment in canvas

You're signed out

Sign in to ask questions, follow content, and engage with the Community

• Canvas Instructor
• Instructor Guide

How do I give extra credit in a course?

• Subscribe to RSS Feed
• Printer Friendly Page
• Report Inappropriate Content

in Instructor Guide

Note: You can only embed guides in Canvas courses. Embedding on other sites is not supported.

Panda Bot (beta)

Panda bot is coming soon, view our top guides and resources:.

To chat with Panda Bot, you need to log in to the Community.

You can ask Panda Bot how to use Canvas, Mastery, Elevate, and Impact products. It can help you find info from our guides and summarize info about the products.

University Center for Teaching and Learning

How to assign extra credit in canvas, extra credit overview, create a new assignment, add extra points to an existing assignment, fudge points, adding extra credit to the rubric.

Assigning extra credit may take some getting use to because there is no place within the assignments settings that you check to make the assignment worth extra credit. Yet, because of this, Canvas gives a lot of flexibility in how extra credit can be given to students.

Ways to Add Extra Credit

• Create A New Assignment Using Assignment with No Submission
• Using a Rubric

For specific information on how to add extra credit using the above methods, see the following Canvas Instructor Guide: How do I give my students extra credit?

*Note – You can add extra credit manually by downloading/exporting your Gradebook to Excel. This will be down in the Grade Override Column and to be completed at the end of the course, when entering final grades.

Keeping that in mind, the biggest determinant of how you set up your extra credit in Canvas is whether you are using a points-based gradebook or a weighted gradebook. A Points-Based Gradebook allows for the most flexibility in offering extra credit. The tabs above include ways to add extra credit for Point-Based Gradebooks.

Note: Adding extra credit to a Percentage-Based Gradebook does not work that well in Canvas. In general the best way to add extra credit to a percentage based gradebook is to NOT ADD EXTRA CREDIT UNTIL AFTER ALL OTHER COURSE GRADES ARE ENTERED INTO THE GRADEBOOK (including the final exam). Extra credit WILL NOT calculate correctly until ALL OTHER COURSE GRADES ARE ENTERED. This is because by adding the extra credit the gradebook is going over the normal 100%. You can add extra credit by adding an Assignment Group (category) for “extra credit” and make it worth the percent you would like the overall course grade to be raised if students get the full amount of extra credit.

Navigate to your course Assignments Page, and add a new assignment worth zero points. Make sure that the submission type is either “no submission” or “paper submission,” and click Save & Publish to create a column for this extra credit “assignment” in your Gradebook. If you are using a point structure and do not have weighted assignment groups, follow these steps.

• Click Assignments in the course navigation
• Click +Assignment
• Type the Assignment Name (for example, Extra Credit)
• Type 0 for Points
• Choose No Submission for the Submission Type
• Click Update Assignment
• Click Publish

After students complete the work, manually add points in the Gradebook.

• Click Grades in the course navigation
• Navigate to the new assignment (Extra Credit)
• Type the points for those students receiving extra credit

Adding extra points to an Assignment you’ve already created you will need to manually enter the extra points in the Gradebook.

In this example, the assignment is worth 40 points. Adding 5 extra points will bring the assignment total for this student to 45 points. The added points will increase total points calculated in the Gradebook’s final grade.

You can use Fudge Points to add extra points to a quiz. Fudge points allow you to manually add or remove points from a student’s overall quiz score.

• Click Quizzes in Course Navigation
• Click on the quiz you want to add extra points to
• Click SpeedGrader
• In the Student drop-down menu, select the name of the student that you want to give extra points to
• Enter the number of points you want to add to the overall quiz score in the Fudge Points field at the bottom. The Final Score shows the final score this student will receive.
• Click Update Scores to save the change to the student’s quiz score.

*Note – Fudge Points can only be added to Quizzes.

If you use a rubric to grade an assignment, you could make an additional criterion to the rubric for extra credit. Make sure the rubric is worth more points than the assignment so when you give students extra points it doesn’t affect the actual assignment points. For additional information on creating a rubric, please check out the Canvas Guides

• Diversity Awards
• Generative AI Resources for Faculty
• Teaching surveys
• 1-on-1 Teaching Consultations
• Canvas and Ed Tech Support
• Reporting a classroom problem
• Requesting equipment for your classroom
• Not sure what you need?
• Accessibility
• Center for Mentoring
• Creating and Using Video
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• General Pedagogy
• Graduate Student/TA Resources
• Remote Learning
• Syllabus Checklist
• Student Communication and Engagement
• Technology and Equipment
• Classroom & Event Services
• Assessment of Teaching
• Classroom Technology
• Custom Workshops
• Open Lab Makerspace
• Teaching Support
• Need something else? Contact Us
• Educational Software Consulting
• Faculty Learning Communities
• Makerspaces and Emerging Technology
• Mentoring Support
• Online Programs
• Teaching Surveys
• Testing Services
• Video/Media Services
• Assessment and Teaching Conference
• Diversity Institute
• New Faculty Orientation
• New TA Orientation
• Teaching Center Newsletter
• Meet Our Team
• About the Executive Director
• Award Nomination Form
• Award Recipients
• About the Teaching Center
• Annual Report
• Join Our Team

• Butler Today

How do I add extra credit in Canvas? (Instructors)

Dec 9, 2022 • kb solution, information, an assignment with zero points, how grades are calculated.

• Navigate to your Canvas course.
• Select  Assignments  from the course navigation.
• Select  +Assignment .
• Enter in an assignment name.
• Enter an assignment description.
• Set the  Points  field to  0 .
• Select a group from the  Assignment Group  field.
• In the  Submission Type  field, select  No Submission  if you are not collecting student assignments (e.g. participation, oral presentations, etc.) or  Online and check the submission options  if students will submit an artifact. 
• Enter a due date and select  Save and publish .
• (Optional) Add the extra credit assignment to a module by following these steps: How do I add course content as module items?
• Navigate to the assignment and select  SpeedGrader . 
• Enter positive points in the  Grade  field.
• Click the  right arrow  to navigate to the next student.

A Weighted Extra Credit Assignment Group

Setup with existing weighted assignment groups.

• Select  Assignments .
• Select  +Group .
• Enter "Extra Credit" in the  Group Name  field.
• Enter the extra credit percentage points possible in the  % of total grade  field.
• Press  Save .
• Select  +Assignment  from the top of the page.
• On the assignment page, enter a  Title  and  Description .
• Enter the points possible . Note that the assignment cannot be 0 points.
• Set the  Assignment Group  to  Extra Credit  (or the name you entered in step #4).
• Change the  Submission Type  to  Online  if you want to collect student work. Use  No Submission  for extra credit not tied to an electronic submission (e.g. participation, discussions, oral presentations, attendance, etc.).
• (Optional) Enter a  Due Date  and  Availability Dates  in the  Assign  box.
• Press  Save & Publish .

Setup without Existing Weighted Assignment Groups

Create assignment groups.

• Repeat steps 3-5 for each assignment group (e.g. Participation, Homework, Exams, Discussions, etc.) in your course, replacing "Extra Credit" with your other group names. Note that these groups should align to what is outlined in your syllabus if applicable.
• Click and hold the  two columns of dots  in front of each assignment. Then drag each assignment into the appropriate group.

Add an Extra Credit Assignment to the Extra Credit Group

Add weights.

• Click the  three-dot menu  beside the +Group and +Assignment buttons.
• Select  Assignment Groups Weight .
• Check the box  in front of "Weight final grade based on assignment groups."

Related Resources

• Add extra points to an existing assignment
• Add fudge points to a quiz
• Create extra credit within a rubric
• Add extra points using a rubric in SpeedGrader

Search Utah State University:

Create an extra credit assignment.

Extra credit is currently not a default option in Canvas. However, you can give students extra credit using a variety of options. Below we will discuss how to create an Extra Credit assignment by giving them a point value of 0. We will also discuss how to create extra credit assignments through Assignment Groups. There will be an additional list of resources at the bottom of this page that will explain more methods on how to award your students extra credit.

Each method has its limitations, so it's important that you determine which method works best according to your needs.

On This Page

Zero Point Value

Assignment groups, additional resources.

This method involves creating an assignment that has a point value of 0. Then, once the assignment has been completed by your students, going in and manually changing the grade accordingly. If you have weighted assignment groups, this will give extra credit to whichever group the assignment is located.

Create an assignment

Give the assignment a Point Value of 0

Complete the rest of the necessary information

This method doesn't have any restrictions on which submission type you choose. If you have weighted assignment groups, select which group you would like to place your assignment in.

Have your students complete the assignment

Manually give your students points in the gradebook

You do this by simply going to the gradebook, locating the column that contains your extra credit assignment and adjusting their scores accordingly.

You can award your students extra credit by creating an assignment group and assigning it a designated weight. You do this by making your extra credit assignment group exceed the 100% total sum and placing your assignments within that group. 

If you place multiple assignments within an extra credit group, it's important to note that the grades of all of those assignments will get aggregated together. To avoid this, you can create multiple assignment groups with one assignment placed in each. 

When using this method, it is recommended that you make each of the extra credit assignments worth 0 points until the end of the semester. This Instructure forum page best explains why.

Below is how Canvas calculates the weights in assignment groups.

Standard Grading Approach: (Points Earned / Total Points Possible) = Total Score (as percentage) Weighted Grading Approach: Where En = Points earned in assignment group n, Pn  = Total points possible in assignment group n, Wn ­= Weighting for assignment group n, as decimal (e.g. wn = 25% = .25) (( E1 / P1 ) * 100)W1 + ((E2 / P2 ) * 100)W2 + … + ((En / Pn) * 100)Wn = Total Percentage 

Grading With Assignment Groups

Create an assignment group

Enter a Group Name and a desired % of the total grade , then click  Save

Create a new assignment

If you already have the extra credit assignment created, move it into the new group.

Give the assignment a Point Value of 0 until you near the end of the semester

You may want to notify your students that they won't be able to see the effects of the extra credit until the end of the semester. Again, this Instructure forum page explains why (under the Note: ).

Edit the Point Values accordingly at the end of the semester

• 5 Keys to Grading
• Extra Credit for Individual Quiz Questions
• Instructure Community - How do I give extra credit in a course?

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

How do I create an extra credit assignment in my Canvas course? (Not using weighted grades)

Creating an extra credit assignment in Canvas doesn’t have to be stressful, and it can be a great opportunity for students. Here’s how to create extra credit assignments in Canvas, as long as you’re not using weighted grades.

First, create the assignment (If you do not know how to create an assignment, click on this LINK .) You’ll want the extra credit assignment or quiz to be worth 0 points. This way, if students miss a question, or don’t answer the prompt correctly, any deduction will not negatively affect their grade.

When it’s time to grade the assignment, go through Speedgrader to view student submissions.

If it’s an extra credit quiz, scroll to the bottom of the page. At the bottom, there will be a box labeled  Fudge Point s. Add the additional points, or extra credit amount, that the student has earned, and then click Update Score s.

If it’s an extra credit assignment, simply enter in the student's grade on the right side of the page, where you would normally enter in scores.

Alternatively, you can add the extra points in the gradebook. There is no way, unless you’re using weighted grades, to force Canvas to automatically grade extra credit assignments. 

If you have questions that are not answered by this article, feel free to call the Faculty Technology Center at 208-496-7230.