How do I export course grades to SIS?

Instructors and TAs who are using UVACanvas and have permission to approve course grades in SIS for one or more course rosters in their course site(s) can use the Export Grades to SIS tool to export their finalized grades to SIS. Exported grades are automatically approved in SIS—no further review or actions are required to post and release them to students.

Instructors are not required to use the Export Grades to SIS tool to submit their grades; they can also be entered and approved via the Grade Roster or the Faculty Center in SIS. Review the instructor guide for grading in SIS (opens new window) for more information on these options.  

Go to Export Grades to SIS.

Select Export Grades to SIS from the Course Navigation Menu.

Note: Only instructors and TAs who have permission to approve course grades in SIS for one or more course rosters included in the course site can export grades for those rosters. Review the instructor guide for grading in SIS (opens new window) or contact your school registrar (opens new window) for more information.

An instructor or TA in the Canvas site who does not have permission to approve grades for a roster can enter and save grades in Export Grades to SIS for someone with grade approval permission to export later. For details, see How do I save course grades in Export Grades to SIS?

Select the desired course roster.

Course grades are displayed and exported by course roster. Select a roster in the Select a roster drop-down menu to review and export the associated grades.  

Note: If your course includes multiple course rosters, you will only have access to export grades for rosters for which you have permission to approve grades in SIS. If you have this permission for more than one roster in your course site, you will need to repeat the review and export process for each roster to submit all of your grades.

Review the calculated grades.

The students enrolled in the selected course roster will be displayed, alongside their assigned grading scheme, numerical score from the Canvas Gradebook, and the corresponding letter or other grade.

  1. The Gradebook Score column lists the numerical score listed for each student in the Total column in the Grades tool (or in the Override column, if an override has been entered).
  2. The Course Grade column lists the corresponding letter or other grade. By default, this grade will be determined based on the grade scheme or scale assigned to the student in the Export Grades to SIS tool.

Note: Grading schemes are the scales on which course grades are based.  An example of a scheme is UG-GRD (undergraduate graded), which uses a letter grade scale of A-F.

The scheme used for a student is defined by:

  • The degree the student is pursuing, e.g., undergraduate (UG) or graduate (GRA),
  • The SIS Grading Basis for the roster in which they enrolled, e.g., graded (GRD), audit (AUD), or credit/no credit (CNC).

Adjust grading schemes. (Optional)

The default grading schemes (opens new window) for assigning corresponding letter or other grades for numerical scores are set by the University, but may be adjusted in accordance with school or departmental guidelines or at the instructor's discretion. To adjust the schemes or scales, select the Schemes tab and follow the steps in How do I update grading schemes for course grades? (opens new window).

Important: Grading schemes enabled in the Canvas course settings are not reflected in the grading schemes in the Export Grades to SIS tool. In order for the tool to calculate course grades using modified grading schemes, you must follow the step above and adjust them in the Schemes tab.

Select grade overrides. (Optional)

To override the course grade for a particular student, select the desired grade in the Course Grade drop-down menu.

Export the grades for the selected course roster.

After reviewing and confirming the accuracy of the course grades for the selected course roster, select the Export Grades button.

Confirm the export.

A confirmation window will be displayed. Select the Export button to complete the process and export the course grades to SIS.

Important: Exported grades are automatically approved in SIS. Any subsequent changes must be entered individually in the Faculty Center in SIS (opens new window)—or, if the deadline has passed, via Grade Change forms. Please review your grades and ensure their accuracy before exporting them.

Refresh the tool.

If the export is successful, a confirmation message will be displayed that includes the number of grades and the roster exported. Select the Reload Page button to refresh the tool and display the latest updates.

Note: Once grades have been exported to SIS, it may take up to 15 minutes before they are processed and approved. Grades should not be considered to be approved until you have received an email confirmation from SIS.

Grades will be posted (i.e., visible to students) within 4 hours of their approval.

View the exported course roster.

Once the grades in the exported course roster have been approved in SIS, the information displayed in the tool will be updated:

  1. The statistics listed at the top of the page will change (e.g., from 0/1 to 1/1).
  2. The designation (submitted) will be added to the course roster in the Select a roster drop-down menu.

Review and export grades for additional course rosters.

To review and export grades for an additional roster, select it from the Select a roster drop-down menu and repeat the steps above.