Applying a Late Submission Policy in ISU Canvas

This article provides instructions on how to apply a late submission policy in ISU Canvas at Idaho State University (ISU). The Late Submission policy allows you to automatically deduct points on all late assignments. A submission is labeled late when it has been submitted past the due date. Only assignments with a status of Late will be affected by the Late Submission policy. The late policy will be applied to a submission when it is graded. The Late Submission policy is set per course.

• Applying a late submission policy in ISU Canvas
• Applying a late submission policy Q&A
• Additional Resources

1. In Course Navigation, click the Grades link.
2. Click the Settings icon.
3. In Gradebook settings, view the Late Policies tab.
4. Click the Automatically apply deduction to late submissions checkbox.
5. To set the percentage you want late submissions to be deducted, set a percentage in the Late Submission Deduction field. Then set the interval for which you would like Canvas to deduct points in the Deduction Interval drop-down menu. Available interval options are Day or Hour.
6. To manage the lowest possible grade threshold for the late policy, enter a percentage in the Lowest possible grade field. The lowest possible grade percentage is the lowest score a student can receive when late policy deductions are applied to grades entered above that percentage. Any grade awarded equal to or below that percentage will not receive late policy deductions.
7. Click the Apply Settings button.

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Q: How can I view the affected grades? 

• A: Instructors can use the Grade Detail Tray to view details about a submission. To open the tray follow these steps:
  • In the Course Navigation for your course, click on Grades.
  • Click an assignment cell for a student and click the Grade Details Tray icon (a rectangle with an arrow inside).
  • In the Grade info section, you can view or edit the grade you awarded the student for their submission, the late penalty deduction, and the student's final grade on the assignment. 
  • In the Status section, you can view how many days late the student submitted the assignment and adjust the amount of days late in the interval field.

Q: How is the late grade calculated?

• A: The Late Submission policy allows you to define a percentage of the total points possible on an assignment that will be deducted for late submissions. Points can be deducted per day or hour the submission is late. For example, if the Deduct field is set to 10%, the interval is selected for Day, and the assignment is worth 10 points, 1 point will be deducted per day. If a submission is 2 days late, and the student is otherwise awarded full points, their final grade on the assignment would be 8 points (2 days late x 1 point deduction per day = 2 point Late Penalty).
  • To calculate a late penalty, Canvas rounds up the day or hour to the next whole number. For example, you may set a 10% per day late submission policy. If a student submits a 10-point assignment 1.3 days late, the late penalty will round 1.3 days up to 2 days. The student's score will reflect a 20% (2 point) late submission deduction.
  • Additionally, you can define the lowest possible grade threshold for a late policy. The lowest possible grade percentage is the lowest score a student can receive when late policy deductions are applied to grades entered above that percentage. Any grade awarded equal or below that percentage will not receive late policy deductions.
  • For example, if the Late Submission policy is set to deduct 10% per day for late submissions, and a student submits 8 days late to an assignment worth 10 points, the student's grade would be 2 points if they were awarded full credit for the work on the assignment (8 days late x 1 point deducted per day = 8 point Late Penalty). However, is the lowest grade possible is set to 60%, the student's grade will be adjusted to 6 points. Any grades awarded that are less than or equal to 6 will not have late policies attached.

Q: Can I override a grade applied through the Late Submission policy? 

• A: Setting a Late Submission policy affects all assignments in the course, including assignments with due dates in the past. To exclude a specific assignment, mark the submission as something other than Late in the Grade Detail Tray.
  • Applying a deduction to late submissions will automatically affect any previously graded submissions. Therefore, the Late Submission policy should be set up when a course is created prior to creating and/or grading assignments.

Q: What is a late policy warning?

• A: If you set a late policy, and then adjust any of the parameters, Canvas will display a warning to notify you that changing the late policy will affect previously graded submissions. To exclude a submission from the late penalty you will have to manually change a submission's status to something other than Late in the Grade Detail Tray.

• Resource 1: How do I change the status of a submission in the Gradebook? (external link)
• Resource 2: How do I apply a Late Submission policy in the Gradebook? (external link)

• Chat with Canvas Support for Faculty (external link)
• Canvas Instructor Guides (external link)
• Visit the ITRC Portal for answers to common questions (external link)
• For additional assistance email AnswersITRC@isu.edu