Faculty Decision Guide: Final Grades During LMS Outage

The ongoing cybersecurity incident affecting Canvas is an evolving situation. We understand that finals week is already a challenging time of the semester, and this incident may increase feelings of stress and anxiety. The timing of this event required ISU’s leadership team to make difficult decisions regarding end-of-semester activities and final grades. While we continue to monitor the situation, we are sharing the information and guidance available at this time to offer support and clarity. We are committed to providing updates and additional information as they develop.

Instructure, the company that provides Canvas, remains a concern and it is still advised that you do not log into Canvas in a browser or in the app, open any messages from Canvas, or click any Canvas links.

This guide is to help faculty navigate questions that have arisen from this incident.

Q: Was the final exam scheduled to be taken by students after 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 7 or at any time on Friday, May 8?

• Yes: The final exam is canceled, will not be rescheduled or included in the final grade calculation for the course, and cannot negatively impact final grades.
• No: The final exam should have been completed before the Canvas outage.

Q: Did an exam, assignment or project have a deadline for completion that fell after 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 7 or at any time on Friday, May 8? 

• Yes and the exam, assignment or project was completed: May be included in the final grade calculation for the course.
• Yes and the exam, assignment or project was NOT completed before 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 7: Will not be rescheduled or included in the final grade calculation for the course and cannot negatively impact final grades.
• No: The exam, assignment or project should have been completed before the Canvas outage and may be included in the final grade calculation for the course.

Q: Was the exam, assignment or project completed prior to 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 7?

• Yes, it was completed: The exam, assignment or project may be included in the final grade calculation for the course regardless of its due date.
• No, it was NOT completed and the exam, assignment or project had a deadline before 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 7: The assignment will be graded appropriately and included in the final grade calculation for the course.

Q: Was an exam, assignment or project submitted in Canvas before 12 p.m. on Thursday May 7? 

• Yes, it was submitted in Canvas and it was graded: ISU was able to capture all course gradebooks, including individual assignment grades, already entered into Canvas as of 12 p.m., Thursday, May 7, 2026. Data is being processed and will be made available to faculty as soon as possible.
• Yes and it was submitted in Canvas, but it was NOT graded: The exam, assignment or project will not be accessible in Canvas, and therefore should be excluded from final grade calculation for the course.

OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE:  

• Do not attempt to develop alternative options, including Moodle, for students to complete exams or assignments that were cancelled after 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
• As a general rule, any item locked in Canvas and inaccessible to a course instructor through alternative means should be extracted from the final grade with no penalty to the student.  
• When it is necessary to exclude items from the final grade, the item should not be awarded any points, and the total possible point value associated with the item should also be removed from the total available points for the course.

Q: Can students resubmit ungraded exams, assignments or projects to receive a grade that will be included in final grade calculation?

• Yes: Students can work with course instructors to resubmit exams, assignments and projects that had been previously submitted but had not yet received a grade. The resubmission must be completed no later than Monday, May 11, 2026 by 9 a.m.

Q: When will final course grades be available? 

• Adjusted due dates for submitting course grades will be determined by Academic Affairs. ISU was able to capture all course gradebooks, including individual assignment grades, already entered into Canvas as of 12 p.m., Thursday, May 7, 2026. Data is being processed and will be made available to faculty as soon as possible. Due dates for submitting course grades will be determined once that data is made available. 

Q: If I’m planning to graduate this semester and my final exams, assignments or projects were affected by the Canvas incident, should I continue to participate in commencement ceremonies?

• Yes! While this incident has created challenges at a critical time in the semester, we will still celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates. Students who are planning to participate in March Through the Arch today, the Pocatello commencement on Saturday or the Meridian commencement on Monday should continue to attend each ceremony.

Q: Who can I contact if I have questions or concerns about exams, assignments, projects or grades?

• Students should direct questions to the course instructor. Students can find contact information for faculty in the ISU Directory. Students unable to find instructor contact information may contact the chair of the department. 
  
  Faculty and students with additional questions or concerns should contact department chairs and college deans.

Q: As an instructor, I’d like to contact the students in my class. How can I access class lists and student emails if I can use Canvas?

• Faculty can access class lists and student emails as follows:

1. Go to MyISU.
2. Select “Faculty Class List and Wait List.”
3. Choose the course number.
4. Select the student’s name.
5. View the student’s email address in the Student Profile section.

Q: Where can I find updates about the Canvas cybersecurity incident?

• ISU’s Information Technology team (ITS) is publishing updates about this incident at Canvas Security Incident