The Grade Distribution Graph gives students insight into how their individual scores compare to the rest of the class, but there are some considerations before enabling.

What is the Grade Distribution Graph?

The Grade Distribution Graph (GDG) is a visual in the Canvas Gradebook that shows students the mean score, high score, and low score for an individual assignment (assignment, discussion, or quiz) that has submissions from five or more students.

Courses in our Canvas environment are set to disable (hide) the GDG by default, so it is not viewable by students in the Gradebook. The GDG is always visible to instructors, even when hidden from students.

If you do not want students to see the GDG in the Gradebook, no action is required.

How do I enable the Grade Distribution Graph for Students?

The GDG may offer students insight into how their individual scores compare to the rest of the class. However, for smaller classes, enabling the GDG may be problematic, as students may be able to infer information about their classmates based on the information provided. Personally identifiable information is never provided to students in the GDG.

To enable the GDG, follow these steps:

1. Open your Canvas course.
2. In the course navigation, select Settings at the bottom.

3. In the “Course Details” tab, scroll to the bottom and uncheck the box next to “Hide grade distribution graphs from students”.
4. Click the blue “Update Course Details” button to save your change.

Students will now be able to see the GDG for individual assignments in the Canvas Gradebook.

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