Gradescope is a Duke-supported tool that helps you seamlessly administer, collect and grade all of your assessments, whether online or in-class. Save time grading, grade more consistently and get a clear picture of how your students are doing.

Gradescope has options for online testing, in-person testing (either long-form or bubble-sheet style), student homework collection and grading, and essay/report assignment grading (beta).

This page covers:

  1. Getting started with Gradescope
  2. Gradescope support documentation
  3. Frequently Asked Questions

Getting started with Gradescope

Intro workshops and tutorials:

We strongly recommend that instructors new to Gradescope attend or watch a recording of a 1-hour getting started workshop:

If you are an instructor new to Gradescope, and after watching or attending a getting-started workshop you still would like more specific training, you may request a 1:1 Zoom-based tutorial from Gradescope by emailing help@gradescope.com. In the email, please clarify on what topics you need more training.

Instructors of large classes may also request training for their entire teaching staff (co-instructors, TAs and other support staff), and departments may also request training for a group of instructors by emailing help@gradescope.com or using the “Get a Demo” button at the top of the gradescope.com homepage.

Note: Full Gradescope documentation is available at their help site. The instructions below are solely for a few Duke/DKU-specific things of interest to instructors using Gradescope here. Please see the help site for much more.

Using Gradescope with Canvas

Step 1: We strongly recommend that you enable Gradescope as a tool in Canvas (Gradescope provides instructions for how to integrate Gradescope with your Canvas course site) and that you and your students access Gradescope via Canvas. By doing this, you ensure that you and your students are using your Duke NetID email to access Gradescope, which should eliminate any potential later issues with roster and grade syncing between Gradescope and Canvas.

Note: If you don’t use Canvas in your class, it’s still important that you and your students login to Gradescope using Duke NetID: Go to http://gradescope.com, click Login at the upper right, click School Credentials, choose Duke NetID. If you login via NetID and don’t see all of your expected Gradescope sites, it may be because you inadvertently have two Gradescope accounts. You can merge these accounts and then try logging in again. If you still don’t see all expected sites, contact Gradescope support.

If one of your students reports not seeing your course site when they log into Gradescope using their NetID, first ensure you have completely synced your Gradescope roster with Canvas (see below), if using Canvas, or that you have recently uploaded an accurate roster .csv file. If resynching the roster doesn’t resolve the issue, the student can attempt to merge accounts, or contact Gradescope support.

Step 2. Link your Canvas course site to the corresponding Gradescope course

Log in to Canvas. Click the existing published course you’d like to link to Gradescope or create a new one.
To create a new Canvas course: From your Canvas Dashboard, click Start a New Course (right sidebar) > Name the course > Click Create Course > Click Publish > Choose a homepage > Click Choose and Publish. If that doesn’t work, contact your Canvas administrator.
In the left sidebar of your course page, click Gradescope. This will launch Gradescope in Canvas or in a new tab, depending on your settings.
If Gradescope isn’t listed: Click Settings > Click Navigation > Drag Gradescope into the visible items list > Click Save.

Step 3. Sync your roster from Canvas to Gradescope

See “Syncing your roster” for step-by-step instructions, and troubleshooting tips if needed.

If you don’t use Canvas, click “Roster” in your Gradescope course site to add your roster as a .csv file, as described here.

Note: If some students aren’t able to see your Gradescope course site when they login with their NetIDs, although you see them in your Canvas or SIS roster, be sure your roster in Gradescope has been updated/synced recently. If that doesn’t help, the students may have two separate Gradescope accounts and need their accounts merged. See the “Note” under item 1, above, for instructions.

Step 4. Set up your Gradescope assignments

See “Creating and linking your assignments” for step-by-step instructions.

More information on assignment types and set-up instructions can be found in the Gradescope Help Center.

NOTE: For paper-based “bubble sheet” assignments and exams, students must use the Gradescope bubble sheet template, which they will need to be able to print if they are learning remotely and you aren’t handing that out in class. You can also do multiple-choice style exams completely online in Gradescope, using the Online Assignment assignment type.

Step 5. Manage and grade submissions

Manage instructor-uploaded submissions. Also, see managing all submissions.

If you are using an assignment type in which students upload their own submissions, you may skip this step, but you may want to inform students about Gradescope’s recommendations for improved scanning, and ask students to use one of Gradescope’s recommended scanning apps for capturing and uploading their work.

Information about the basic grading interface, but see also information about fully online assignments.

Step 6. Post grades to Canvas

See “Posting grades” for step-by-step instructions, and trouble-shooting tips if needed.

On the Review Grades page, click the Post Grades to Canvas button. A dialog box will appear explaining how grades will be pushed from Gradescope to Canvas.

Final grades for an assignment can be moved to Canvas, or can be downloaded to your computer. Note that only the overall assignment grade gets moved to Canvas. To permit students to see grading comments and feedback, you must also Publish grades in Gradescope itself. Also note: at this time, syncing grades to Canvas creates a new column in the Canvas gradebook, rather than posting grades into an existing column.

LILE can help

We know that changing the way you assess and grade can be a daunting process. Our consultants can help you think through your grading process, and which tools and approaches might work best for you, given your assessment needs. Feel free to request an assessment consultation.

Full Gradescope documentation

  1. Gradescope’s comprehensive help site (new materials being added daily)
  2. Student documentation, including how it looks to submit an assignment with Gradescope in Sakai as a student.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why don’t I see all of my sites when I login?

If you login via NetID and don’t see all of your expected Gradescope sites, it may be because you inadvertently have two Gradescope accounts. You can merge these accounts and then try logging in again. If you still don’t see all expected sites, contact Gradescope support. If one of your students reports not seeing your course site when they log into Gradescope using their NetID, first ensure you have completely synced your Gradescope roster with Canvas, or (if not using Canvas) that you have recently uploaded an accurate roster .csv file. If resynching the roster doesn’t resolve the issue, the student can attempt to merge accounts, or contact Gradescope support.

How can I know what Gradescope functionalities are in development?

If you’re curious about what is on Gradescope’s product roadmap and which features are in beta release or being explored, you can view their product roadmap. You can suggest new features by commenting on the “Submit idea” button.

I am having trouble using Gradescope and need more help.

Contact Gradescope support at help@gradescope.com, and copy learninginnovation@duke.edu. Gradescope support personnel are available 24 hours a day/5 days a week and for urgent inquiries on the weekend.