Use a Sandbox to Finalize Incomplete Grade

Last updated on November 22, 2022

One method you can use to work with a student to finish their incomplete grade is to add the student to a Canvas sandbox course to complete their work. This method reduces the risk presented by giving other students access to the course, while still providing the course content to the student completing their grade. The sandbox could have any assignments, quizzes, and the rest of the content the student needs, but it would not include access to the student’s previous work. All grades from assignments submitted in the sandbox would need to be entered into the original Canvas course manually.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to add the original course content to a sandbox and then add an individual student to the sandbox to complete the course.

Directions

Part 1: Prepare a Sandbox Course

1. Go to MSU Denver’s Faculty and Staff Hub.
2. Click Canvas in the Teaching & Learning section.
3. Log in to your Canvas Account.
4. Click Courses in the global navigation menu on the left side of the screen.
5. Select All Courses.
6. Locate your Sandbox Courses. They are called “Sandbox Course [#] – [Your Name].”
   • Note: Refer to the “Edit Your Course Dashboard” tutorial if you would like to add Sandbox courses to your dashboard.
7. Prepare a Sandbox Course.
   • Request an Additional Sandbox Course from ITS, if necessary, by submitting a request to ITS here.
   • Clear the Content of a Sandbox Course, if necessary, by referring to our “How do I clear a Canvas shell of all content?” tutorial. 
8. Copy the Course Content from the student’s original course into your selected Sandbox Course.
   1. Note: If you need assistance with this process, refer to our Copy a Canvas Course into the New Semester guide.

Part 2: Add Student to Sandbox Course

1. Click on People in the course navigation menu to the left.
2. Click on the + People button on the right.
3. Select Email Address.
4. Type the Email Address of the student you wish to add to the sandbox course.
5. Select Student from the drop-down menu under Role.
6. Select the Sandbox Course you are adding the student to under Section.
7. Click Next at the bottom right of the window.
8. Click Add Users in the new window.
9. Grade Assignments in sandbox course.
10. Add New Assignment Grades to the Gradebook in the student’s original Canvas course rather than in the sandbox, so the final grade includes previously submitted assignments.
11. Submit Final Grade to Banner.