Use the Attendance (Roll Call) Tool

Last updated on October 19, 2021

The Attendance Tool is an integrated application that allows you to take attendance from within Canvas. This is helpful for both in-class and synchronous formats of classes. If you wish to use this application, you will need to enable it within each course.

Note: When you take attendance using Attendance (Roll Call), Canvas automatically adds Attendance as an assignment. The default point value for attendance is 100 points. To avoid Attendance calculation errors, never delete, rename, or unpublish the Attendance assignment.

Directions

Enable the Attendance (Roll Call) Tool

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. Select the Course you’d like to work in.
5. Click Settings on the course navigation menu on the left.
6. Select the course Navigation tab.
7. Locate Attendance in the list of disabled navigation items.
8. Click the More Options Menu (three vertical dots) to the right of Attendance.
9. Select + Enable from the menu.
10. Click Save at the bottom of the page.

Use the Attendance (Roll Call) Tool

1. Click Attendance in the course navigation menu on the left.
2. Select the correct Date in the upper right.
   • Click the Forward or Back Arrows to move to the correct date.
3. Click the Circle with a Diagonal Line through It to the left of each student’s name.
   • Click once to mark as Present and On Time.
     • A green checkmark appears in the circle.
   • Click twice to mark as Not Present.
     • A red x appears in the circle.
   • Click three times to mark as Late.
     • A yellow clock appears in the circle.
   • Click four times to mark an Excused Absence.
     • A circle with a diagonal line through it appears in the circle.
4. Click the Mark All Present button to mark all students as present and on time.

Attendance (Roll Call) Tool Settings

In addition to tracking attendance, the Attendance (Roll Call) Tool allows for the automatic export of attendance data as points in an attendance assignment in the gradebook. You can change whether these points count towards the students’ final grade and how much a late penalty should affect those points. You can also run attendance reports to determine the attendance for a particular student over time.

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. Select the Course you’d like to work in.
5. Click Attendance in the course navigation menu on the left.
6. Click on the Settings Buttons (gear icon) in the upper right.
7. Select from the Drop-Down Menu:
   • Roll Call Settings
     1. Select whether attendance should be Counted towards the students’ final grade.
        • Note: When you take attendance using Roll Call, Canvas automatically adds Attendance as an assignment. The default point value for attendance is 100 points. To avoid Attendance calculation errors, never delete, rename, or unpublish the Attendance assignment.
     2. Click and drag the Slider to determine how much a lateness counts as what percent of a presence.
        • Note: By default, the value of being late is 80% of the present value. So if a student is late, the student will receive 80% for the day instead of the full 100%.
   • Attendance Report
     1. Select a Start Date.
     2. Select an End Date.
     3. Type in SIS Student ID.
     4. Confirm correct Email Address to send report to.
     5. Click the Run Report button.