How to use the Attendance tool in Canvas

Canvas Attendance Tool Basics

In Canvas, the Attendance (Roll Call) tool allows instructors to record their students' attendance and automatically adds a "Roll Call Attendance" column to the Gradebook. 

The Attendance tool appears as a visible Course Navigation link, but it cannot be viewed by students, so hiding the link in Course Settings is not necessary. Students can view their attendance reports through the Roll Call Attendance submission details page in their Grades area.

If you do not see the attendance tool in your course menu it has been hidden from the course navigation. To add a hidden tool to your course navigation menu, see How do I manage Course Navigation links? 

View the Video Guide of the Canvas Attendance Tool

For more details on enabling and using this tool, consult the Attendance (Roll Call) guides in the Canvas Guides below.

• How do I use the Roll Call Attendance tool in a course?

• How do I edit the Roll Call Attendance assignment?

• How do I create a roll call seating chart using the Attendance tool?

• How do I take roll call using the Attendance tool?

• How do I use Roll Call Attendance badges in a course?

• How do I run Roll Call Attendance reports in a course?

Tips for using the Canvas Attendance tool

Tip #1: Do not set the point value to zero if you want the assignment to be ungraded.

If you wish to use the attendance tool but don't want to affect students' grades, it's better to explicitly make the "Roll Call Attendance" assignment ungraded than to change the point value to zero. If you set the point value to zero, the assignment will still appear in the grade book, but if you make it ungraded, it will not. To make the assignment ungraded:

1. In the Assignments tool, click Roll Call Attendance.

2. In the top right, click Edit.

3. Check the box next to Do not count this assignment towards the final grade.

4. Click Save.

Tip #2: Do not rename or remove the assignment named "Roll Call Attendance".

The Attendance tool will only send grades to the item named "Roll Call Attendance". If an item by this name does not exist, Canvas will create a new assignment and gradebook column named "Roll Call Attendance". If you accidentally renamed the "Roll Call Attendance" column, to correct the problem:

1. Mute both assignments, the original renamed item and the new "Roll Call Attendance" item.

2. Delete the original assignment, leaving only the item named "Roll Call Attendance". The scores for this item may be inaccurate at this time; however, it will be updated to include all previous attendance scores once a new score is recorded via the Attendance tool.

3. Take attendance via the Attendance tool at your next class. All scores will be updated based on the new point value.

4. Unmute the assignment so your students can see their attendance scores.

Tip #3: Set the point value for the "Roll Call Attendance" assignment before you use the Attendance tool.

If you change the point value after you take attendance for the first time, attendance grades will continue to reflect the original point value. To correct this problem:

1. Mute the grade book item for the assignment named "Roll Call Attendance".

2. Change the points of the "Roll Call Attendance" assignment to the desired point value. Grades will not reflect the new point value until you take attendance as described in the next step.

3. Take attendance via the Attendance tool at your next class. All scores will be updated based on the new point value.

4. Unmute the new assignment so your students can see their attendance scores.