Gradescope

Gradescope is a tool that instructors can use to assist in grading coursework quickly and efficiently. Instructors or students upload PDFs of the completed assignment directly into Gradescope, and the instructor can apply a custom rubric that allows for uniform grading and feedback. Instructors also receive analytics concerning their assignments to better understand areas where students may be struggling.

Getting Access to Gradescope

Gradescope is available for all courses at Penn. As of Fall 2026, it is no longer necessary to enable Gradescope in the course navigation menu in Canvas. You can create Gradescope assignments directly through the Assignments tab in Canvas, and the Gradescope scores will sync directly with the Canvas Gradebook.

Using Gradescope with Canvas

1. To set up a Gradescope assignment, navigate to the Assignments tab, then click the +Assignment button to create a new assignment. 
2. Change the Submission Type to External Tool. Use the Find button to select Gradescope 1.3 from the Configure External Tool list, and click Select.
3. Note: The first time you create a Gradescope assignment in a Canvas site, you will be prompted to create a Gradescope course.
4. Select to link with "A new Gradescope course" then click the Link Course button.  
5. Next, you'll be prompted to create new Gradescope assignment. Select link with "A new Gradescope assignment," then click the Link Assignment button.  
6. 
7.  Enter the following details for the assignment (additional details can be added later):
   1. Name
   2. Assignment/Exam questions PDF
   3. "Available from" and due date
8. You can set up the assignment outline and rubric at this point, or come back to that later. 
9. Click Save Assignment to save your progress. 

Types of Gradescope Assignments/Exams

There are five different types of assignments you can add in Gradescope:

• Exam/Quiz: use this when students complete work; the instructor uploads the PDF to Gradescope.
• Homework/Problem Set: students upload their own completed work via PDF.
• Bubble Sheets: this is used if your assignment is completely multiple choice.
• Programming Assignment: this is used when students submit coding projects.
• Online Assignment (Beta): not recommended; use Canvas Quizzes instead

Setting Up an Outline

Creating an outline is the first step in creating exams, quizzes, or homework/problem set assignments. You can do this by uploading a PDF of your exam and by following the steps listed on the Gradescope help page under Creating an Assignment Outline.

Syncing the Roster

Syncing the Canvas roster ensures that students enrolled in the Canvas site have access to the Gradescope assignments/exams. It is a good idea to sync the Canvas roster before exams and after the Add/Drop period. To sync the roster:

1. Expand the left sidebar in Gradescope and click Roster.
2. Click the Sync Canvas Roster button at the bottom of the page. Uncheck "Let new users know that they were added to the course" in the pop-up dialog box to avoid automated emails sent to students.

Managing Submissions

For any type of submission, you can choose whether to upload an assignment as either the instructor or the student. If you administer an exam and need to upload a large number of submission, the Gradescope Scanning Tips or Labeled Print Outs option can reduce the workload. 

Grading with Gradescope

• To grade student submissions, go to the Grade Submissions tab and click on the question you want to grade. The grading page is broken into three sections: the student submission area, the rubric, and the action bar (located at the bottom of the screen).

Additional Help & Support

For additional help and support, visit the Gradescope help site or email courseware@wharton.upenn.edu.