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This article explains how non-graded questions are handled in Course Management assignments, and how instructors can control their impact on correctness-based grading.
For a full overview of Course Management, including assignments, grading configurations, and LMS syncing, see Getting Started with Course Management
What Are Non-Graded Questions?
A non-graded question is a poll that does not have correctness defined. Common examples include:
Open-ended prompts without a correct answer
Participation-only questions
Because these questions cannot be “right” or “wrong” by design, they require special handling when included in a correctness-based assignment. Historically, non-graded questions were always treated as incorrect in correctness-based assignments. This was based on the assumption that including a non-graded question was usually accidental.
To provide more flexibility and to support these workflows, Course Management now allows instructors to choose how non-graded questions affect grading, directly within the assignment.
Where to Configure Non-Graded Questions
When creating or editing an assignment that uses Correctness grading, you’ll see a section labeled: "Non-graded questions" under the Correctness Settings. This setting applies to all non-graded questions in that assignment.
Helpful tip: To make grading easier to interpret, Course Management displays clear icons in the grade view. These indicators appear consistently across assignment views, including percentage-based and points-based grading.
Graded as Incorrect (Default): Questions without correct answers are treated as incorrect.
When choosing this option, the point value of questions that cannot be graded for correctness (e.g. open ended question) will count toward the total number of questions in the assignment. As a result, choosing this option will lower a student's correctness percentage.
2. Count Participation as Correct: Any student who responds to a non-graded question receives credit for participation.
Students who submit a response are marked correct, while students who do not respond are marked incorrect. These questions remain part of the overall grade calculation. This is ideal for discussion, engagement, or reflection questions where participation should be rewarded.
3. Ignore for Grade Calculation: Non-graded questions are excluded entirely from correctness calculations.
Only questions with defined correct answers are included, and the total number of graded questions is reduced accordingly. This option is recommended for informational or reflective questions that should not impact scoring.
Percentage vs. Points Assignments
Percentage-based assignments
Scores are always capped at 100% and Grades are recalculated dynamically based on your selected option. How non-graded questions are handled depends on the option you select:
Questions set to Ignore for grade calculation are removed from the total.
Questions set to Count participation as correct increase the number of correct responses.
Questions set to Graded as incorrect count as incorrect responses.
The percentage shown in Course Management is the same value sent to the LMS.
Points-based assignments
Points assignments allow more control over how scores are calculated and displayed. Total points can be determined in one of two ways:
Auto-calculate total points available
Total points are calculated automatically based on the number of activities included and the points awarded per correct answer.-
Set maximum points available (manual)
A fixed maximum score is defined for the assignment, regardless of the number of questions. Scores are scaled to fit within this maximum.Non-graded questions may still: Count as correct (participation), Be treated as incorrect, or Be ignored entirely, depending on the selected handling option. The total points shown in Course Management always match what is exported to the LMS.
Learn more about Participation and Correctness Grading Options here: Understanding Participation and Correctness Grading Options
LMS Sync Behavior (Canvas and Others)
Grades exported to your LMS exactly match what you see in Course Management. Calculations, totals, and handling of non-graded questions remain the same; no additional adjustments are applied during sync.
If you have any questions or run into issues, please contact the Technical Support team