Improvements coming to SpeedGrader this March
If you use Canvas to submit work or mark assignments, you may have heard of a tool called SpeedGrader. It is the part of Canvas that teachers use to look at student work, leave comments, and give grades. And on 30 March, it is getting an upgrade.
The good news? You do not need to do anything at all. The change will happen automatically in the background. Whether you are a student or a member of staff, SpeedGrader will simply feel faster and smoother the next time you use it.
Why this is happening
Over the past few years, Canvas has been used by more and more students on their Courses. As class sizes grew, some teachers noticed that SpeedGrader could slow down or even stop working properly when lots of students had submitted work at the same time. That was frustrating, especially during busy marking periods.
The team behind Canvas spent a long time rebuilding the behind-the-scenes parts of SpeedGrader to fix these problems. Think of it like getting a brand-new engine fitted under the bonnet of a car, the car looks the same on the outside, but it runs much better.
The results could be impressive. Canvas says:
- SpeedGrader now loads up to 10 times faster in large courses
- Crashes have been reduced by 99%
- Teachers who tested it early said it felt familiar and easy to use, just noticeably quicker
What the TEL Team has been doing
Our Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) team has been keeping a close eye on this upgrade for a while. They have been testing it carefully and checking it against our own standards before making it live for everyone here.
The TEL team does not switch on new features straight away just because they are available. We wait until a tool has proven itself and meets a high bar for quality and reliability. SpeedGrader has now reached that point, which is why we are confident in releasing it on 30 March.
What will change
Very little will look different. The layout and buttons in SpeedGrader will be almost exactly the same as before. A few small things have been tidied up, like clearer icons and a slightly updated menu, but nothing that will catch anyone off guard.
For students, nothing changes at all in how you submit work.
For teaching staff, you can simply open SpeedGrader as normal and enjoy the speed boost straight away. No training is needed. No new steps to learn.
What comes next
This upgrade is not just a one-off fix. It sets SpeedGrader up for even more improvements in the future including better tools for feedback and grading that the TEL team will continue to explore.
If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with the TEL team. We are here to help.