How do you do information only fields for students using the Gradebook or other functionality in Canvas?

Question

Hello all!  I am new to Canvas.  I am trying to share IDs and passwords that are unique to students using the Gradebook like I have done in the past with Bb.

How are you sharing information only fields to students that are not grades, but are important and unique to students?

Since our university wants the LMS to be the student "one stop shop", I am wanting to do in Canvas ideally.

Unfortunately, Canvas Help has said I need to do an assignment with a value of 0 and share the IDs and passwords as a comment.  The downside to this is I cannot see what IDs I have issued easily so I needed to put it in Excel first, then enter it into Canvas and then I have to click through all of the students to see what ID I have issued.  I also issue more than one ID and want the last two digits of the IDs to match up so it is hard to see what was administered.  I am putting in a functionality request.  I wanted to see if anyone else has found a solution and if not, is this something you would find valuable.  I also like to do this with "nicknames", too, but that is not as urgent of a need and I can do that through notes, but notes cannot be shared with students.

Jeff_F · Answer

@MaryBethGoodrich - be sure to consider sharing an idea contribution on the Canvas Collaborative Roadmap - Instructure Community.

Here I put together the start of a proposal. Be sure to make it your own. 😁

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Student Information Fields in Gradebook

Problem Statement

Canvas currently provides no native way to store and display student specific informational data that is not a grade. Instructors often need to share unique information with individual students such as:

* Third party system usernames
* Temporary passwords
* Lab assignments
* Simulator IDs
* Student specific access codes
* Advising information
* Alternate display names or nicknames
* Group assignments

The current workaround is to create a zero point assignment and enter the information in submission comments or feedback. While functional, this approach creates several challenges:

* Information is stored in a grading tool that was not designed for record keeping.
* Instructors cannot easily view all assigned values in one place.
* Information cannot be efficiently searched, filtered, sorted, or exported.
* Multiple assignments may be required when several pieces of information need to be communicated.
* Gradebook becomes cluttered with non-academic entries.

Proposed Solution

Add a new Gradebook column type called Student Information Field.

This field would:

* Be visible only to the specific student and authorized instructional staff.
* Not participate in grade calculations.
* Support text, numbers, or short alphanumeric values.
* Support CSV import and export.
* Support sorting and filtering for instructors.
* Allow multiple information fields within a course.
* Optionally support student acknowledgment that information has been viewed.

Examples:

Student

Flight Simulator ID

External System Login

Lab Station

Student A

SIM1023

user1023

Station 4

Student B

SIM1047

user1047

Station 7

Each student would only see their own information.

Benefits

Improves Student Experience

Students have a single location within Canvas to access course related information that is specific to them.

Reduces Administrative Work

Faculty no longer need to create placeholder assignments or maintain separate spreadsheets simply to distribute individualized information.

Supports Multiple Disciplines

This feature would benefit programs that use:

* Publisher platforms
* Flight training systems
* Virtual labs
* Clinical software
* Certification testing systems
* Specialized external applications

Keeps the Gradebook Focused

Instructors can maintain student specific information without creating artificial assignments that exist solely as communication mechanisms.

Current Workarounds

Current options such as assignment comments, Inbox messages, and external spreadsheets are functional but inefficient at scale. A dedicated student information field would provide a purpose built solution for a common instructional need.

Use Case

An instructor issues unique credentials for a third-party application to 200 students.

Today:

* Create a zero-point assignment.
* Track credentials in Excel.
* Enter credentials individually as assignment comments.
* Open student records individually to verify assignments.

With this feature:

* Import credentials into a Student Information Field.
* Students immediately see only their own assigned credentials.
* Instructor can manage all entries directly from Gradebook.

Impact

This feature would help institutions that want Canvas to function as a true "one stop shop" while reducing administrative workload and eliminating the need for gradebook workarounds for non-graded student specific information.

Feature Request Summary: Add a non-graded, student specific information field type to the Gradebook that supports instructor management, student visibility, and import/export functionality.

MaryBethGoodrich · Answer

Jeff_F,

Thank you for sharing this!  I did consider doing a mail merge, but with our university wanting the Canvas system to be the "one stop shop" for all items related to the UX (User Experience), I wanted to find a way to house all this information in one place. I hope that Canvas will consider making a customization to accommodate this.  I can't be the only one that has information that must be shared that is specific to just one student?  Anyone else have ideas or could benefit from this functionality or know a nook and cranny of Canvas that allows this?

Jeff_F · Answer

Hello @MaryBethGoodrich  - for this I would use the mail merge feature within MS Word.

Below are step by step instructions for creating a mail merge in Microsoft Word using an Excel spreadsheet that contains login credentials. Because the spreadsheet contains passwords, we need to send individual emails via Word's mail merge email feature rather than generating a single document that contains all users' credentials.

Step 1: Create the Excel File

Create an Excel workbook with the following column headers in Row 1:

FullName

Nickname

Email

LoginID

Password

John Smith

John

john.smith@email.com

jsmith

ABC12345

Jane Doe

Jane

jane.doe@email.com

jdoe

XYZ98765

Important guidelines:

* Use a unique row for each recipient.
* Do not leave blank rows.
* Ensure email addresses are valid.
* Save the workbook as an .xlsx file.
* Close Excel before starting the mail merge.

Step 2: Create the Message in Word

* Open Microsoft Word.
* Create a new blank document.
* Type your message template. For example:

Hello «Nickname»,

Your account for the third party system has been created.

Login ID: «LoginID»
Password: «Password»

Please log in and change your password after your first sign in.

Thank you,
Learning Support & Development

Step 3: Start the Mail Merge

* Select the Mailings tab.
* Select Start Mail Merge.
* Choose E-Mail Messages if you want Word to send emails.

If you prefer to review letters first, choose Letters instead.

Step 4: Connect the Excel Spreadsheet

* Select Select Recipients.
* Choose Use an Existing List.
* Browse to your Excel workbook.
* Select the workbook and click Open.
* Choose the worksheet containing your data.
* Verify that First row of data contains column headers is checked.
* Select OK.

Step 5: Insert Merge Fields

Place your cursor where you want personalized information to appear.

* Select Insert Merge Field.
* Insert:* Nickname
* LoginID
* Password

Your document might look like:

Hello «Nickname»,

Your account for the third party system has been created.

Login ID: «LoginID»
Password: «Password»

Please log in and change your password after your first sign in.

Step 6: Preview the Results

* Select Preview Results.
* Use the arrow buttons to move between recipients.
* Verify that the correct information appears for each person.

Step 7: Send the Emails

* Select Finish & Merge.
* Choose Send E-Mail Messages.
* In the To field, select the Email column.
* Enter a subject line such as:

Your Third Party System Login Credentials

* Set Mail Format to HTML.
* Select OK.

Word will send an individualized email to each recipient using Outlook.

Security Recommendations

Since the file contains passwords:

* Store the Excel file in a secured location.
* Limit access to only authorized staff.
* Delete the spreadsheet after distribution if organizational policy allows.
* Consider sending a temporary password and requiring a password change at first login.

Microsoft's mail merge guidance requires matching Excel column headers to merge fields and connecting the Excel workbook through Word's Select Recipients feature before inserting merge fields and completing the merge.

For your specific columns, the merge fields would be:

«FullName»
«Nickname»
«Email»
«LoginID»
«Password»

and the Email column would be used as the recipient address when sending the mail merge.