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Releasing Final Grades in D2L for Fall 2025

Unless we previously set up the D2L Gradebook to allow students to view them, we will need to release the Final Grades in D2L. Here is how:

1 First, in the Grades Tab, click on the dropdown arrow to the right of “Final Grades” and choose “Enter Grades”.
NOTE: If you use Calculated Final Grades, skip to step 6 below to learn how to release the Final Grade to students.
2 At the top, click on the dropdown menu to the right of where it says “Final Grades” and select “Recalculate All”
3 In the pop-up menu that appears, choose “Final Calculated Grade”. Note: you may need to scroll down a bit or widen the pop-up menu. Then click on Calculate in the lower-left corner.**Note: This step is only required if you have not already set D2L to calculate the Final Calculated Grade for you. Otherwise, you will see a menu saying “Grade Items Included in Adjusted Final Grade”.
 4 Click on Calculate again in the menu that appears.
5 Click on the Yes button in the next pop-up that appears, warning you that it is going to recalculate the grade for all users.
6 Finally, if you want your students to see the final grade, you will need to release the grade to them. Click on the dropdown arrow to the right of Final Grades again, except this time choose “Release All”.
7 Click on Yes in the pop-up that appears.
8 The page should have reloaded, and maybe even given you a “Saved Successfully” banner at the bottom of the screen. When it does, you should see that all of the checkboxes under the Release column have been checked. Then click on Save and Close in the bottom left-hand corner.
9 When you go back to the Grades tab, you should see that the Final Calculated Grade section is now filled AND there is an open eye (if the eye is crossed out, that means the grades have not been released to students, meaning that students cannot see them).
10 If you want to make extra sure that students can see their grades, click on the dropdown arrow to the right of the student’s name and choose “Preview”.
11 In the window that appears, you should be able to see what your student sees when the student clicks on the Grade tab.

For more detailed instructions, please see the D2L: Calculate and Release Final Grades at the End of the Semester, Wiki page. Note that releasing final grades is different than submitting grades! To submit grades:

2026 Winter Faculty Development Week Session Links Now Available

The links for the 2026 Winter Faculty Development Week are available now! No RSVP is necessary!

Check out the session links here!

You will need to log into your Canisius Google Drive. The easiest way to do that will be to go to MyCanisius and log in. From there, go to My Applications>Google Drive. Then, click on the link above.

When it comes time to join the sessions, you will also want to have downloaded and logged into Microsoft Teams. See the Logging into Teams for the First Time Wiki page for more details.

While we will be sending reminder emails with the schedule and links for that particular day, we highly recommend either downloading the spreadsheet or adding it to your Outlook Calendar.

A more detailed list and description of sessions is available on the 2026 WFDW Promotional page.

Hypothes.is: Upcoming Webinars and AI Case Study

Hypothes.is, a useful social annotation tool, has several upcoming webinars:

  • December 9, 2 PM ET: Annotate Your Syllabus
    • A great starter assignment for students to learn how to use Hypothes.is in D2L and make sure they are actually reading the syllabus.
  • December 10, 2 PM ET: Hypothes.is 201/Hypothes.is for Returning Faculty (Intermediate)
    • This session covers more advanced features and options, including copying entire courses/individual Hypothes.is Assignments, export and import annotations, and other technical details.
  • December 11, 2 PM ET: Effective Reading with Hypothes.is
    • Learn how reading has evolved in the Digital Age and how research into digital reading can better inform how we talk about reading in the classroom.
  • December 16, 2 PM ET: Annotation Starter Assignments
    • Interested in getting started with Hypothesis but not sure how to integrate it into your current pedagogy? This workshop is for you! The Hypothes.is Team will review some starter assignments and provide ready-to-use instructions for a variety of disciplines and teaching modes.
  • December 18, 2:30 PM ET: Design Thinking: Hypothes.is for Instructional Designer and Technologists
    • Geared towards Instructional Designers and Technologists, this workshop explores how Hypothes.is can support courses and foster meaningful interactions amongst peers/instructors.

If interested in any of the above, Register here.

Hypothes.is also released a case study titled Transforming Education with Generative AI and Social Annotation. This brief read discusses the challenges facing higher education concerning AI and how social annotation can help foster critical thinking skills in the face of AI. Read the case study here.

For more information on Hypothes.is, see the Hypothes.is Wiki page.

F25-S26 Winter Weather Alternatives for Teaching

As we head into the winter weather that WNY is known for—and the unpredictability it often brings—it may be helpful to revisit some alternative approaches to traditional pedagogy:

If needed, faculty can meet with students outside of the classroom with Microsoft Teams. Here are some of the tutorials we recommend watching for review:

Check out our Microsoft Office Support: Teams Tutorials Wiki page for additional tutorials.

For a more asynchronous resource, try recording a video with Panopto, our Canisius-branded video content management system similar to YouTube. However, unlike YouTube, videos on Panopto are only shared with your class and contain no ads. Additionally, to improve engagement with the video, faculty can add in-video quizzes to any Panopto video. Here are some tutorials:

Optionally, faculty can also assign Video Discussions:

Additional tutorials are available on the Panopto Wiki Page.

Try Hypothes.is for a more interactive discussion. Hypothes.is is a social annotation tool that allows yourself and students to comment in the margins of the reading.

Other tutorials and resources can be found on the Hypothes.is Wiki Page or check out Hypothes.is’s own resources, which shows the various ways other instructors have used Hypothes.is in their classrooms.

For other information and/or more in-depth help, make an appointment with COLI staff or check the Academic Preparedness for Professors Guide.

End of Fall 2025 Semester Checklist

It’s coming up to the end of the semester again. Here are some actions you should take by the week after grades are due:

You can click here to view the COLI Checklist page, which has further resources. View this video for a quick overview of the End of Semester Checklist.