Doing something new is always difficult the first time around; Liberty’s transition from Skyward to Canvas is clear evidence of this. Students and teachers alike are having a difficult time adjusting to the new Canvas gradebook.

As of the start of the 2021-2022 school year, the entirety of Liberty’s gradebook was transferred to Canvas instead of Skyward. Liberty staff decided to do this a year ahead of when the practice would actually be mandated. 

Unlike Skyward, once an assignment is inputted into Canvas and marked missing, it lowers the final grade instead of ignoring it until the teacher puts in the correct grade. 

“If teachers want students to do an assignment on paper, Canvas still expects there to be something uploaded online,” English teacher Jennifer Dragavon said. 

After over a year of remote learning, adjusting to having both paper and online assignments has been difficult for students and teachers alike. Many teachers are behind with grading and are debating whether to give assignments online or on paper. 

“What I’m struggling with this year is how to balance my workload of putting everything on Canvas versus seeing students in person and wanting to do work in person,” science teacher Eleonor Schneider said. 

Likewise, many students have found this switch from Skyward to Canvas, and online assignments to paper assignments, to be a hassle.

“I like that some assignments are given on paper, but sometimes it can be difficult to keep track of what’s due on paper and what’s due online,” senior Ella McGee said. 

As the year goes on, students and teachers will hopefully get more familiar with Canvas and its grading, as well as finding a good balance of paper and online assignments.