Send Poll Everywhere Attendance to Canvas

Poll Everywhere attendance results can be sent to the Canvas gradebook through the Poll Everywhere 2.0 Canvas integration. Instructors should review the synchronized roster, attendance validations, grading configuration, and assignment contents before syncing grades to ensure Canvas receives the intended attendance scores.

Quick Links: | Prerequisites | Instructions | Troubleshooting | 

Introduction

Poll Everywhere attendance results can be sent to the Canvas gradebook through the Poll Everywhere 2.0 Canvas integration. Launching Poll Everywhere from within a Canvas course synchronizes the course roster, while syncing a Poll Everywhere assignment creates or updates the corresponding Canvas gradebook item. Before syncing grades, review attendance records and grading settings so that the correct students, attendance results, and scores are included. A consistent workflow helps keep attendance records accurate and makes gradebook entries easier for instructors and students to understand.

Prerequisites

Before sending attendance results to Canvas:

• Publish the Canvas course.
• Make sure the Canvas course dates include the dates when Poll Everywhere will be used.
• Make sure students who should receive grades have completed Poll Everywhere participant registration and are matched to the Canvas course roster.
• Review any pending attendance validations or manual attendance exceptions before creating the assignment.
• Determine how attendance should be graded before syncing the first assignment.

For additional information about setting up and managing attendance, see Attendance Management for Instructors.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Send Attendance Grades to Canvas

To send Poll Everywhere attendance grades to Canvas, do the following:

1. Open the Canvas course where you want to record attendance.
2. From the course navigation menu, select Poll Everywhere. Always launch Poll Everywhere from inside the specific Canvas course rather than from a separate browser tab or another Canvas course.
3. If prompted, approve access and select the appropriate Canvas course.
4. Confirm that the synchronized Poll Everywhere roster contains the expected number of students. The course roster is synchronized automatically the first time Poll Everywhere is launched from the Canvas course.
5. In the Poll Everywhere course dashboard, review or create a grading configuration.
6. Choose an attendance grading rule that matches the course attendance policy. For example, you can award credit only when attendance is verified, or combine attendance with participation and correctness requirements.
7. Save the grading configuration before creating and syncing the attendance assignment. Changes to a grading configuration do not update assignments that were already synced.
8. After taking attendance, review the attendance results in Poll Everywhere and resolve any pending or manually validated attendance records.
9. Select the attendance responses or questions that should be included in the Canvas grade.
10. Select Create New Assignment, or add the attendance results to an existing Poll Everywhere assignment.
11. Give the assignment a clear, date-based name, such as Attendance – September 8. Using consistent names makes individual class meetings easier to identify in the Canvas gradebook.
12. Confirm that the correct grading configuration is applied, then save the assignment.
13. Select Sync Grades.
14. Review the synchronization status from the Assignments page or Poll Everywhere course home page.
15. Return to Canvas and open Grades.
16. Confirm that the Poll Everywhere attendance assignment appears in the Canvas gradebook and that the grades are correct.

The finalized Poll Everywhere attendance results are now recorded in Canvas. Repeat this process after each class meeting or attendance period that should create a separate gradebook item.

For more information about the Canvas integration and grade synchronization, see Poll Everywhere 2.0 Canvas Guide for Educators and Attendance Reporting in Canvas.

Use a Consistent Semester Workflow

For each class meeting or attendance period:

1. Take attendance in Poll Everywhere.
2. Review pending validations and attendance exceptions after class.
3. Create one clearly named assignment for the meeting or week.
4. Confirm the grading configuration and included attendance records.
5. Sync the assignment only after the attendance records are final.
6. Verify the resulting grades in Canvas.

This routine reduces accidental grade changes and makes attendance entries easier to identify throughout the semester.

Communicate Location-Based Attendance to Students

If location-based attendance is enabled, clearly communicate how location verification is used and what students should do if they cannot complete the check-in. The following wording can be adapted for a syllabus or Canvas course:

This in-person course may use Poll Everywhere for attendance check-in. At the time of check-in, Poll Everywhere asks your device to verify that you are within the class location. The tool does not provide the instructor with a continuous location history or your exact coordinates. If you cannot complete the check-in because of an accessibility, privacy, or technical issue, please let me know during class so we can use the course’s alternative attendance process.

For additional guidance, see Location-Based Attendance: Presenter Best Practices.

Troubleshooting

If students are missing from the Poll Everywhere roster, confirm that Poll Everywhere was launched from inside the correct Canvas course and that the students completed Poll Everywhere participant registration. Compare the roster count in Poll Everywhere with the Canvas course roster before syncing grades.

If attendance grades are incorrect, review pending attendance validations, manual exceptions, the selected questions or responses, and the grading configuration before syncing. If the assignment has already been synced, remember that changing the grading configuration afterward does not automatically update the previously synced assignment.

If an attendance assignment does not appear in Canvas, check the synchronization status on the Poll Everywhere Assignments page or course home page, then verify the Canvas Grades page. See Attendance Reporting in Canvas for additional information about attendance grade synchronization.