PostEm is a new tool built by C21U that allows teachers to upload and share a spreadsheet to provide individualized feedback and/or grades to students. Think of it like the Canvas gradebook’s sidekick. Use it when you want to provide regular feedback and/or grades to students, but you don’t necessarily want to create a new column in the gradebook.
Here are three ways to consider using PostEm in your course this semester…
Tracking Attendance/Participation
Create a spreadsheet on your computer that looks something like this:
In this case, I’m using “1” in cases where the student was present, and “0” when they were absent. However, the tool is flexible, so you could use letters (P/A) or words (present/absent).
Then, upload that spreadsheet to the PostEm tool. When students access the tool in Canvas, they’ll only see their row in the spreadsheet. At the end of the semester you can enter a final “Participation” grade in the gradebook, but this will allow students to keep up with their attendance throughout the semester.
Providing Quick Homework Feedback
Create a spreadsheet on your computer that looks something like this:
This is handy when you want to provide quick feedback, but you don’t necessarily want to assign numeric grades. It might seem minor, but students appreciate knowing that you reviewed their work.
Tracking In-Class Polling
If you’re using TurningPoint for in-class polling, you might consider using PostEm to track students’ responses.
In this case, students get 1 point if they answer correctly. Use a naming convention for your columns that indicate date and question number. Once again, this allows students to track their credit for in-class polling without cluttering up their gradebook with excessive columns.
To get started with PostEm, go to https://canvas.gatech.edu/postem for installation and usage instructions. The tool is now available in all Canvas courses at Georgia Tech.
