Table of Contents
- Overview
- Topbar & Navigation
- First-Time Setup
- Dashboard
- Single Course Export
- Grade Preview
- Multi-Course Export
- Scheduled Exports
- Grade Changes
- Email & Save to Files
- Activity Log
- Settings
- FAQ & Troubleshooting
1. Overview
Holon Grade Export is a Canvas LTI tool that lets instructors export gradebook data from one or more courses — with flexible format options, scheduled delivery, grade change tracking, and rich visual previews.
Holon Grade Export works entirely within Canvas as an embedded tool. No separate login is required. Your Canvas credentials and course data are used automatically — your Canvas connection is provided securely by Holon Hub when you launch the tool.
Key Capabilities
- Export grades from any course as CSV or Excel, in Canvas-native or clean readable format
- Visual grade preview: Overview stats, Heatmap, and By Student card views
- Export multiple courses at once into a single ZIP or multi-sheet Excel file
- Schedule recurring exports — daily, weekly, or monthly — delivered by email
- Take grade snapshots and compare them to detect grade changes over time
- Send exports directly to your email or save them to Canvas course Files
- Activity log tracks every export with course, format, size, and timestamp
2. Topbar & Navigation
The topbar runs across the top of every screen and provides consistent access to accessibility controls, theme settings, and the settings panel.
🟢 Holon GRADE EXPORT pill
The brand pill at the top left confirms which tool you're in. The hamburger icon (☰) to its left collapses and expands the sidebar.
Avatar & Name
Your Canvas name and role (Instructor) are shown next to a gradient avatar. This confirms the tool has your correct Canvas identity.
A / A+ / A++ buttons
Accessibility zoom controls. Each level increases the font size of the main content area for improved readability.
🎨 Theme
Opens the theme panel where you can switch between Light, Dark, and High Contrast modes, and customize the accent color.
Help button
Opens the help overlay with a quick-start guide and a link to this manual.
⚙ Settings
Opens the Settings panel where you can view your Canvas connection status and license status.
3. First-Time Setup
Holon Grade Export is part of the Holon tool suite and is launched from Holon Hub. There is no token to enter — Hub handles your license and Canvas connection automatically.
1
Install Holon Hub in your Canvas course (once) and make sure your plan includes Holon Grade Export.
2
Open Holon Hub from your Canvas course navigation and launch Holon Grade Export from the tool grid.
3
Select a course from the Single Course dropdown and you're ready to export — no further setup needed.
No token to manage: You will never be asked to paste a Canvas API token. Hub passes the Canvas access the tool needs automatically. Grade Export only reads gradebook data — it never writes to Canvas unless you explicitly use "Save to Canvas Files."
4. Dashboard
The Dashboard is the landing view when you open Grade Export. It shows a snapshot of your export activity at a glance.
Stat Cards
- Total Exports — total number of grade exports you've run
- Students Exported — cumulative student records across all exports
- Courses Exported — number of distinct courses you've exported from
- Active Schedules — number of scheduled recurring exports currently active
Recent Exports
The five most recent exports are listed with course name, format, and timestamp. Use this to confirm your last export ran successfully.
Quick Actions
Shortcut buttons take you directly to Single Course export or Multi-Course export from the Dashboard.
5. Single Course Export
The Single Course view is where you select a course, configure export options, preview grades, and send the export by email or save it to Canvas Files.
Selecting a Course
Use the Term filter to narrow the course list, then pick a course from the dropdown. The grade preview panel loads automatically.
Format Options
| Format | Description | Best For |
|---|
| CSV — Canvas Native | Exact Canvas gradebook format, re-importable into Canvas | Canvas gradebook re-import, SIS systems |
| CSV — Clean | Simplified CSV: student name, final grade, assignment scores only | Human-readable reports, sharing with staff |
| Excel — Canvas Native | Canvas-format data exported as CSV with .xlsx naming | Excel users who need the full gradebook structure |
| Excel — Clean | Simplified clean format delivered as CSV | Quick readable spreadsheets |
Column Options
Check or uncheck the columns to include in your export:
- Student ID — Canvas user ID
- Final Grade — letter grade and percentage
- Assignment Scores — individual scores for every assignment
- Missing Assignments — flags assignments with no submission
- Last Login Date — last Canvas activity date per student
Sending the Export
Because Grade Export runs inside a Canvas iframe, files cannot be downloaded directly. Use the two delivery options instead:
- 📧 Email Export — enter an email address and the CSV is sent as an attachment immediately
- 📁 Save to Files — the CSV is saved to a "Grade Exports" folder in your Canvas course Files, where you can download it at any time
6. Grade Preview
The grade preview panel loads automatically when you select a course and gives you three different views of your gradebook data before you export.
📊 Overview
Class-level statistics: average grade, at-risk student count, perfect scores, and a grade distribution bar chart. Below that, a list of at-risk students and assignments with low average scores.
🔥 Heatmap
A grid with one row per student and one column per assignment. Each cell is color-coded: green = 100%, light green = A, yellow = B/C, red = below 70%, gray = not submitted. Hover any cell to see the exact score. Use the search box and sort dropdown to filter students.
👤 By Student
Card view — one card per student showing their final score badge and all assignment scores in a compact 4-column grid. Search by name and sort by score or name.
Tip: The preview loads all students and assignments live from Canvas. For large courses with many assignments, it may take a few seconds to populate.
7. Multi-Course Export
Multi-Course Export lets you select several courses at once and export them all in a single operation.
1
Navigate to Multi-Course in the sidebar.
2
Check the courses you want to export. Use the search box to filter by name.
3
Choose your format: CSV ZIP (one CSV per course, all zipped together) or Excel (one tab per course in a single .xlsx file).
4
Click Export All Selected Courses. The export is sent to your email or saved to Files.
8. Scheduled Exports
Scheduled Exports let you set up automatic recurring grade exports that run on a schedule and deliver the CSV to your email without any manual action.
Creating a Schedule
1
Go to Scheduled Exports in the sidebar and click + New Schedule.
2
Select the course, frequency (Daily / Weekly / Monthly), day of week, and hour.
3
Enter the email address to receive the export.
4
Click Save Schedule. The next run time is calculated and shown in the schedule list.
Tip: Schedules run server-side — they fire even if you haven't opened the tool that day. The export is emailed automatically.
Note: Scheduled exports rely on your Hub-provided Canvas connection. As long as your plan is active and Hub is installed, scheduled exports will continue to run.
9. Grade Changes
The Grade Changes view lets you take snapshots of your gradebook and compare two snapshots to see exactly which students' grades changed, and by how much.
Taking a Snapshot
Select a course and click Take Snapshot. The tool saves the current scores for all students. Snapshots are timestamped and stored per course.
Comparing Snapshots
Select a "Before" and "After" snapshot from the dropdowns and click Compare. The results table shows:
- Student name
- Score before and after
- Change (⬆ increase / ⬇ decrease), sorted by magnitude
Tip: Take a snapshot at the start of the week and another at the end to see which students' grades moved during that period.
10. Email & Save to Files
Grade Export offers two delivery methods for getting your gradebook data out of the tool and into your hands.
📧 Email Export
When you click Email Export, you'll be prompted to enter an email address. The tool generates the CSV and sends it as an attachment within seconds. Works for both single-course and scheduled exports.
📁 Save to Canvas Files
When you click Save to Files, the CSV is uploaded to a folder called Grade Exports inside your Canvas course Files. You can then download it, share it, or archive it directly from Canvas. The folder is created automatically if it doesn't exist.
11. Activity Log
The Activity Log records every export you run — including the course name, format, student count, assignment count, and timestamp.
Use the Activity Log to confirm exports ran successfully and to audit export history. Click Clear Log at the top right of the log to remove all entries. This action cannot be undone.
12. Settings
The Settings panel (⚙ in the topbar) lets you manage your Canvas connection and license.
| Setting | Description |
|---|
| Canvas Connection | Shows your connected Canvas username and institution, provided automatically through Holon Hub. |
| License Status | Shows your plan type and expiration date. Click through to renew or upgrade in the Holon Portal. |
13. FAQ & Troubleshooting
Why can't I download the file directly?
Canvas embeds LTI tools in a sandboxed iframe that prevents direct file downloads for security reasons. Use Email Export or Save to Canvas Files instead — both deliver the same data instantly.
Preview scores show — for some students
This can happen if the tool is still loading submission data. Wait a few seconds and refresh the preview by re-selecting the course. If the issue persists, relaunch the tool from Holon Hub to refresh your Canvas connection.
My course isn't in the list
The course list shows courses where you're enrolled as a Teacher or Administrator. If a course is missing, check that your Canvas account has instructor access to that course.
I hit the 10-course limit
Individual licenses allow Grade Export in up to 10 courses. To use the tool in more courses, upgrade to an Institution license from the Holon Portal.
Scheduled export didn't arrive
Check: (1) Holon Hub is still installed and your plan is active, (2) the email address on the schedule is correct, (3) check your spam folder. Scheduled exports run every 5 minutes server-side.
Save to Files failed
Some institutional Canvas configurations restrict file uploads via API, which can prevent Save to Canvas Files. Try Email Export as an alternative.