Using the Roll Call Attendance Tool in Canvas

What is Roll Call Attendance?

The Roll Call Attendance tool in Canvas allows faculty to take daily or weekly attendance, track participation, and optionally include attendance as part of a student’s grade. By default, enabling this tool creates an assignment in the Gradebook titled "Roll Call Attendance" which calculates a percentage based on attendance records.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Enable the Attendance Tool

  1. Go to your Canvas course.
  2. Click on Settings in the course menu.
  3. Select the Navigation tab.
  4. Find Attendance in the list of hidden items.
  5. Click the three dots next to it and choose Enable (or drag it into the active menu).
  6. Click Save at the bottom of the page.

Note: Refer to this  Canvas Community link for more details. 

2. Take Attendance

  1. After enabling, click the Attendance link in your course navigation.
  2. The Roll Call tool will open in a grid view by default.
  3. Click on a student’s name to mark their attendance:
    • Green check = Present
    • Red X = Absent
    • Clock icon = Late
  4. You can mark all students at once or individually.
  5. Use the calendar in the top-right corner to switch dates.

3. Adjust Gradebook Settings (Optional)

When enabled, Canvas automatically creates a new assignment called "Attendance" in the Assignments and Gradebook areas.

If you do not want attendance to count toward the final grade:

  1. Go to the Assignments link, find Roll Call Attendance, and click Edit.
  2. Set the assignment points to 0 or move it to an "Unweighted" group.
  3. Alternatively, delete the assignment if you don’t want it to appear at all.

Helpful Resources: Canvas Community: Roll Call Attendance Tool Overview