In June 2025, MIT moved from a Canvas LTI 1.0 to an LTI 1.3 integration for Gradescope (see FAQs about the 1.3 transition). Follow these instructions to use your existing Gradescope courses and assignments with the updated LTI 1.3 integration. Existing Gradescope materials must be migrated to the LTI 1.3 integration in order to be used with Canvas.

To successfully move Gradescope courses and assignments from LTI 1.0 to LTI 1.3, you’ll need to:

Duplicate your previous Gradescope course
Link this new duplicated Gradescope course to your new Canvas course
Link the copied Canvas assignments to their corresponding Gradescope assignments
Sync your Canvas Course Roster to Gradescope

This workflow should be familiar if you have reused Gradescope content with a new Canvas site from semester to semester. A significant difference is that with LTI 1.3, you must initiate the course linking process from Canvas. You won’t be able to link a Gradescope course to a Canvas course from the Gradescope Course Settings page, as you could do with LTI 1.0.

Before you start these steps, it is recommended that you import prior Canvas site content into the newly created site for the upcoming or current semester.

1. Duplicate your previous Gradescope course

Log in to www.gradescope.com (for help logging in, see these instructions). Click the name of the course you want to duplicate. From the course page, click on “Course Settings.”

Gradescope Course Settings icon and link.

At the bottom of the Course Settings page, click the “Duplicate Course” button.

Duplicate GS course_Duplicate Course.png

Complete the Duplicate Course fields and click “Duplicate”. The next page that opens will allow for editing the basic settings of the newly created course. Here, you can change the Course Number and Course Name to match your new Canvas course as well as adjust any other necessary fields. Click the “Update Course” button at the bottom of the page when you are finished to save your changes.

2. Link this new duplicated Gradescope course to your new Canvas course

Access your new Canvas course. Click “Gradescope” in the course navigation bar on the left (note: if you don’t see Gradescope in the navigation bar, you need to enable it in your course settings).

Choose to “link this Canvas course with an existing Gradescope course” and select the duplicated Gradescope course from step 1 that you renamed to reflect your current Canvas course and term.

Link to new Canvas course_link with existing.png

Select Link Course, and then click Update Course at the bottom of the page.

3. Link Your Canvas Assignments to Your Gradescope Assignments

With LTI 1.3, you must initiate the course linking process from Canvas. You won't be able to link a Gradescope course to a Canvas Course from the Gradescope Course Settings page, as you could do with LTI 1.0.

From your Canvas course site, you have two options for how you can link your Canvas assignments to your Gradescope assignments.

Option 1: Link to Your Gradescope Assignments from a Previous Canvas Course (Recommended if you imported a prior Canvas site into your new Canvas site)

Option 2: Link your Assignments by Creating a Brand New Canvas Assignment

Option 1: Link to Your Gradescope Assignments from a Previous Canvas Course

(Recommended if your imported a prior Canvas site into your new Canvas site)

After you have imported your previous Canvas assignments that are linked to Gradescope, you’ll re-link each assignment with LTI 1.3.

Go to the Assignments page in your Canvas course. Open the assignment Settings menu by clicking on its associated ellipses (dotted) menu. Select Edit.

Option 1 Link to GS Assignments_edit Assignment.png

Note: Only edit the assignment from the settings menu because this is what allows you to change the assignment to an LTI 1.3 assignment. Don’t edit the assignment by clicking on its name.

Select More Options in the Edit Assignment modal.

Option 1 Link to GS Assignments_More Options.png

Scroll down to the Submission Type (External Tool) section.

Option 1 Link to GS Assignments_Submission Type Ext Tool.png

To search for Gradescope, select Find. You will see the Configure External Tool modal. Select Gradescope from the tool list. This will allow you to link the copied Canvas assignment to a new Gradescope assignment and convert it to LTI 1.3.

After you select Gradescope, you can choose whether to link your Canvas assignment with a new Gradescope assignment or with an existing Gradescope assignment. If you chose to link with a new Gradescope assignment, you’ll finish your Gradescope assignment setup through Gradescope’s Creating an Assignment workflow.

To link the Canvas assignment to an existing Gradescope assignment, select the “existing Gradescope Assignment” option, and then select the assignment from the dropdown list.

Option 1 Link to GS Assignments_Link existing GS assignment.png

Select Link Assignment to close the Gradescope modal.

Option 1 Link to GS Assignments_Link Assignment button.png

Click Select to close the Configure External Tool modal and complete the process of linking the assignment. Click Save at the bottom of the page.

Option 1 Link to GS Assignments_Configure Ext Tool.png

Your Canvas assignments are now successfully linked to Gradescope.

Next, edit the Canvas assignment details so that the linked Gradescope assignment will show in your students’ Canvas to do list and calendars.

Open the assignment Settings menu by clicking on its associated ellipses (dotted) menu. Select Edit. Option 1 Link to GS Assignments_edit linked GS assignment.png

Scroll to the Assign section, and match the Canvas Available from and Due dates with your Gradescope Release Date and Due Date for the assignments.

Have different due dates for individual students or sections? You can match those individual dates as well to maintain consistency.

In the Points field, match the Canvas Point Value and the Gradescope Total Points for the assignment.

Select Save or Save and Publish.

Option 2: Link your Assignments by Creating a Brand New Canvas Assignment

Go to the Assignments page in Canvas. Select Gradescope from the Settings menu (dotted menu). Option 2 Create Brand New_Assignment Settings menu.png

Choose to either link your new Canvas assignment with a new Gradescope assignment or to link it with an existing Gradescope assignment.
Option 2 Create Brand New_link assignment.png

If you are linking with an existing Gradescope assignment, you’ll need to search for the assignment from the dropdown list.

If you are linking with a new Gradescope assignment, finish your Gradescope assignment setup by choosing your desired Assignment Settings.

Click the Link Assignment button.

The Canvas assignment is now created and linked to your Gradescope assignment.

Next, edit the Canvas assignment details so that the linked Gradescope assignment will show in your students’ Canvas to do list and calendars.

Open the assignment Settings menu by clicking on its associated ellipses (dotted) menu. Select Edit.
Option 2 Create Brand New_edit assignment details.png

Scroll to the Assign section, and match the Canvas Available from and Due dates with your Gradescope Release Date and Due Date for the assignments.

Have different due dates for individual students or sections? You can match those individual dates as well for consistency.

To ensure your Canvas gradebook has accurate calculations from the Gradescope assignments, in the Points field, match the Canvas Point Value with the Gradescope Total Points for the assignment.

Select Save or Save and Publish.

4. Sync your Canvas Course Roster to Gradescope

Note: Before you try syncing the roster, make sure your Canvas course is published to students.

Lastly, you’ll need to sync your Canvas course roster to Gradescope. See the Syncing Roster step in Using Gradescope LTI 1.3 with Canvas as an Instructor.

After the course is published, students will need to accept the course invite first before they can sync to Gradescope.

Is your Canvas course roster not finalized yet? In this case, just skip syncing your course roster for now and do this step later.