What Counts as Leaving
A leave is counted when a student leaves an assignment they’ve started (at least one answer given) but haven’t submitted yet, and then comes back to it. Any of these count:
Switching to another browser tab.
Clicking into another window or app while the assignment stays on screen, like the other side of a split screen or a calculator app.
Closing the assignment in the course viewer and opening it again later. This still counts if the page was reloaded in between.
These don’t count:
Leaving for less than a second, like accidentally flicking past the tab with a keyboard shortcut.
Leaving before the first answer is given.
Closing the whole browser tab or window, or leaving and never coming back.
Working inside content embedded in the assignment, like videos, interactive content, or simulations.
Choosing a file to upload for an upload question.
Anything after the assignment is submitted.
Switching tabs also takes focus away from the window, but that counts as one leave, not two.
Where Teachers See It
Counts only show to teachers who can grade the submission. They use three colors based on the assignment’s threshold (5 by default):
Color | When | Where it shows |
Gray | Below the threshold | Submission header, All Students table |
Orange | At the threshold (5 by default) | Submission header, All Students table |
Red | At twice the threshold (10 by default) | Submission header, All Students table, and a flag in the gradebook |
Submission Header
When grading a student’s submission, a Left N times tag shows next to the Late tag and the grade. Here’s a student who left 6 times (orange) and one who left 11 times (red):
Hovering over the tag explains what it counts and the assignment’s thresholds, and links to the assignment’s settings so the teacher can change the threshold or turn it off.
All Students Table
The assignment’s All Students table gets a compact Times Left column. It’s sortable, so teachers can quickly find the students who left most often. The column only appears once at least one student has a count.
Gradebook
The gradebook only flags the red level, with a small badge in the bottom-left corner of the cell. In this example the student who left 6 times isn’t flagged, but the student who left 11 times is:
Hovering over the badge shows the same explanation as the submission header.
Settings
Assignment Settings
Each assignment has one row for this in the right-hand column of its Assignment Settings: Highlight times left at [5].
The switch (on by default) shows or hides the counts for that assignment.
The number (5 by default) is the threshold. The tag turns orange at this count, and turns red and is flagged in the gradebook at twice this count.
Turning the switch off only hides the counts. Leaves are still recorded in the background, so turning it back on shows every leave, including ones from while it was off. The threshold is disabled while the switch is off.
Default Assignment Settings
The same row is in the class’s Default Assignment Settings (Class Settings → Assignments & Grading → Edit Default Assignment Settings), both for all assignments and per grading category. Like the other defaults, it only applies to newly created assignments.
Best Practices & Recommended Use Cases
Use it to start a conversation, not as evidence on its own. Compare a student’s count with the rest of the class. If most of the class has a high count, the assignment itself probably sends students elsewhere.
Raise the threshold or turn it off when leaving is expected, like open-note work, research assignments, or assignments that need another app or website.
Set it once per grading category. For example, a lower threshold in the Default Assignment Settings for a Tests / Quizzes category applies to every new test and quiz.
Common Pitfalls & Troubleshooting
“I don’t see the Times Left column or tag.” Either no student has a count on that assignment yet, the assignment’s Highlight times left at switch is off, or the work was submitted before this shipped. Older submissions show nothing, not 0.
“The count is lower than I expected.” Leaves before the first saved answer, closing the whole browser tab, and working inside embedded content aren’t counted. Closing the assignment is remembered in the student’s browser, so it only counts when they reopen it on the same device and browser.
“The count is higher than I expected.” Clicking into any other app counts, including ones the teacher allowed, like a calculator. A student who comes back the next day to finish is also counted.
“I changed the Default Assignment Settings, but an existing assignment didn’t change.” Defaults only apply to new assignments. Change existing assignments in their own settings.
“Can I export the counts?” Not yet. The counts aren’t in the grades CSV export.