ASSIGNMENTS - Getting Started and Beyond

When would I use Assignments?

Assignments can be used to:

• Assess how well students are achieving course Outcomes
• Set up online submissions that can be quickly graded in the SpeedGrader
• Grade online as well as student work submitted "on-paper"
• Create differentiated assignments for sections
• Set up peer reviews
• Grade Discussions, either by the whole class or student groups
• Open Quizzes for a limited amount of time
• Record attendance
• Create ungraded activities that align with course Outcomes
• Assess submissions with moderated grading and multiple reviewers

When would I not use Assignments?

For "Reading" assignments. Link the files to a Page and use the Add to Student To-Do Links to an external site. function instead! This helps to avoid those 0pt assignments that clutter up your gradebook.

Instructor View

Any assignment created and published in the Assignments page will automatically show up in the Grades, Calendar, and Syllabus features so students can view them. The reverse is also true: any assignments created in the Calendar will automatically show up in the Grades, Assignments, and Syllabus features. Assignments can also be organized in Modules.

In Course Navigation, click the Assignments link.

View Assignments Index Page

The Assignments Index page is designed with global settings at the top of the page [1], followed by the Assignment groups [2]. Individual assignments are nested within each Assignment group [3].

Note: The Assignments Index page supports keyboard shortcuts. To view a window with a list of keyboard navigation shortcuts, press the Shift+Question Mark keys simultaneously on your keyboard.

View Assignment Global Options

Global settings include searching for assignments [1], adding a new assignment group [2], and adding a new assignment [3]. To weight the final grade with assignment groups Links to an external site. or bulk update due dates and availability dates Links to an external site., click the Options icon [4].

View Assignment Types

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Tips for Understanding Assignments in Canvas:

1. Canvas categorizes five activities as assignments: attendance, graded discussions, graded quizzes, graded assignments, ungraded assignments.  If you create any of these, a corresponding column in the Grades area will appear.
2. Assignment shells can be created from three different places in Canvas: Calendar, Modules, and Assignment page.
3. Assignment groups allow you to organize assignments, weight final grades, and add grading rules.
4. Assignments have different grading options: Point value, percentage, complete/incomplete, letter grade.
5. Students can submit assignments in multiple formats: on paper, online, using external tools, or no submission.
6. Group assignments can be graded as a group or individually.
7. All assignments can have rubrics attached.

Create a new Assignment Group

There are some advantages to grouping assignments by type (e.g. research papers, exams, problem sets).  Creating assignment groups will allow you to assign a weight (percentage of overall course grade) to specific groups of assessments and to set grading rules (drop lowest score). The grouping will affect how assignments appear in the grade book and the student's view of their grades. By default, everyone starts with one "Assignments" group.

Add Assignment Group

Click the Add Group button.

 

Create Assignment Group

Type the Assignment Group Name in the Group Name field [1]. If you want to weight the final grade Links to an external site. for students using assignment groups, the percentage will appear in % of total grade field [2]. When finished, click the Save button.

Note: You must create assignment groups before you can assign percentages to each group.

 

Manage Assignment Group

To manage an assignment group, click the group's Options drop-down menu [1].

To edit the Assignment Group, click the Edit link [2]. You can edit the Assignment Group name and the weighted percentage (if applicable). After you've added assignments to your Assignment Group, you can also edit the Assignment Group to set Assignment Group rules. Links to an external site.  

To delete the Assignment Group, click the Delete link [3].

To move all content from an assignment group Links to an external site. into another group, click the Move Contents link [4].

To move or reorder an assignment group Links to an external site. on the Assignments page, click the Move Groups link [5].

Add Assignment Shell

If you want to create an assignment placeholder with a title and a date, you can create an assignment shell in an assignment group.

Assignment groups [1] house the different types of assignments you may want to keep in your course, such as assignments, discussions, quizzes, surveys, etc. If you create assignment groups in your course, students can filter their assignments page by assignment type to view the same groups.

To create an assignment shell Links to an external site., locate an assignment group and click the Add Assignment button [2]. Assignment shells only include fields for the assignment type, name, due date (optional), and points. You can add assignment details at any time by editing the assignment Links to an external site..

 

Add Assignment

If you want to create an assignment with all assignment details at the same time, click the Add Assignment button.

Assignment details include fields for the assignment type, name, description, points, assignment group (if desired), grade display, and submission type, and due dates. You can also specify if the assignment is a group assignment or requires peer reviews in the assignment details Links to an external site. lesson.

When you add details to an assignment, you can also assign the assignment to all students, course sections Links to an external site., course groups Links to an external site., or individual students Links to an external site. as part of the Canvas differentiated assignments feature.

 

Add Assignment Details

Type the assignment title in the Assignment Name field [1]. If you created your assignment as an assignment shell, this field will be populated for you, but you can change it if necessary.

Use the Rich Content Editor to add images, text, links, equations, or insert media [2]. Use the Content Selector in the Sidebar to link to or upload course resources, including files and images [3].

Note: The Rich Content Editor includes a word count display below the bottom right corner of the text box.

Enter the points for your assignment in the Points field. Select the Assignment Group for the assignment in the Assignment Group drop-down menu.

If you created your assignment as an assignment shell, the points field and Assignment Group will be populated for you. You can edit these if necessary.

Note: Points possible must be set to a number greater than zero for assignments with percentage, points, letter grade, or GPA grading types.

 

Select Grading Type

In the Display Grade as drop-down menu, select the method you want to use for grading. You can grade your assignment by percentage, complete/incomplete, points, letter grade, GPA scale, or set as not graded.

Note: The grading type is how the assignment score will display in the Gradebook. For example, an assignment worth 10 points is set to display as a percentage. A student who receives 8/10 points on the assignment will show as 80 in the Gradebook. If using a letter grade, learn how to create a grading scheme Links to an external site. and apply a grading scheme Links to an external site. to your assignment.

 

Select Submission Type

In the Submission Type drop-down menu, select the type of submission you want to accept for the assignment. By default, the submission type will be set to Online.

• No Submission is when you do not want students to submit an assignment in Canvas. This assignment type can be used to create extra columns in the Gradebook, or when you want to create an assignment that involves multiple scores. Submission Type does not apply to Not Graded assignments.
• Online Links to an external site. is when you want students to submit their assignments using Canvas.
• On Paper is when you want students to submit an assignment to you but not through Canvas. This assignment type applies to traditional face-to-face courses or hybrid courses when you want the assignment turned in during class, but you still want to create a column in the Canvas Gradebook for grading purposes.
• External Tool Links to an external site. is when you want students to submit their assignments using an external app (LTI) enabled for your course. For example, if you created a Panopto video with embedded quiz questions. 

Note: No Submission and On Paper assignments still appear to students on their Assignments page. To avoid confusion, it is best to make a note in the description about the assignment so students will know whether or not a submission is required and if so, how they are supposed to submit it.  

 

Select Submission Attempts

If you have selected the Online submission type, you can limit submission attempts for the assignment Links to an external site..

• Can a student resubmit any assignment?

 

Create Group Assignment

As part of an assignment submission, Canvas lets you set up an assignment as a group assignment Links to an external site.. You can also choose to grade students individually in group assignments.

 

Require Peer Reviews

If you want to require students review each other's work, you can create a peer review assignment Links to an external site.. When requiring peer reviews, you can select whether to manually assign peer reviews or automatically assign peer reviews.

 

Edit Due and Availability Dates

By default, Canvas will set your assignment dates for everyone in your course [1]. However, you can assign the assignment to an individual student Links to an external site. or course section Links to an external site..

Create a due date for the assignment in the Due Date field [2]. The due date will already be populated for you if you created an assignment shell, but you can change it if necessary. You also have the option to add availability date Links to an external site. fields [3].

• What is the difference between due date and availability date?

 

Save Assignment

If you want to notify users about any future assignment changes, click the Notify users that this content has changed checkbox [1]. Click the Save button [2].

Note: If your assignment has not yet been published, the assignment will show the Save & Publish button. The Save button will create a draft of your assignment so you can publish it later. Students can only see Published assignments.

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Peer Review Assignments

A peer review assignment enables students to provide feedback on another student's assignment submission. Peer reviews are a tool that allows communication between students and can help students master the concepts of a course and learn from each other. Peer reviews can be assigned to show student names or display anonymously.

For peer review assignments, you can manually assign Links to an external site. peer reviews or choose to have Canvas automatically assign Links to an external site. peer reviews for you. You can also choose to allow students to see other students' names in peer reviews or make them anonymous. When anonymous peer reviews are enabled, instructors and TAs can still view the names of student reviewers in SpeedGrader and in the student submission page. However, if anonymous grading is enabled in SpeedGrader, the names of both students will be hidden in SpeedGrader but not in the student submission page.

To complete the peer review, students are required to leave at least one comment. If you include a rubric, they are only required to complete the rubric.

Notes:

• Peer reviews cannot be used with External Tool assignments.
• Students can see peer review comments if assignment grades are hidden. However, students cannot see instructor comments until after assignment grades have been posted.

Create a Peer Review Assignment

In the Submission Type drop-down menu, select your preferred submission type (e.g, Online).  Select the checkboxes for the types of online entries allowed in the assignment (e.g, Text Entry, Media Recordings, File Uploads, etc.).

Note: The External Tool submission type does not support peer review assignments.

Peer reviews can be used with group assignments. If you want to create a group assignment Links to an external site., click the This is a Group Assignment checkbox.

 

Require Peer Reviews

Click the Require Peer Reviews checkbox [1]. By default, peer reviews are assigned manually [2]. If you want to assign peer reviews automatically, select the Automatically Assign radio button [3].

Note: Peer reviews must be manually assigned for On Paper and No Submission assignment types.

 

Automatically Assign Peer Reviews

If you automatically assign peer reviews, the menu displays additional options. In the Reviews Per User field [1], enter the number of reviews each student will be required to complete.

In the Assign Reviews field [2], use the calendar icon to select a date or manually enter the date for student peer reviews to be assigned. The Assign date must come on or after the assignment due date. If left blank, Canvas will use the assignment due date.

 

Assign Group Assignment Intra-Group Peer Reviews

In group assignments, you also have the option to allow intra-group peer reviews. Peer reviews require a student to review an individual submission by another student. However, group assignment submissions are made by one group member on behalf of the entire group, and all group members have the same submission.

By default, the Allow intra-group peer reviews checkbox is not selected, which means Canvas will filter out members of the same group when automatically assigning the reviews. However, selecting the checkbox allows assignments to be truly random and disregard student group associations.

To allow Canvas to automatically assign a peer review to a student from within the student's own group, select the Allow intra-group peer review checkbox.

 

Assign Anonymous Peer Reviews

If you want to make peer reviews anonymous, check the Peer Reviews Appear Anonymously checkbox.

Note: Canvas DocViewer does not support anonymous comments, so students will be unable to leave annotated feedback on assignments with anonymous peer reviews. They will be able to use the rubric and/or leave general comments.

 

Save and Publish Assignment

If you are ready to publish your assignment, click the Save & Publish button [1]. If you want to create a draft of your assignment and publish it later, click the Save button [2].

You can also attach a rubric to the assignment for students to fill out when completing peer reviews. To add a rubric to the assignment, Links to an external site. click the Add Rubric button.

 

View Peer Review Grades

Students do not receive a grade for completing a peer review. If you want to assign extra points for peer reviews, you can create a No Submission assignment in the Gradebook and assign points manually. The Peer Reviews page for the assignment will show the names of students who have completed the peer review.

 

Open Peer Reviews Page

In the sidebar, click the Peer Reviews link.

 

Select Student Assignment

In the Peer Reviews page, locate the student assignment with peer reviews you would like to view. To view all peer reviews left on a student's submission, click the student's name [1].

 

Select Individual Review

To view a single review left by a student for their assigned peer review, click the assigned student's name.

 

• How do I use peer review assignments in a course? Links to an external site.
• How do I create a peer review assignment? Links to an external site.
• How do I manually assign peer reviews for an assignment? Links to an external site.
• How do I automatically assign peer reviews for an assignment? Links to an external site.
• How do I view student peer review comments as an instructor? Links to an external site.

 

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Group Assignments

You can create a group assignment by using the Group Assignment checkbox. Canvas uses group sets to assign group assignments, and each group within the group set that is assigned to the assignment is required to complete the assignment. When creating or editing a group assignment, you can assign an assignment to specific groups. You can also set different due dates and availability dates for a group within an assignment that is assigned to the rest of the class.

You will need to assign a group set Links to an external site. as part of the assignment. You can add an existing group set, or you can create a new group set as part of the assignment and add students to groups later. However, if you create a group set with self sign-up Links to an external site. or manual Links to an external site. group assignments, you will not be able to use the group set until users have been added to the subgroups. Student-created groups cannot be used for group assignments.

When differentiating groups in assignments, students can only view the assignment if they are a member of an assigned group. Otherwise the assignment does not appear in the student's assignments page. Grades cannot be assigned for students who have not been included in the assignment, and assignments that are not assigned to a student are not factored into overall grades. 

Notes:

• In group assignments, one submission will count for the entire group. Learn more about evaluating group work Links to an external site..
• Group assignments cannot be used with External Tool assignments.
• In group assignments, all students should be assigned to groups before the assignment is published. Grades and submissions may be affected for students who were not in a group at the time of assignment submission but who were later added to a group.
• If multiple due dates apply to a student, Canvas will assign the latest due date to the student. For example, if the group due date is November 18 and a student's individual due date is November 20, the student will be assigned a due date of November 20.

Create a Group Assignment

In the Submission Type drop-down menu, select your preferred submission type (e.g, Online).  Select the checkboxes for the types of online entries allowed in the assignment (e.g, Text Entry, Media Recordings, File Uploads, etc.).

 

Select Group Assignment

Click the This is a Group Assignment checkbox.

 

Assign Grades Individually

You can choose to assign grades to students individually by selecting the Assign grades to each student individually checkbox.

If this box is left unchecked, all the students in the group will receive the same grade.

 

Select Group Set

To select an existing group set, click the Group Set drop-down menu [1]. To create a new group category, click the New Group Category button [2].

Note: Groups created by students cannot be used for Group Assignments and do not appear in the drop-down menu.

 

Require Peer Reviews

Peer reviews can be used with group assignments. If you want to assign peer reviews Links to an external site., click the Require Peer Reviews checkbox.

 

Assign Different Dates for Groups

By default, Canvas will assign your assignment to everyone in your course. To add new due and availability dates for other users in your course, click the Add button [1].

Then start to type the name of the group in the new Assign to field [2]. Search fields are dynamic, and you can search by any part of the group name. Click the group's name when it appears [3]. Lists are not scrollable.

You can include more than one group in the Assign to field as long as the groups are to be assigned the same due and availability dates.

 

Assign to Group Only

To create the assignment that is only for a specific group in the group set, click the Remove icon next to the Everyone label [1].

Start to type the name of a group in the Assign to field [2]. Click the group's name when it appears [3].

 

Edit Due and Availability Dates

In the date fields, add your preferred date(s) with the following options:

• Due [1]: Set the date and time that the assignment is due. The due date will already be populated for you if you created an assignment shell, but you can change it if necessary.
• Available From [2]: Set the date and time when the assignment will become available.
• Until [3]: Set the date and time when the assignment will no longer be available.

Note: Beneath the Due Date and Availability date fields, Canvas will display the time zone date and time according to context. If you manage courses in a time zone other than your local time zone and create or edit a due date for an assignment, the course and local times are displayed for reference.

 

Save and Publish

If you are ready to publish your assignment, click the Save & Publish button [1]. If you want to create a draft of your assignment and publish it later, click the Save button [2].

 

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Overview of Outcomes

Overview of Rubrics

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Overview of SpeedGrader

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Student View

Any assignment created by an instructor in the Assignments page will automatically show up in the Grades, Calendar, and Syllabus features.

Student Guides

• How do I know if I have a peer review assignment to complete? Links to an external site.
• How do I submit a peer review to an assignment? Links to an external site.
• Where can I find my peers' feedback for peer reviewed assignments? Links to an external site.
• How do I use DocViewer in Canvas assignments as a student? Links to an external site.
• How do I view annotation feedback comments from my instructor directly in my assignment submission? Links to an external site.
• How do I view rubric results for my assignment? Links to an external site.
• How do I submit an assignment on behalf of a group? Links to an external site.

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