Canvas Assignments

Assignments include Quizzes, graded Discussions, and online submissions (i.e. files, images, text, URLs, etc.). The Assignments page shows students all of the assignments that will be expected of them and how many points each is worth. Assignments can be assigned to everyone in the course or differentiated by user. 

Why use Canvas Assignments?

Canvas Assignments streamlines the way that student work is collected. Instructors can create a Canvas Assignment to collect all students' work, and it provides students with detailed instructions for each assignment, due dates, template files for students to use when applicable, and rubrics to help students understand what is expected to achieve full credit for their work.

Canvas' online grading via the SpeedGrader tool is a core feature of the Canvas Assignment tool, which allows students to quickly receive and reply to instructor comments on their work. Canvas Assignments also work hand-in-hand with the Canvas Grades area, so students can quickly see how well they did on each assignment as well as how they are doing overall in the course in one place. 

Canvas Assignments Examples

Canvas Assignments can be used in many ways. Below are just a few examples of how assignments can be used in your course: 

• Homework Assignments 

• Research Papers 

• Written Exams 

• Handwritten Student Work  

• Custom Grade Columns – you can create a no-submission assignment to create a column in the Grades area for posting grades. Common examples of a custom grade column: 

  • Overall grade for course (that differs from the Canvas-calculated Totals column) 

  • Grade for an oral exam or other activity that does not require students to hand in work 

  • Class participation grade 

• Peer Review Assignments – students can be assigned to read and comment on one or more of their classmates' submissions.

• Group Assignments – requires one submission for a group of students. 

How do I use Canvas Assignments in my course? 

Instructors can always access the tool to create and organize activities, but the tool can be hidden from students if desired. To learn more about how to use Canvas Assignments to facilitate your online course work, please review:

• Creating an Assignment 

• Grading Assignments Using the SpeedGrader 

• How do I create a peer review assignment? 

• How do I automatically assign peer reviews for an assignment? 

• How do I view student peer review comments as an instructor? 

• How do I assign an assignment to a course group? 

• Creating an Assignment with Turnitin 

What will my students see? 

Your students' view will depend on how you set your assignment settings. Below is an example of what a student would see for an online, file upload submission type assignment.   

Open

Student View: List of assignments

Open

Student View: Assignment that is not opened yet

Additional Resources and Vendor Guides

Creating Assignments:

• Creating an Assignment 

• Duplicating an Assignment 

• How do I exclude an assignment from the course's final grades? 

• How do I bulk update due dates and availability dates as an instructor? 

Rubrics:

• How do I add a rubric to an assignment? 

• How do I add a rubric in a course?

• How do I add a rubric to a graded discussion?

• How do I add a rubric to a quiz?

• How do I manage rubrics in a course?

• How do I align an outcome with a rubric in a course?

Assignment Groups (organizing assessments and weighting grades): 

• How do I add an assignment group in a course? 

• How do I move or reorder an assignment group? 

• How do I move or reorder an assignment? 

• Creating Weighted Assignments Groups 

Grade Posting Policies: 

• How do I select a grade posting policy for a course in the Gradebook? 

• How do I select a grade posting policy for an assignment in the Gradebook? 

• Using the Grade Posting Policy