Canvas assignments are a vital area for managing a course’s assessments. “Assignments” in Canvas include quizzes, graded discussion, and online submissions of student work. The Assignments page shows students show the bulk of the activities and assessments they will be expected to complete along with how much they are worth and how they are weighted.
Important
- Assignments can be created in a number of places, such as the Modules area or Assignments area of a course.
- No matter where they are created, all assignments (e.g., quizzes, graded discussion, and online submissions) show up on the assignment page.
- All assignments can be seamlessly linked to the Modules area.
How does Canvas differ from Blackboard?
- Weighting grading does not occur in the grade book, but rather through the “Assignments” page through Assignment Groups.
- Similarly to Blackboard, all graded assignments display in the Canvas Gradebook automatically. Assignments that are not graded do not show up in the Canvas Gradebook.
- In Blackboard assignments could only be in one location (such as Assignment Guidelines or Course Content). In Canvas, tools are more integrated so any created assignments will show up in the assignments area and can also be placed in any module without creating duplicates.
How to use – Canvas instructions
Guides
302 – Assignments Overview from Instructure Canvas Community on Vimeo.
- Assignments: In-depth guide on how to use the assignments area.
- Rubrics: In-depth guide to rubrics.
- Activities v. Assignments: Guide on the difference between assignments and activities in Canvas and how it impacts grading.
- Due Date v. Availability Date: The differences between due date and availability dates explained
- Update All Dates: Explore how to bulk update the assignment dates in your course for a new term.
- Grade Weighting through Assignments: Use assignment groups to weight your final grade.
Best Practices and Accessibility
- To help your students succeed, it is recommended that you plan your assessments and weighting of grades by the start of the course.
- Provide assessment guidelines that explain the purpose of the assignment with detailed information on expectations, content, format (e.g., length, citations), and if appropriate a rubric to explain what success looks like.
- To level up your teaching impact, consider implementing Universal Design for Learning principles in one or more of your assessments. For example, it could look like giving students different response options or modalities for an assignment (e.g., a paper or presentation or short video). Speak with your division’s UDL ambassador for more ideas and guidance.