Canvas: Assignments

Canvas assignments are a valuable tool for challenging students' understanding and assessing their competency. The Assignments tab displays all upcoming assignments for students, along with the point value for each. If the Syllabus tab is enabled, assignments will also automatically appear there.

You can assign tasks to the entire class or differentiate them by section or individual student.

Assignment Details and Settings

Image Reference Key

1. Type the assignment title in the Assignment Name field.
2. Add details and directions for the assignment. You can use the Rich Content Editor (RCE) tools to add links, include images, attach documents, or embed videos.
3. Enter the points for your assignment in the Points field.
4. Select the Assignment Group for the assignment in the Assignment Group drop-down menu. This is the category your assignment will be placed in.
5. 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.
6. By default, the Submission Type is set to Online for creating online assignments. To change the submission type, click the Submission Type drop-down menu.
7. If you have selected the Online submission type, the number of allowed attempts is unlimited by default. However, you can limit submission attempts for the assignment.
8. The Assign Access section allows users to assign access, add due dates, or add availability dates. To assign additional students, click the Add Assign To button.
9. Once you have finished, click the Save button.

Assignment Settings Image

Submission Types

• 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 is when you want students to submit their assignments using Canvas through an online submission option. Learn more about creating an online assignment.
• 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 is when you want students to submit their assignments using an external app (LTI) enabled for your course. You must enter a URL for the external tool. Learn more about adding an assignment using an external application.
• Lucid is when you want students to submit documents through Lucid EDU Suite, which includes apps such as Lucidchart and Lucidspark. If this option does not display, contact your Customer Success Manager. Learn more about creating a Lucid assignment.

Canvas Instructor Guides

 How do I create an assignment?

 How do I add course content as module items?

 How do I add an assignment group in a course?

 How do I add or edit details in an assignment?