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University Center for Teaching and Learning

How to create assignments for your canvas course.

• Quick Start
• Instructor Help
• Student Help

How to Create Assignments

Using assignments in Canvas provides a streamlined process for assigning homework and creating quizzes for students.  Canvas considers an ‘assignment’ to be anything that is graded, whether that be a quiz or homework assignment, and whether it’s delivered entirely online, paper-and-pencil, or is a participatory assignment with no actual deliverable.

This Quick Start guide will cover the creation of assignments where the student submits a file electronically, on paper, using an external tool such as Turnitin or Panopto , or where no submission is expected (e.g. class participation). See How to Create Tests and Quizzes for Your Canvas Course and Create and Manage Discussions for more information about using those tools as assignments.

1. In the Course Navigation menu, click the Assignments link.

2. Click “ +Assignment ” at the top right.

3. Write the assignment title and directions for students.

4. Assign the number of points available for the assignment.

5. Choose an “ Assignment Group” . Assignment groups are, in essence, a category of assignment. For more information about using Assignment Groups, see the Canvas guides regarding Assignments.

6. There are four submission types :

• No Submission: an activity where nothing will be collected from students (e.g. a participation grade)
• For the full details about the online assignment subtypes, (text entry, annotation, file upload, etc.), please see the official documentation .
• We have a recorded mini-webinar on annotation assignments, including assignment ideas, available on the Training Webinars page.
• On Paper: assignments/quizzes/activities that were written on paper and collected by the instructor
• External Tool: assignments submitted through a 3rd party tool that is integrated with Canvas, such as a textbook publisher’s website or Turnitin

7. Submission Attempts: You may allow unlimited submission attempts for Online assignments, or restrict attempts to one or more. When a student submits to an assignment they have already submitted to, the previous submission is retained as well, and the instructor may view both.

8. Group Assignments and Peer Reviews:  Assignments can be created as either a group assignment or peer review assignment.

9. Assign options- You can assign an assignment to your entire class, a specific student, and/or a section of your class. You can also set the due date and the availability dates (when your students can submit their assignment). Each section can have different due dates and availability dates.

10. If you are finished creating the assignment, click on “ Save & Publish “. If you are not finished creating the assignment, click on “ Save ” and you may come back and work on it more later without students having access to it.

Instructor Help for Assignments

Creating assignments.

• How do I create an assignment?
• How do I add a moderated assignment to be graded by multiple reviewers?
• How do I create an online assignment?
• How do I add or edit details in an assignment?
• How do I add or edit points for an assignment?
• What assignment types can I create in a course?
• How do I limit submission attempts for an assignment?
• How do I add an assignment that includes anonymous grading?
• How do I enable anonymous instructor annotations in student submissions?
• How do I import SCORM files as an assignment?
• How do I publish or unpublish an assignment as an instructor?

Managing Assignments

• How do I use the Assignments Index Page?
• Can a student resubmit Canvas assignments?
• How do I assign an assignment to everyone in a course?
• How do I assign an assignment to a course group?
• How do I assign an assignment to a course section?
• How do I assign an assignment to an individual student?
• How do I view differentiated assignments with different due dates in a course?
• How do I bulk update due dates and availability dates as an instructor?
• How do I delete an assignment?
• How do I duplicate an assignment?
• How do I move or reorder an assignment?
• How do I use Direct Share to copy an assignment to another course?
• How do I use Direct Share to send an assignment to another instructor?

Creating and Managing Peer Review Assignments

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

Creating External Tool Assignments

• How do I add an assignment using an external app?
• How do I create a cloud assignment with a Microsoft Office 365 file?

Using Assignment Groups

• How do I add an assignment group in a course?
• How do I create an assignment shell in an assignment group?
• How do I create rules for an assignment group?
• How do I move or reorder an assignment group?
• How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?

Grading Considerations

• How do I add a grading scheme to an assignment?
• How do I download all student submissions for an assignment?
• How do I upload all student submissions for an assignment?
• How do I exclude an assignment from the course’s final grades?
• How do I give extra credit in a course?

Student Help for Assignments

• How do I view Assignments as a student?
• How do I filter assignments by type as a student?
• How do I submit an online assignment?
• How do I submit a text entry assignment?
• How do I enter a URL as an assignment submission?
• How do I submit a media file as an assignment submission?
• How do I upload a file as an assignment submission in Canvas?
• How do I upload a file from Microsoft Office 365 as an assignment submission?
• How do I know when my assignment has been submitted?
• How do I manage celebration animations in Canvas as a student?
• How do I submit a cloud assignment with Microsoft Office 365?
• How do I download assignment submissions from all my courses?
• How do I annotate a file as an assignment submission in Canvas?
• How do I use DocViewer in Canvas assignments as a student?
• How do I submit a PDF assignment with annotations in the Student app on my Android device?
• How do I add annotations to a submission in the Student app on my iOS device?

Groups and Peer

• How do I submit an assignment on behalf of a group?
• How do I know if I have a peer review assignment to complete?
• How do I submit a peer review to an assignment?
• Where can I find my peers’ feedback for peer reviewed assignments?
• How do I view the rubric for my assignment?
• How do I view the rubric for my external tool assignment?
• How do I view rubric results for my assignment?
• How do I know when my instructor has graded my assignment?
• How do I view assignment comments from my instructor?
• How do I view annotation feedback comments from my instructor directly in my assignment submission?
• How do I view my Roll Call Attendance report as a student?
• Important dates for the summer term  
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Getting Started with Canvas Assignments

• Last modification date Updated On July 26, 2024
• Categories: Assignments , Canvas , Uncategorized
• Categories: assessment , Getting Started , Grading

Canvas  Assignments  are a way for instructors to provide students opportunities to practice using the knowledge and skills they have gained or to assess student performance related to such knowledge and skills. (Creating an Assignment is the  only  way to create a new column in the Gradebook.)

In Canvas there are four basic  Submission Types  for assignments. The submission types include:

• No Submission : For assignments for which you are not collecting any content from the students.
• Text Entry : For students to enter text directly into a text box on Canvas.
• Website URL : For students to enter a URL (usually to a blog, video, podcast, etc.).
• Media Recordings : For students to upload or record media for submission.
• File Uploads : For students to upload files for submission ( Restrict Upload File Types  will allow you to limit which types of files may be submitted).
• On Paper : For assignments students will submit in person.
• External Tool : For assignments which students will submit through a third-party tool (such as Turnitin, Panopto Video Quiz, and PlayPosit).

Managing an Assignment

Managing assignment groups.

When getting started with Assignments, learn to

• Create an assignment shell with the Canvas guide  How do I create an assignment? 

If you select  Peer Reviews Appear Anonymously , annotation tools in  SpeedGrader  will become unavailable.

If you change the  Assign To  area from  Everyone  to select students after submissions have already begun, and do not have a second set of Assign To dates, submissions from unassigned students will disappear.

• Published assignments are visible as existing outside of availability dates, but students cannot see the details.
• If looking to update the due and/or availability dates on multiple assignments, see   How do I bulk update due dates and availability dates as an instructor?
• If choosing the option to make an assignment a  Group Assignment : If only assigning to specific groups, make sure to click the  X  on the  Everyone Else  choice under  Assign to .

Media Recording  Assignments are not recommended due to technical reasons. Instead, have students submit media by embedding it in a  Text Entry  assignment through Panopto .

Clearly express expectations and criteria for grading by using a  Rubric .

Be cautious limiting submission attempts, as students often make mistakes loading documents and need multiple attempts to ensure you have the correct submission.

• Delete an assignment with the Canvas guide  How do I delete an assignment?
• This duplication process will not work for Quizzes.
• Attach a rubric to an assignment for grading or to communicate expectations to students with the Canvas guide  How do I add a rubric to an assignment?

Accessibility Tips

• Use descriptive text for links, instead of long URLs or ‘click here’. 
• Make instructions brief and to-the-point. Avoid long paragraphs and sentences.
• Consider allowing multiple submission types to accommodate technical limitations students may face.

Assignment Groups  are a way to categorize different graded items in Canvas. For example, you may have journals, blogs, and essays which your students create in your course. Assignment Groups allow you to label and group different types of assignments separately in order to better organize and for ease when applying weighting (see  How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups? ). When getting started with Assignment Groups, learn to

• Add and delete assignment groups with the Canvas guide  How do I add an assignment group in a course?
• Move or reorder an assignment group with the Canvas guide  How do I move or reorder an assignment group?
• Make rules governing grading expectations within assignment groups with the Canvas guide  How do I create rules for an assignment group?

Additional Resources

• CTI Resource: What is the Assignments Index Page?
• How do I bulk update due dates and availability dates as an instructor?
• How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?
• Canvas Student Guide

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• Instructors: Create, edit and delete courses and assignments

Create an assignment

Use Assignments to create, collect, and give feedback on assignments in a learning management system (LMS).

Before you begin

To use Assignments, you need an LMS and a Google Workspace for Education account. The account usually looks like [email protected] . If Assignments isn't installed in your LMS, ask your administrator to go to Get started with Assignments .

Create an assignment in Canvas

• Sign in to Canvas.
• Open the course.

• Enter a name and description for your assignment.
• When you set the points to zero, assignments are left ungraded in Google Assignments.
• Points that use a decimal value will be rounded down in Google Assignments.
• Due dates are imported automatically into Google Assignments if the Canvas assignment has a single due date for all students. Otherwise, the due date is left unset in Google Assignments.

• To save your assignment, click Save or Save & Publish .

• To confirm your changes and return to the rest of your assignment, click Edit .
• Tip : Your Canvas admin might have given Assignments a different name.
• If you’re signed in to your Google Workspace for Education account—Click Continue .
• If you’re not signed in—Sign in with your Google Workspace account.
• If this is your first time using Assignments in this course, you must link your LMS account to your Google Account. For instructions, go to  Link your account to Assignments (below).

• Files students submit are shared with the instructor.
• Tip: Files students submit automatically upload to SpeedGrader™.
• Click  Create .

Tip : Students can't see an assignment until you publish it.

Copy an assignment to another course in Canvas

• In the sidebar, click Assignments .

• Click Copy .

Use SpeedGrader with Google Drive files

If you create an assignment in Canvas, you can use SpeedGrader to grade students’ Drive files. However, you won’t be able to use the features included in Assignments. For details, go to Use SpeedGrader with Google Drive files in Canvas .

Create an assignment in Schoology

• Sign in to Schoology.
• In the sidebar, click Materials .
• Click Add Materials and select Google Assignments .
• If this is your first time using Assignments in this course, you must link your LMS account to your Google Account. For instructions, go to Link your account to Assignments (below).
• Enter a title for the assignment.
• (Optional) To edit the total points or add a due date or any other instructions, enter the details.
• Click Create .
• Open the assignment.

Create an assignment in another LMS

Setting up an assignment varies for each LMS. Contact your IT administrator. Or, for more information, go to the Assignments Help Community .

Link your account to Assignments

The first time you use Assignments in a course, you need to link your Google Workspace for Education account. When you do, Assignments creates a folder in Google Drive for student assignments and automatically sends grades to the LMS. Students can't submit classwork until you link your account. After you select Google Assignments as an external tool, choose an option based on whether you're:

Google, Google Workspace, and related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. All other company and product names are trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.

Need more help?

Try these next steps:.

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Create an assignment in canvas.

In Canvas, any activity with an associated point value is considered an Assignment and will appear on the Assignments page, as well as in the gradebook. Assignment formats include quizzes, discussions, online document submission, and no submission, and external tool assignments. You can give an assignment to everyone in the course or target it to a specific section or user.

Types of Graded Activities in Canvas

The following table lists the types of graded activities in Canvas and their strengths and weaknesses.

To Create an Assignment

On the Course Navigation menu, click Assignments

On the Assignments list page, click Add Assignment

On the Assignment edit page, create the assignment by adding a name, instructions, and specifying the assignment options

(See the Assignment Options table for details)

Assignment Options

The following table describes the options for creating assignments.

Canvas - Get Started

The following list of pages will guide you through getting started with this tool. The current page is listed in bold.

• Log into Canvas
• Notification Preferences
• Access your Course
• Create an Assignment
• Create a Quiz in Canvas
• Add a Syllabus to Canvas
• Early Course Access for Students
• Publish Your Course
• Communication
• Five Keys to Grading
• Prepare Final Grading

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Create & customize canvas assignments.

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• Last updated: Jul 3, 2023 by Claire Streckenbach

Canvas allows you to create assignments for your students and customize the settings to meet your grading approach for your course.  Within the grading settings of a Canvas Assignment,  you can select the grading settings for each assignment based on the assignment’s type, objectives, and expectations.  You may also choose to use points, percentages, or complete/incomplete to track progress and provide feedback to students about their work. 

Create Canvas Assignments

To create an assignment:

• Log in to Canvas at canvas.brown.edu  and select your course from the Global Navigation menu on the left.

• Enter the name of the assignment in the Assignment Name  box.
• Enter a description of the assignment in the box below if relevant.

Your new assignment will appear on the Assignments page under the assignment group you selected.  Any Assignments you create automatically show up in the Calendar, Syllabus page and Gradebook.  

For more information on how to create and manage assignments, please see the following links:

• How do I add a rubric to an assignment
• How do I manage rubrics in a course
• How do I set notifications

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Related Content

• Enable TurnItIn for Student Assignment Submissions
• Enter Grades into Canvas Grades
• Set Varied Due Dates by Section for Canvas Assignments, Discussions, and Quizzes
• Create Weighted Assignment Groups in Canvas for Grading
• Canvas Speedgrader
• Annotate Student Submissions using Speedgrader
• Create Weighted Assignment Groups for Grading
• Canvas Quizzes

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About assignments in Canvas

Watch a video overview of Canvas assignments

Why do I have to re-create my assignments in Canvas?

If you already have assignments created in Word or Google docs, Catalyst tools, or posted online, you might wonder, “What’s the point is of recreating them in Canvas?” Not only does Canvas make it easy to create assignments with lots of options (selective release, group assignments, peer review, submission type) it also adds convenience for you and your students.

What are Assignment Groups?

Like Catalyst Gradebook, Canvas prefers for you to create assignment groups for organization. The groups you create control how the gradebook is structured and you can choose to weight final grades based on those groups. By default you begin with a group called Assignments. You can choose to keep all of your assignments in this one group, or create as many new ones as you like.

Where do I create assignments?

You can create assignments in the Assignments area of Canvas or in the Calendar. Your Assignments page will show the work you have assigned. In student view, the Assignments page will show all assigned work and the point value of each (if you set point values when setting up an assignment). Any graded activity (such as a discussion, quiz, essay or project) can be an assignment.

When you create an assignment in your Canvas course it is automatically added to the assignment list on the Syllabus page, the course calendar, and your gradebook. If you change the due date for an assignment, Canvas updates it course-wide. If you alter the assignment you can have Canvas notify your students.

What can I do with assignments?

Assignments can be used to:

• Set up online submissions that can be quickly graded in the SpeedGrader™
• Grade online submissions work submitted on paper
• Set up peer review
• Grade Discussions, either among the whole class or student groups
• Open Quizzes for a limited amount of time
• Create ungraded activities that align with course outcomes

Assignments and Grading

Having your assignments in Canvas and automatically linked to the gradebook means you can take advantage of SpeedGrader and rubrics to make the grading process faster and more efficient. Canvas communication tools allow you to provide your students with text or multimedia feedback on all assignments.

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Creating the perfect canvas course: student perspective.

As an instructor, you play a crucial role in shaping the academic experience of your students. One of the most powerful tools at your disposal is Canvas, the learning management system used at Pitt. A Canvas course can significantly enhance student engagement and learning outcomes when designed effectively. It can also help you to avoid the hassle of unnecessary questions and misunderstandings. To help you create the perfect Canvas course, we've compiled a list of best practices from the experts, complemented by feedback from a focus group of students.

Understanding Student Needs

To create a course that truly meets the needs of your students and helps to prevent frustration, it's essential to understand what helps them to be successful and meet your expectations. Here are some common concerns expressed by Pitt students:

• Lack of Clear Deadlines: It can be frustrating for students when the professor doesn't list due dates at the beginning of the semester. That causes assignments and due dates to creep up and makes it hard to plan ahead with work schedules and social plans. Student Feedback: “If I know I have a big paper or test coming up, I ask for a lighter schedule at work a couple weeks in advance and adjust my plans with friends. Especially when more than one class has something due in the same week.”  
• Disorganized Course Materials: When course materials are scattered across different modules without any clear organization, it makes it hard for students to find things necessary to complete their assignments. Student Feedback: “If I can’t find anything, the Canvas course is just a source of frustration instead of help. When my professor tells me it was on the Canvas site, all I think is, ‘Where?! Because I looked and didn’t find it!’”  
• Inconsistent Communication: When professors don't regularly update announcements or respond to messages, it can make students feel they are left in the dark. A Canvas message is often the most efficient way to answer common questions for all students. Student Feedback: “When the latest announcement is a month old or different than something said in class, I just assume it’s out of date. If the professor isn’t going to answer my message, I’ll just wait and ask in the next class. But that delays me by several days, which isn’t great for keeping up.”

What Student Really Love in a Great Canvas Course

Here are some best practices for Canvas course design from instructional design experts here at Pitt and throughout academia.

• Modular Structure: Breaking your course into modules, each representing a week or a unit, helps students navigate through the content systematically and easily find the resources meant to accompany each session.
• Consistent Formatting: Use of a consistent format for each module, including an overview, objectives, readings, assignments, and any additional resources, helps students quickly browse content to find what they’re looking for.  
• Calendar Integration: Listing all assignment due dates and exam/quiz dates on the Canvas calendar at the beginning of the semester ensures students can see all important dates in one place and plan accordingly!
• Syllabus: A detailed syllabus that is easily accessible from the course homepage is critical. As the year goes on, you can update and highlight changes in the syllabus on Canvas should any due dates or assignments change.  
• Weekly Announcements: Posting weekly announcements summarizing what was covered, what's coming up, and any important reminders helps students stay on track. It also communicates that you care about how they’re doing outside of the lectures.
• Feedback: Timely feedback on assignments and prompt responses to student inquiries helps to maintain open lines of communication and helps students make adjustments they may need to succeed.  
• Video Lectures: Incorporating video lectures caters to different learning styles, helps students review material for an upcoming test/quiz, and helps students who miss a class to catch up. Tools like Lecure Capture (Panopto) can record and upload these videos to Canvas.
• Supplemental Videos: If you’ve covered a tricky topic or something that relies on knowledge from a lower-level course, you can link to a YouTube or LinkedIn Learning video to provide reinforcement.  
• Interactive Elements: Including quizzes, discussion boards, and interactive assignments keeps students engaged.  
• Captioning and Transcripts: All video content should be captioned and have transcripts available for students who may need them.
• Accessible Documents: Providing accessible document in multiple formats (PDF, Word, etc.) helps to accommodate all students, on any kind of device. Saving PDFs as documents (not images) and providing alt text for images enables a screen reader to process it.  
• Surveys and Polls: Regularly soliciting feedback from students through surveys and polls can help you understand what's working and what can be improved.
• Course Adjustments: Students really appreciate it when instructors are prepared to make adjustments based on student feedback to enhance the learning experience continuously.

Implementing Student-Focused Practices

As you design or update your Canvas courses, keep these suggestions in mind and consider the feedback from students. A well-structured, accessible, and engaging course design can make a significant difference in their academic journey and success. If you need further assistance or resources, don't hesitate to reach out to the Center for Teaching and Learning at Pitt. They are here to support your goal of creating the best possible learning experience for your students.

Happy teaching, and here's to a successful semester ahead! Hail to Pitt!

-- By Haree Lim, Pitt IT Student Blogger

• Gradescope Guides
• Instructors
• Managing Assignments
• Assignment Types

Gradescope allows you to grade paper-based exams, quizzes, bubble sheets, programming assignments  (graded automatically or manually) and lets you create online assignments that students can answer right on Gradescope.

In this guide:

Assignment Types and Features

Using gradescope for paper-based assignments, exams & quizzes, homework & problem sets, multi-versioned assignments.

• Bubble Sheet Assignments

Programming Assignments

• Online Assignments

The following table details Gradescope assignment types and features .

*The file-upload question type can be used for students to upload images of their handwritten work.

**Certain question types can be auto-graded: Multiple choice, select all, and fill in the blank.

For paper-based assignments, Gradescope works well for many types of questions: paragraphs, proofs, diagrams, fill-in-the-blank, true/false, and more. Our biggest users so far have been high school and higher-ed courses in Math, Chemistry, Computer Science, Physics, Economics, and Business — but we’re confident that our tool is useful to most subject areas and grade levels. Please reach out to us and we can help you figure out if Gradescope will be helpful in your course.

To grade exams or quizzes you will start by creating a new assignment on Gradescope. 

Once the assignment is created, you’ll:

• Mark the question regions on a template PDF ( Creating an outline )

See our tips for formatting the assignment template PDF and outline for automated roster matching of submissions.

• Create rubrics for your questions if applicable (See Creating Rubrics in Grading Submissions )
• Upload and process scans*  ( Managing scans )
• Match student names to submissions*  ( Managing submissions )
• Students can use the Gradescope Mobile App to scan and upload their handwritten assignments.
• Grade student work with flexible, dynamic rubrics ( Grading )

When grading is finished you can:

• Publish grades and email students ( Reviewing grades )
• Export grades ( Exporting Grades )
• Manage regrade requests ( Managing regrade requests )
• See question and rubric-level statistics to better understand what your students have learned ( Assignment Statistics )

*Not applicable if students are uploading their own work.

You will need to give the assignment a title and upload a blank copy of the homework to create the assignment outline you’ll use for grading. By default, the Homework / Problem Set assignment type is set up for students to submit work. In a typical homework assignment, students will upload their work and be directed to mark where their answers are on their submissions ( Submitting an assignment ), making them even easier for you to grade. 

If you want to scan and submit work for your students, you can change the Who will upload submissions? setting to Instructors and follow the steps above in the “Exam and Quizzes” section. If needed, you can also submit on behalf of your students, even if you’ve originally set the assignment to be student-uploaded. See more on that on our Managing Submissions help page.

Next, Gradescope will prompt you to set the assignment release date and due date, choose your submission type and set your group submission policy ( Submission Type ). Next, you can select Enforce time limit and use the Maximum Time Permitted feature to give students a set number of minutes to complete the assignment from the moment they confirm that they’re ready to begin. Under Template Visibility , you can select Allow students to view and download the template to let students view and download a blank copy of the homework after the assignment release date.

Assignments with a set time limit are not compatible for student upload on the Gradescope Mobile App.

Then, you will create the assignment outline ( Creating an outline ) and either create a rubric now or wait for students to submit their work. You can begin grading as soon as a single submission is uploaded (although we recommend waiting until the due date passes, since students can resubmit), and you can view all student-uploaded submissions from the Manage Submissions tab. The rest of the workflow is the same as exams and quizzes: you can publish grades, email students ( Reviewing grades ), export grades ( Exporting Grades ), and manage regrade requests ( Managing regrade requests ).

The Organize Exam Versions feature lets you group together multiple instructor-uploaded Exam or Homework assignments into an Exam Version Set. Please note that assignment versioning is style="color: #d33115;"not available on Online Assignments, Programming Assignments, or any other type of student-uploaded assignment . To see how to use this feature on your instructor-uploaded Exam or Homework assignments, check out the article on Creating and Grading Multi-Version Assignments .

Bubble Sheets

Bubble Sheet Assignments are available with an Institutional license .

If your assignment is completely multiple choice, you should consider using the Bubble Sheet assignment type . With this type of assignment, you need to electronically or manually distribute and have students fill out the Gradescope Bubble Sheet Template . You can then mark the correct answers for each question ahead of time, and all student submissions will be automatically graded.

Bubble Sheet assignments allow up to five versions of the assignment during the creation of instructor-uploaded assignments. To learn how to add more than one version, check out our guide on Creating multiple versions .

By default, the Bubble Sheet assignment type is set up for instructors to scan and upload. However, you can change this by choosing Students under Who will upload submissions? in your assignment settings and following the steps in the Homework and Problem Sets section of this guide. If submissions will be student-uploaded, you can also enable Template Visibility in your assignment settings to let students download a blank, 200-question bubble sheet template from Gradescope when they open the assignment. If you enable template visibility on a Bubble Sheet assignment, please note that you will not need to upload a blank bubble sheet for students to be able to download it, and the template students can download will contain five answer bubbles per question, but no question content.

Once the assignment is created you’ll:

• Create an answer key and set grading defaults ( Bubble Sheet specific features )
• Upload and process scans * ( Managing scans )
• Match student names to submissions * ( Managing submissions )
• Review uncertain marks and optionally add more descriptive rubric items ( Reviewing Uncertain Marks )
• Grade the bubble sheet assignment ( Grading a Bubble Sheet assignment )

And when grading is completed you can:

However, there is also an additional analysis page for Bubble Sheet Assignments - Item Analysis. We calculate a discriminatory score, or the correlation between getting the question right and the overall assignment score.

Programming assignments are available with an Institutional license . 

With Programming Assignments, students submit code projects and instructors can automatically grade student code with a custom written autograder and/or manually grade using the traditional Gradescope interface.

When setting up a Programming Assignment, you’ll have a few unique options to choose from for this specific assignment type which you can learn over in the programming assignment documentation .

After the assignment is created , the workflow is similar to other student submitted assignments:

• If you wish to manually grade questions, you’ll add them to the outline
• If you wish to use an autograder, you’ll set it up next ( Autograder Specifications )
• Wait for submissions from students

Programming Assignments are not compatible for student upload on the Gradescope Mobile App.

• Grading a programming assignment
• Optionally, manually grade student work ( Manual Grading )

And when grading is completed you have access to the usual steps:

For more information about programming assignments and autograders, check out the Programming Assignment documentation .

Online Assignments (Beta)

Online assignments are available with an Institutional license .

Currently in beta, an Online Assignment offers the following features:

• Allows you to create questions directly on Gradescope.
• Students will be able to log in and submit responses within the Gradescope interface.
• If you’d like, you can also give students a set number of minutes to submit their work from the moment they open the assignment.
• Additionally, you can choose to hide questions and responses once the due date passes or the time limit runs out to help prevent students who have completed the assignment from sharing questions and answers with students who have not finished working.
• For multiple choice, select all, and short answer questions, you can indicate the correct answer ahead of time, and student submissions will be automatically graded. You can also add a File Upload field to a question that will allow students to complete their work on that question outside of Gradescope and then the upload files. For example, a photo or PDF of handwritten work can be uploaded that contains their answer.

After creating the assignment:

• Enter your questions using the Assignment Editor ( Online Assignment specific features )
• Create rubrics for your questions if applicable ( See Creating rubrics in Grading Submissions )
• Optionally, manually grade student answers

Online Assignments are not compatible for student upload on the Gradescope Mobile App.

And when grading is completed, you have access to the usual steps:

• Manage regrade requests ( Managing regrade requests ).

Articles in this section

• Assignment Settings Overview
• Creating Multi-version Assignments
• Creating and Editing Sections for Assignments
• Linking an assignment or gradebook column from an LMS to Gradescope
• Extending assignment release dates, due dates, and time limits
• Managing Submissions
• Writing Formulas and Equations (LaTeX) for Assignments
• Using Markdown for Assignments
• Duplicating an Assignment

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Assignment & Quiz Basics on Canvas (Virtual Workshop)

This workshop will focus on using Assignments and Quizzes in Canvas. Topics covered include c reating assignments with various submission types , creating quizzes with multiple question types, configuring quiz and assignment settings , and using Assignment Groups. 

All Canvas workshops are conducted via Zoom. RSVP is required. 

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Getting Started with Canvas (Fall 2024 Prep)

Getting Started with Canvas

This workshop provides a general overview for instructors who are new to Canvas. Participants will be provided with demos on how to begin setting up a Canvas course. There will also be an hands-on opportunity to set up a test course, create a page, make an assignment, set up modules, and publish the course.

Visit the ITS Instructional Support page to view the full series of workshops.

Visit MiVideo to watch a prior recording of this workshop on demand.

Zoom link: https://umich.zoom.us/j/98888582214

Session Details

Session level: Beginner Sponsor(s): ITS Teaching and Learning Presenter(s): Angela Marocco

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Inclusive course checklist.

Equity is an important consideration when developing new courses or updating existing ones. This guide is designed to help instructors make their courses more inclusive so they can better support the learning needs of all students. At the university, we are committed to improving educational outcomes for historically underrepresented students. To help instructors work toward that goal, we have compiled a list of high impact best-practices for supporting all students, which are organized into the checklist below. As you’ll notice, we focus particular attention on ensuring that courses are accessible and follow principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

It is important to remember that every course is unique, and each instructor has a different style. Not all suggestions on the list will be applicable to every course, and it certainly isn’t necessary to do everything listed below to serve the needs of your students. We recommend that you read through the list and look for opportunities to enhance the equity of your course design and delivery. As you work on your course, you may want to contact your instructional designer for assistance.

Download the Inclusive Course Checklist

On this page

Syllabus & policies.

• Articulate clear course policies. Ensure all written course policies reflect what you do in practice. If you’re more lenient on deadlines or attendance than your written policy states, it may disadvantage 1st generation & underrepresented students who tend to assume that all policies are enforced exactly as written. Those students are therefore less likely to ask for unstated leniency in emergency situations than continuing generation students.  Tell your students about your late policy. Consider using flexible due dates when possible or incorporate ‘oops tokens’ or ‘late passes.’ Make a syllabus quiz or use an interactive class activity to ensure students pick up the key details for how your course will run.
• Ensure your syllabus follows the best practices for accessibility. Use defined styles, descriptive hyperlinks, tables for tabular data only, etc. Use the accessibility checker in the program you’re using (Canvas, Word, etc.) to check for additional accessibility issues which may impact visually impaired students or others that may rely on a screen reader. For a quick list for implementing accessibility in specific programs, visit the CTT Accessibility Resource .   Consider using this LISTS Accessibility Essentials Checklist to learn the general accessibility rules that apply across all programs and course materials or go through the asynchronous online NU Accessibility Training course .
• Make the syllabus available. Post your syllabus as early as possible so students know exactly what workload to expect. This is particularly important for students with disabilities that may need to adjust their schedules accordingly.
• Use welcoming, clear, and inclusive language. Communicate empathy and warmth while also reminding students you maintain high standards, as described in the Warm Demander quadrant of this chart .  Avoid disciplinary jargon – students should be able to understand their course syllabus before they take the class!
• Connect to the real world. Students of historically underserved backgrounds are often more engaged and perform better if they understand how course work clearly connects to their future career plans. In your syllabus, explain how different assignments and course activities support skills they’ll use after they graduate.
• Be clear about your office hours. Explain what they are, when and where they will be held, and why they exist. Tell your student what topics they might talk about during office hours. Consider calling them something friendly like “Student Hours.” If you have a TA, explain their role in the course and what help students can get when meeting with them.
• Refer to the University Syllabus Policy for required information that must be on all course syllabi. This site also provides a fillable syllabus template that faculty may choose to use.
• Include a link to university-wide course policies and resources. Ensure that students know how to find campus resources they need. If you include this as a link rather than text, you can reduce the length of the syllabus while ensuring students have access to the most up-to-date information on university-wide course policies .

Materials & Activities

• Addressing Prerequisite Knowledge. Use a pre-course survey to understand the level of student knowledge & interest. Provide supplemental materials for students that may not have as strong of a background on the subject. Teach students how to read & understand materials in your discipline. Don't assume that students already know discipline-specific skills like writing/formatting styles, formal presentation skills, problem-solving, etc. If performance of those skills will be graded, explicitly teach them and give students the opportunity to practice. Define or describe vocabulary, acronyms, and symbols before students use them.
• Teach students how to learn. Share study strategies with your students, particularly first-gen students who may not have experienced the same mentoring or advising on study habits as other students. Introducing an array of strategies might give students an opportunity to pick something that will work better in the long term. Use points to incentivize good study techniques (e.g.: small amount of extra credit for taking a practice test).  Give explicit instructions on how to get the most out of the study techniques (e.g.: take the practice test in a test-like environment without notes, review what questions you got wrong, get help solving them, use those questions to identify where to target your studying).
• Provide a Variety of Examples. Use different types of examples and metaphors and minimize use of ones that rely on knowledge of American culture. In lectures, explain content in different ways using new examples not given in the readings or other course materials. Show students multiple methods for solving the same problem or alternative ways to see issues or topics.
• Incorporate Diversity into Examples. Ensure that examples used are diverse in terms of race/ethnic background, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability status, etc. Find course materials created by people from diverse backgrounds. Explicitly talk about diversity in your field. Ensure materials avoid outdated gender and cultural stereotypes. Add multiple cultural or historical perspectives on ideas or topics. When creating homework problems, case studies, exam questions, etc. try to use names and scenarios that reflect a variety of different experiences. Think about aspects like race / ethnic background, country of origin, gender, age, and ability status.
• Accessibility of Materials. Use a variety of formats for course materials (video, audio, writing, etc.). Use programs that allow students to manipulate the font, background contrast, text size, etc. of written materials. Caption Videos and provide transcripts for podcasts. Use videos that allow adjustments to volume and speed. Avoid PDFs as most are not easily accessible. These are all concepts of Universal Design for Learning .
• Vary the level of interaction. Some activities will be individual, while others involve small groups or the whole class. Vary the pace of work in the classroom and incorporate methods to involve all students in class activities. Consider participation rules that honor a broader range of participation to avoid disproportionately rewarding only certain types of students.

Assignments & Assessments

• Increase submission options.  Give students options for assignment completion since there are myriad ways to demonstrate mastery. For example, provide an option for completing an assignment as a written paper, presentation, podcast, graphic, or other artistic format, which keeps the focus on demonstration of content mastery rather than familiarity with a specific format.  Provide students with choices on topics or other aspects of assignments/projects. Acknowledge and incorporate student interests into class topics/activities when/where appropriate. Generate relevant authentic assessments related to students’ careers or “real-life” situations. Learn more about alternative grading options such as mastery grading, competency-based grading, contract grading, and specification grading. 
• Provide opportunities for low-stakes, formative assessments . Create assessments that give students an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge of the material. This can take the form of regular assignments like exit tickets, learning quizzes, or muddiest point to identify where students need more clarity and support with the content. Include self-assessment and self-reflection in assignments.
• Provide detailed written expectations. Create a rubric or grading sheet that details specific grading criteria. Provide instructions that include sequential steps, organizational methods, or scaffolding. Provide students with annotated examples of past students’ work to help illustrate your expectations and help them understand your criteria for strong academic performance.
• Avoid using high-stakes assessments. Try not to let any individual assignment or exam be worth too much of the final grade. Learning requires the ability to learn from your mistakes, which are often not available with high stakes exams. Also, students excel at different types of things, so if specific exams or assignments are worth a large percentage of the grade, it may put students that don’t have a strong background with that particular assessment type at a disadvantage.
• Ensure grades reflect mastery of course objectives. Avoid grading on a curve (i.e., adjusting grades to ensure that a certain percentage of students get A’s, B’s, C’s, D’s, and F’s). This creates a competitive environment where students are discouraged from helping one another. It also grades students based on how they do relative to one another instead of how well they have done at meeting the learning goals for the course. If attendance makes up part of your grade, consider having alternative assignments so that students who miss class can complete them to make up the points.
• Provide feedback within a reasonable timeframe. Try to ensure students have feedback from previous assignments before starting the next one.  Provide feedback that is specific and substantive/informative. Try to use Wise Feedback -- be supportive while maintaining high standards. Telling individual students something like “I have very high standards, but I know you can reach them” tells your students that your feedback is meant to help them rather than being a judgment of their ability.  Consider turning on anonymous grading in Canvas to remain objective.
• Listen to students. A simple mid-semester survey asking ‘1) What should I keep doing, 2) What should I stop doing, 3) What should I start doing’ shortly after the first assessment can help you notice and correct problems before the end of the semester. Talking with students about the results and why you will or won’t make the suggested changes helps build trust.

Interactions & Communication

• Provide accommodations. Tell students how to contact the SSD office and provide all necessary accommodations for physical and mental health needs. Never ask if students ‘really’ need accommodations.  When making accommodations, consider altering your future course design to incorporate the change for all students.
• Articulate a communication plan. Tell students how to contact you, what you would like to be called (professor, Dr., first name, etc.), and when they can expect a response. Let them know how you will communicate important course information (email, announcements, etc.) Use regular Canvas announcements to remind students about key deadlines and to recap key points from class.
• Intervene early. Use the Message Students Who feature in Canvas to contact students as soon as they start missing assignments or missing class. Use MyPlan to flag students as soon as they start struggling – this will notify both the student and their advisor, which can be very helpful in getting the student back on track early!
• Support wellbeing. Provide links to campus resources and refer students to the ‘Wellbeing’ button in Canvas. Consider sharing your personal stories of overcoming challenges and frame getting help as a sign of motivation rather than weakness. Consider regularly including slides with resources during class so students can see the range of support available.
• Create a supportive environment. Stress and anxiety impair learning, so students need to feel they belong in the class. Communicate your commitment to respectful class discourse with policies specifically for online and face-to-face discussions. Explicitly tell your students you care about their success. Use student names and correct pronouns. Respond to microaggressions (for example, racially insensitive language or using incorrect names/pronouns) quickly. Do not expect individuals to speak on behalf of an entire group.
• Use self-reflection. Instructor biases and attitudes can manifest as stereotyping or microaggressions. Try to avoid deficit thinking and instead, use asset framing to focus on student potential. When you feel tension in an interaction, consider using a mindfulness reflection protocol to evaluate the situation.
• Share student experiences. Create a wisdom wall where students give advice to the students who will take the class next.  Share this advice at the start of the next semester.

Talking about Canvas may seem strange in a checklist about equity, but an intentionally designed and easy to navigate Canvas course is essential for supporting students with disabilities, particularly those that struggle with executive function and task management. It also helps students such as first generation or those from smaller school districts that may not have used an LMS during high school. Good Canvas design helps reduce the cognitive load for all students, enabling them to better organize their time.

• Create an easy layout. Use a consistent, easy to navigate Canvas layout to reduce cognitive load. Try using the Modules page to organize content by unit so students can find what they need.
• Set due dates. Ensure all assignments have a due date listed in Canvas so the items show up on the course calendar and student to do list.
• Remove any unnecessary items from the left side navigation menu. 
• Set tone and communicate course basics with a welcome video. Record your screen and navigate Canvas in Student View to show students where to find the syllabus, course materials, and assignments. Give an overview of the course rhythms and major assignments.  Put the welcome video on the course home page – consider calling it something like ‘Start here’ or ‘Welcome.’  Use the screen recording feature that allows your face to be seen in the corner of the screen and communicate your enthusiasm for the course.
• Keep Canvas grades up to date and as accurate as possible so students know how they’re doing at all times. If you use weighted grades , make sure they are set up before the semester starts so that the course grade displays accurately. Even if you tell students ‘the grade showing in Canvas is wrong’, they are still likely to rely on that as their grade estimate.

Taking it further

• Work with your instructional designer – they're happy to help you think about different ways to increase equity in your course as well as troubleshoot any challenges you’ve been experiencing. You can find contact information for your instructional designer on the CTT website !
• Consider implementing elements of ungrading or mastery grading where students refine their submission based on your feedback until they reach the learning target, moving the focus of assignments from ranking students to student growth and mastery.
• Read more about different approaches to inclusivity like culturally responsive teaching , anti-racist teaching , universal design for learning , or trauma-informed pedagogy .

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