Creating an Assignment

To create an assignment, first navigate to the Assignments area in your course.

  1. Click "+Assignment" in the upper right of the Assignments area.
    Add Assignment button

  2. Give the assignment a name, and use the text box to add a description or use the Insert button to attach files if desired. 
    The create assignment form, with the assignment name and description fields showing. The description box has a standard toolbar for text formatting options and media insert options..
  3. Set the points possible in the Points box, and choose which Assignment Group this should belong to.
    The fields for entering the assignment point value and selecting which assignment group it belongs to.
  4. In the Submission Type drop-down menu, select the type of submission you want to accept for the assignment.
    • Online is when you want students to submit their assignments using Canvas. Click here for online assignment setting details.
    • 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.
    • 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.
      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.
      The submission type options to determine what a student can submit, such as text entry, URL, or files.
  5. Select the number of attempts students should be allowed to have, or choose Unlimited.
    The allowed attempts options showing a drop down for limited attempts and a field to enter a specific number of allowed attempts.
  6. If you want to use Plagiarism Review, choose Turnitin from the drop-down menu and select desired settings.
  7. Check the box for Group Assignment if necessary and select desired settings. Click here for more Group Assignment information.
  8. Check the box to Require Peer Reviews if desired. Click here for more details on how to create a Peer Review assignment.
  9. Insert a Due date and Availability dates below the Assign To box for those in the Assign To box. For example, if the due date and availability dates are to be the same for the entire class, it should look like this:
    The Assign To options showing that the assignment is assigned to Everyone in the class with a due date and availability dates for when students are allowed to submit.
    Use the +Add button to set different dates and times for different students or groups. For example, Amy Apple has a different due date than the rest of the class:
    The Assign To options showing separate availability dates for one student and availability dates for everyone else.
  10. Click Save at the bottom to save the assignment, or Save & Publish to save it and allow students to view.
    The final options on the page indicating options to Cancel, Save and Publish, and Save.
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