Assignments

Assignments in Canvas are created by your instructor as a place for you to submit work online and keep track of assignments due in class. 

Our goal is for you to be able to identify important assignment details, recognize the different submission types, and recognize common issues students have when submitting assignments.

 

Let's get started! 

Assignments in canvas

Anatomy of an assignment

An assignment is a graded activity in which you are submitting something to your instructor for scoring. This submission could be something you hand-in physically in class, but could also be turning in your work online. Canvas can accept assignments in all the following online formats: Text Input, Web Address, Document Upload, Student Annotations, and media recordings and uploads.

The first information you are given on each assignment is the due date, the
point value, and the type of submission (what it is that you’re actually going to turn in to your instructor.)

picture of canvas assignment with due dates and submission options

Tip: Always make sure that you pay close attention to the assignment details. Important instructions and resources may be linked elsewhere depending on how the instructor lays out their course. When in doubt, double check requirements with your instructor!

Assignment types

If your instructor is asking for an online submission, there are five different types of submissions you might be asked for. Or they might give you the option to choose for yourself. Not all submission types may be available for an assignment since it is up to your instructor to decide what format works best for the assignment.

The different submission types you might encounter are:

Text entry

To submit a text entry assignment, select the Text Entry tab then simply type or copy and paste text into the Rich Content Editor box.

example text entry box in canvas showing the editing box for copying or typing text in

Best practices:

  • For long prompts, start your assignment in a word processor (like Word or Google Doc) so that you can save your response as you go. When you are ready to submit, then you can copy over into Canvas' text entry.
  • Keep in mind that sometimes formatting might not get copied over correctly, so always check that your copied text looks right. If not, you may have to make small adjustments to the text in Canvas. 

Website URL

To submit a website URL, select the Website URL tab. Type or copy and paste the URL into the Website URL field.

example of the website U R L option and the field for pasting your hyperlinks in.

Best practices:

  • Always make sure that you are copying the full link for whatever site you are submitting. You can always check your submission afterwards and submit a new link if it is before the due date. 
  • Keep an eye out for specific details from your instructor around uploading links as some of the sources may require you to give viewing permissions or require URL's to behave in a certain way to be loaded by Canvas. 

Media recording

To submit a media recording, select the Media tab. Click the Record/Upload Media button. Follow the instructions to record or upload your media.

Example of the Media tab under assignment submission with the option to record or upload media

Best practices:

  • When recording media, unlike other upload options requires additional equipment. You will need a webcam and microphone. Newer laptops and desktops might have that built in but you should check with your instructor whether you will need those tools for your class.
  • Sometimes you might need to give Canvas access to connected microphone and webcam through your web browser. You often will see an error message if that is the case and can quickly adjust those settings. 

    Example message showing that Canvas will ask for access your microphone and camera

File upload

This is probably the most Common submission type. Here you will upload a file from your computer and submit your assignment.

example of the file upload tab where you can upload a file or record in canvas with your webcam

Best practices:

  • Always check the assignment details and instructions for specific file types. You may have to export from one file type to fit your instructors specifications.
  • If you are using Microsoft 365 or Google Drive to do classwork, you can access those files directly using the "Microsoft 365" or "Google Drive" submission tabs. They will create a copy of your file and upload it to Canvas automatically. Any changes you make to the original file will not be updated in your Canvas submission.

    Example of the submission tabs for directly uploading from google drive and office 365

  • File uploads will only accept files under 5GB in size. Most files will not be close to that threshold unless you are uploading large multimedia projects. If there are concerns talk to your instructor about different ways to share the file with them. 

Student annotation

To submit a student annotation, you will select the student annotation tab. Then you can annotate the document using a variety of tools. You may be asked to highlight text, use the point annotation, and text annotation tools, all of which allow you to also comment on your annotation to explain your thinking. For a full list of the annotation tools and how to use them, read through Canvas' How-to on Student Annotation Links to an external site..

Example of the student annotation tab to annotate instructor uploaded documents

Best practices:

  • Read carefully through the prompt to see if there are specific ways that your instructor wants you to annotate. It could be specific tools to use (like "point" annotations) or a certain number of comments that you need to give on the uploaded file.
  • When working on an annotation keep in mind that you have 10 hours from the time you start before you will need to submit. If you are worried about the time limit or want more time to analyze the file, it is recommended to write out notes on a word document and copy them over to the student annotation when ready. Alternatively you can ask your instructor if you can annotate the downloaded file in a format that works better for you, as long as it still meets the instructors specifications for the assignment. 

How might I be graded?

Each instructor may have a different way they like to grade and usually will have information within their syllabus, but also may include information in the assignment details. Additional instructors may also provide information in the form Rubrics, which describe the Criteria, and the different point values you can get for getting specific ratings. Read the rubric carefully so you can understand what you will be assessed on to be sure you get the most points for your work.

Example of a rubric screenshot showing the criteria and pts available for an assignment

Rubric Deep Dive

Many instructors use Rubrics for all of their grading in Canvas. Watch the micro-lesson below to see how you can find and use rubrics to better understand what your instructor is looking for, or see how you scored on a recent assignment.

Where do I find instructor feedback?

Most will leave the feedback on the assignment itself as an annotation or as a comment. Assignment feedback will show up in the Recent Feedback section of your home-page or dashboard. You can also find feedback by clicking on the Grades tool and clicking the grade for the assignment.

example of feedback on your course dashboard under recent feedback

Tip: Did you know that Canvas can notify you right away when you instructor grades an assignment? Adjust your Canvas notifications so you can get up-to-date information on your grades as soon as your instructor submits them.

notification setting under account that allows you to be alerted when your instructor grades one of your assignments

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