Canvas: Assignments

Assignments and Speedgrader 

The following video gives detailed information on creating assignments (including group assignments), adding the assignment to a module, and grading assignments using Speedgrader (the Speedgrader portion of the video starts around minute 7). 

Assignments and Speedgrader (12:13) by Wanda Coyle 

Creating an Assignment 

1. Select Assignments in the course menu on the left.
2. Select +Assignment.
3. Name the Assignment.
4. Add a description of the assignment in the box at the top of the page
5. Enter a point value for the assignment in the box provided.
6. Change submission type to Online and select the appropriate option
7. Choose the number of submissions allowed. 
    
   Optional: To have students work in groups on the assignment, select the Group Assignment box. Then select New Group Category and give the group a name. You can allow students to assign themselves to groups, randomly assign students to groups, or manually assign students to groups. To allow self sign-up or create groups randomly, you need to enter the number of groups you want and the maximum number of students allowed in a group. To create the groups manually, select the appropriate box and then select People, select the group name, select +Group, give the group a name, and then drag the student names into the group. Continue this process until all students are assigned to a group. Please note that you should finish setting up the assignment and save it before doing the manual assignment to groups.
   
   Optional: Require Peer Reviews—please see the Canvas guide for info on peer reviews.
   
   
8. Enter a due date for the assignment.
9. Select Save and Publish.
   
   If you need to edit the assignment after you have saved and published it, select the name of the assignment and then select edit. Don’t forget to select save after making the necessary edits. 

Add the Assignment to a Module 

1. Select the + in the appropriate module and choose Assignment in the drop-down menu.
2. Find the name of the assignment in the list that appears.
3. Select Add Item. 

Grading Assignments 

1. Select assignments.
2. Select the assignment you wish to grade.
3. On the right-hand side of the page, select SpeedGrader
4. Use the toolbar at the top of the page to make comments on the student’s submission. There is also a highlight tool and a strike-out tool available to edit the student’s assignment.
5. On the right-hand side of the page, assign points to the assignment (if you gave it points) and add an overall comment if you want. You can also attach a file or leave a recorded comment.
6. Press the right arrow in the top right-hand corner beside the student’s name to proceed to the next student’s submission.
   
   Grading assignments using SpeedGrader automatically sends grades to the gradebook for easy reference. 

Creating and Weighting Assignment Groups

This feature is useful if you would like different types of assignments, e.g., quizzes, papers, discussions, etc., to have different weights. Here are steps to create and weight assignment groups:

1. Select Assignments in the course navigation on the left. 
2. Select +Group in the top right-hand corner of the page. 
3. Give the group a name and a weight. 
4. If you need to change the weights once you have created the groups, Select the vertical ellipsis in the top right beside +Assignment and choose Assignment Groups Weight. 
5. Enter the appropriate weights (note that they must sum to 100%). 

Dropping Lowest (and/or highest) Grade(s) in an Assignment Group

1. Select Assignments.
2. Select the vertical ellipsis to the right of the category for which you would like to drop grades. (Note that the category must contain assignments for the option to be available).
3. Enter the number of grades to drop. 
4. To omit a particular assignment(s) from being dropped, select +Add an Assignment, and choose the appropriate assignment(s) from the list. 
5. Select Save.

Setting a Late Assignment Policy 

1. Select Grades in the course menu on the left .
2. Select the Settings icon in the upper right-hand corner.
3. Here you can automatically enter a grade for missing assignments and/or enter a penalty for late assignments.