Assignments

Assignments in Canvas are one of the ways that instructors can assess your understanding of the material and provide feedback on what you are learning. Canvas Assignments can be used for when you need to submit something online (such as a Word document), submit something in class, or when you need to complete an assignment associated with another website. Assignments will show up in the gradebook by clicking on Grades. This page will show you the Assignment page and its components, how to view the rubric attached to assignments, how to view graded assignments, and viewing all of the assignments for the course.

Viewing and Submitting Assignments

An assignment with the title, details, description, and submission button highlighted.When you open an assignment, you will see the following:

  1. Assignment title
  2. Submission details
  3. The assignment prompt
  4. The submission button

The assignment title will help you ensure that you working on the correct assignment. 

The submission details provides a concise way to see when the assignment is due and what file format is required. Common components include:

  1. Due date - This is the date when the assignment is due without being marked as late in Canvas.
  2. Points possible - The total amount of points the assignment is worth. 
  3. Submitting types
    1. Open text entry Links to an external site. - Requires you to type a response into Canvas. The box will have a Rich Content Editor which will include ability to format text and insert media.
    2. Website URL Links to an external site. - Uploads a link to an external website.
    3. Media recording Links to an external site. - Allows you to record an audio or video file or upload a previously recorded audio or media file.
    4. File Links to an external site. - Uploads a file from your computer.
  4. Accepted file types - Restricts what types of file extensions a submission are acceptable,
  5. Attempts you have taken - This shows how many submissions you have submitted.
  6. Attempts allowed - Shows the number attempts allowed.
  7. Availability dates - The availability dates show when the assignment will be available. You will not be able to access the assignment outside of these dates. 

The assignment also contains the assignment prompt. Some instructors will include a link to a document for you to download. After you have completed the requirements for the assignment, you will click the "Submit Assignment" button in the top right corner. 

Viewing Rubrics

Example rubric having criteria of critical thinking, support, engagement, and writing conventions.  Your instructor might use a rubric Links to an external site. for grading your assignment submission. A rubric is a set of criteria that will be used to evaluate your work. The rubric helps you know what is required and how many points each requirement has toward the total points on the assignment. You can view the rubric before you start the assignment, by doing the following:

  1. Open the assignment
  2. Scroll below the assignment description

You will notice:

  1. Criteria - The criteria are statements of what is required for the assignment. It is possible for the instructor to put a description with each criteria.
  2. Ratings - The ratings are guides for how the work is evaluated and points are allocated for each of the criteria. The ratings can also include descriptions about how the points are assigned. 
  3. Points - The points show the total number of points each criteria is worth in the total.

Graded Assignments

To view your graded assignments and any feedback provided on the rubric or in the document, click on the Grades link in the Course Navigation menu. You will then be able to select which course you want to view. You will see the name of the assignment, the due date, the status of the assignment, the score you received, the points possible, and any comments in the assignment or in the rubric. If you see an icon (reflecting the type of assignment submitted) in the score column, these items have not been graded by the instructor yet.

To view comments Links to an external site. from your instructor, you will open the assignment and view the comment. You will also have ability to view any recorded comments from your instructor. You can reply by submitting a new comment.  

To view the rubric Links to an external site. associated with an assignment, click on the rubric icon on the right of the the assignment scores. The highlighted rating is the score you received on each of the criteria. If the instructor has included comments about one of the specific criteria, you can view that below the score.  If your instructor has provided annotated feedback Links to an external site. on a file submission, you should click on the assignment details by clicking on the name of the assignment and the click "View Feedback". Here you can see the comments and download the file. 

Viewing All Assignments

If you instructor has enabled the Assignments link in the Course Navigation menu, you can view all of the assignments for the course. You will notice that the assignments are broken down into Overdue Assignments, Upcoming Assignments, Undated Assignments, and Pass Assignments. You can also sort the assignments by type: assignment, discussion, or quiz. Each assignment will display a summary that includes the name of the assignment, the availability dates, the due date, and the points possible.

Clicking on any of the assignment names opens the assignment. Here you can see the details of the assignment, the assignment prompt, the rubric, and submission link. If an assignment has closed, you can still view the rubric and the points possible, but you cannot resubmit the assignment.   

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