assignment categories in canvas

Create Assignments in Canvas

A variety of assignment types are available in Canvas and to link from external resources. View how-to guides of these resources to help build your assignment.

• Canvas assignments
• Weighted assignments
• Peer review assignments
• OLI assignments

Add a new Canvas assignment:

Assignments created in Canvas are automatically created using simple steps and include available and due dates, assignment types, student or group assignment selections and more. Follow the steps below to begin building an assignment.

Note: All assignments are tied to columns in the Canvas Gradebook. So, when you create a new assignment you also create a new column automatically in the Grading area. 

• “No Submission” and “On Paper” create a grade column but  do not  allow students to upload any materials to the assignment in Canvas.

Create a weighted assignment:

Weighting assignments as a percentage of the final grade can be done easily through the assignments area of your course. To set up weighting, you will need to:

• Set up assignment groups
• Organize assignments into the assignment groups
• Set assignment group weights
• View assignment groups

Step 1: Set up and organize assignments into assignment groups

• Once you have groups set up, you can organize assignments into the groups by drag-and-drop

Step 2: Set assignment group weights

Step 3: Weight an individual assignment

Step 4: View assignment groups in the Grades area

When assignment groups are set up in your course, you will notice columns corresponding to each assignment group appear in the gradebook. These columns will keep track of student performance in each assignment group.

NOTE: You can weight final grades based on assignment groups . See the Canvas website for more information on weighting final assignments here.

Set Up a Peer Review Assignment

Peer review assignments provide students with the opportunity to give feedback on each others’ work. With a Canvas peer review assignment, student names may be displayed to each other or you may opt to make the peer review process anonymous. You can also opt to provide students with a rubric they can use to grade and provide feedback on each others’ work.

• You start the process of creating a peer review assignment by creating an assignment in your Canvas course. You can create an assignment either in the Modules area or Assignments area of your Canvas site.

• You will be presented with the option to Manually Assign Peer Reviews or Automatically Assign Peer Reviews
• Manually Assign Peer Reviews - requires you to manually assign students to review other students’ work
• Automatically Assign Peer Reviews - Canvas will randomly assign students to review as many peers as you specify

Currently, a peer review assignment does not carry separate points or due dates for the peer review portion of the assignment. The points for the assignment encompasses both the assignment submission and the peer review process. If you would like separate points for the assignment submission, you may choose to create a separate assignment that students submit their work to in addition to submitting it to the peer review assignment. Another benefit of creating a separate assignment is that you could then attach a separate rubric to this assignment in the instance when a different rubric is used for Instructor and TA grading than is used by students for peer review.

  If a rubric is attached to a peer review assignment, students  must  complete the rubric in order for their review to be considered complete.

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Getting Started with Canvas Assignments

• Last modification date Updated On June 8, 2023
• 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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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?
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Canvas Tutorials: Assignments, Discussions, and Rubrics

• Getting Started in Canvas
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• Assignments, Discussions, and Rubrics
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Assignments, Discussions, Rubrics

Assignments.

• Discussions
• Video Tutorials: Assignments, Discussions, Rubrics

Canvas Instructor Guide: Assignments • Assignments Video Tutorial

Canvas allows you to create many different types of assignments, so you can choose the best format for your courses. Broadly speaking, Canvas supports five assignment types :  Quizzes, Discussions, and assignments that take online submissions (including entries into text boxes, uploaded files, and so on), external tools, and ungraded assignments. Assignments can be assigned to everyone in a course to to specific groups. When you create any type of assignment, it automatically shows up in the grade book and can be graded using the SpeedGrader tool. As an instructor, you can select an assignment type when creating an assignment shell. However, you can also create assignments within an assignment type by visiting each type's respective Index Page.

>> Be sure to set a due date when you create an assignment; when you do this, Canvas creates an entry in the To Do list on the student's Dashboard to help them track their assignments.

When creating an assignment in Canvas, instructors can specify the following information:

• Assignment name and description: This is where instructors can provide students with details about the assignment, such as its purpose, requirements, and due date.
• Submission type: Instructors can specify how students should submit the assignment, such as uploading a file or typing directly into a text box.
• Grading criteria: Instructors can specify how the assignment will be graded, including the grading scale, rubrics, or criteria for partial credit.
• Availability and due dates: Instructors can specify when the assignment is available to students and its due date.
• Assignment group: Instructors can group assignments by category, such as "quizzes," "papers," or "presentations."

Adding Documents to an Assignment:

You can attach documents to an assignment by clicking the Attach button and selecting the file you want to attach. You can choose from course files and/or your computer.

Editing Assignments

When editing assignments, make sure to click the notification box at the bottom of the page before saving so students receive a notification about any changes made, if necessary.

Peer Review

Canvas peer review is a feature that allows instructors to enable students to review and provide feedback on each other's work. Setting up Peer Review:

• Create an assignment: To enable peer review, you must first create an assignment in Canvas.
• Enable peer review: In the assignment details page, click on the "Peer Reviews" tab. From there, you can enable peer review and configure the settings for the review process. You can choose whether reviews are anonymous or not, how many reviews each student should complete, and the criteria for review.
• Assign reviewers: Once peer review has been enabled, you can assign reviewers to each submission. Canvas will automatically assign reviewers based on the settings you specified, but you can also manually assign reviewers if necessary.
• Review submissions: Once peer review has been completed, you can review the feedback provided by each reviewer. You can access the reviews by going to the "SpeedGrader" tab in the assignment details page. From there, you can view the original submission, the reviewer's comments, and the reviewer's score.

External Tools

Canvas features integrations for Perusall, Turnitin, and VoiceThread, which allow instructors to incorporate additional feedback and promote academic integrity.

Additionally, Canvas's analytics tools allow instructors to track student progress on assignments and identify areas where students may need additional support.

• View Course Analytics
• What are Assignments?

Allowing or Restricting Late Assignments

When you create or edit an assignment you can set limits on how many times a student can submit an assignment under the "Submission Attempts" section. 

You set the assignment due date in the "Assign" section at the bottom of the page. In this section you also set when an assignment is available to students. Be sure to enter a date in the "Available from" box, or students will not be able to make a submission. If you do not want to allow late assignments, enter the submission cut off date in the "Until" box.

Ungraded and Graded Discussions

Discussions allow students and instructors to create posts in response to a prompt you create, or they can take the form of a group discussion. You can choose to make your Discussions ungraded or graded. 

Canvas Instructor Guide: Discussions  • Discussions Video Tutorial

Discussion Types

• Focused Discussion: Use a focused discussion for single posts and related comments. One discussion leader typically posts a message and multiple learners comment on it.
• Threaded Discussion: This type of discussion allows participants to respond to a post and create a thread of replies. Threaded discussions include infinite layers of response nesting, allowing commenters to continue responding on a single nested thread. Threaded discussions lend themselves to the refining of complex ideas.
• Student-Generated Discussions: Students are able to create their own discussions. If you would like to remove this option, open "Discussions" from the course navigation menu at left and click the settings gear (first image below), then unclick the "Create Discussion Topics" box under "Student Settings" in the pop-up modal that will appear on the screen (second image below). 

Creating a Discussion

To begin, click on "Discussion" in the the course's left side bar. Then on the Discussion's page, click the red "+ Discussion" button in the top right corner. 

On the new Discussion page, you can enter your prompt. If you look for the word "Options" near the bottom of the page, you'll see check boxes that allow you to allow students to respond to each other in threaded replies, you can require students to post before viewing other responses by checking the appropriate box, and you can check a box to set a Discussion as graded or ungraded. 

Because I want this to be a graded discussion, I checked the "Graded" box in this options section, which brings up more fields like "Points Possible," a drop down menu for the groups you want to assign the discussion to, and information to fill out about when the Discussion assignment is due. 

Be sure to save and publish your Discussion! 

Canvas Instructor Guide: Rubrics •  Canvas Rubrics Overview Video

Rubrics in Canvas are a feature that allows instructors to create a set of criteria for evaluating student work and assigning grades. Rubrics provide a clear and transparent framework for grading assignments, making it easier for instructors to provide feedback and for students to understand what is expected of them.

To create a rubric in Canvas, instructors can navigate to the Assignments tool and select the assignment they want to create a rubric for. They can then select the "View Rubric" option and create a new rubric, or edit an existing one.

Rubrics in Canvas can be based on a variety of criteria, such as content, organization, grammar, and citation. Instructors can also customize the criteria to align with specific learning objectives and course outcomes.

Once a rubric is created, instructors can use it to evaluate student work by selecting the appropriate rubric when grading an assignment. The rubric provides a clear set of expectations and criteria for each level of achievement, which allows instructors to assign grades more accurately and provide more effective feedback to students.

Rubrics can also be added to discussions and Quizzes .

Demonstration of Rubrics

Here is a sample rubric in editing mode.

To add a rubric to an assignment, open the assignment and click the "+ Rubric" button at the bottom of the assignment's page.

This will open a pop-up with any rubrics you have created. Select the rubric you want to apply to the assignment, then click the "Use This Rubric" button at the bottom of the pop-up.

Here is what a sample assignment with a rubric looks like.

Tech support: For technical assistance, start a ticket with WITS  

Brainstorming: For ideas on how to use tools in your course, contact the DLS

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• Last Updated: Apr 23, 2024 8:55 AM
• URL: https://libguides.willamette.edu/canvas-tutorials

Willamette University Libraries

Use Weighted Assignment Groups in Your Canvas Course

by Thomas Keith | Aug 26, 2022 | Canvas , Canvas Features/Functions , How-tos , Pedagogy

Introduction

• Create an Assignment Group

Weight Assignment Groups

Use weighted assignment groups to calculate the total grade, drop a low score from an assignment group, further resources and getting help.

It is good pedagogical practice to maintain a Canvas Gradebook that gives an accurate reflection of your students’ performance. Students frequently consult their grades in Canvas to get a sense of how they are doing in your course and of areas in which they need to improve. You can use weighted Assignment Groups in your Canvas course to help ensure that the grade calculated by Canvas is indicative of students’ actual performance.

Create An Assignment Group

An Assignment Group in Canvas is a means of sorting assignments according to the categories to which they belong in your syllabus. By default, new assignments created in your Canvas course will be added to a catch-all group called Assignments . (Note that “assignments” in this context refers to anything that is graded; this can be an Assignment proper, a Quiz, or a graded Discussion.)

You can create a new Assignment Group by going to the Assignments tab in your course and clicking the gray +Group button at the upper right.

It is a good idea to give your group a name that reflects the assessment categories on your syllabus. For example, if the group contains quizzes that are given each week of the quarter, you might call it Weekly Quizzes .

Once a group has been created, there are two ways to add assignments to it:

Assignment Groups are most useful when used to weight grades. With weighted Assignment Groups, you can make the organization of your assignments in Canvas match the organization used on your syllabus. You also have greater flexibility than is offered by weighting each individual assignment: if an assignment needs to be dropped or added, you can simply remove it from/add it to the appropriate assignment group, and Canvas will automatically recalculate the final grade accordingly.

For the remainder of this post, we will use as an example a course in which the grading is as follows:

• Five short quizzes: 20% of the final grade
• One midterm exam: 30% of the final grade
• One final exam: 40% of the final grade
• Attendance and participation: 10% of the final grade

To begin, the instructor creates four assignment groups, named Short Quizzes , Midterm , Final Exam , and Attendance and Participation .

She then clicks the column of three dots at the upper right and chooses Assignment Groups Weight .

She then checks the box next to Weight final grade based on assignment groups . This allows her to set the percentage weight for each assignment group.

Note that Canvas shows the instructor that the assignment groups add up to 100%. It is important to check this, as Canvas will not stop you if your groups add up to less than or greater than 100%.

Once the instructor has weighted her groups to her satisfaction, she clicks the maroon Save button. Canvas then indicates across from each assignment group’s name the percentage value of the total grade that it carries.

The instructor can now create her assignments and add them to the appropriate assignment groups by one of the two methods enumerated above.

An important caveat: If an assignment group contains more than one assignment, it is important that all assignments have the same point value for Canvas’ math to work out correctly. This avoids the risk of “double weighting,” which will occur if assignments within a group have different point values. For example: if a quiz worth 5 points and a quiz worth 50 points are placed in the same assignment group, the latter quiz will be worth ten times as much in Canvas’ calculations, which will greatly skew the result. In our example course, the instructor has avoided this risk by creating five quizzes within the Short Quizzes group, each of which is worth three points.

The Midterm and Final Exam groups each contain only one assignment. This can be an assignment of type Online Assignment if the instructor wishes her students to submit it through Canvas, or it can be an assignment of type On Paper if students will hand in a physical exam paper.

For the Attendance and Participation group, the instructor creates an assignment of type No Submission .

Remember that in Canvas, there is a one-to-one correspondence between assignments and columns in the Gradebook. Thus, if you wish to create a column for (e.g.) students’ attendance/participation grade, it is necessary to create a corresponding assignment. By making it of type No Submission , the instructor has ensured that students do not need to hand in any work, while still creating a Gradebook column where the grade is recorded.

Note also that if students need to submit work that will not be graded, such as an outline for an upcoming paper, you can create an assignment of submission type Online Assignment and check the box Do not count this assignment toward the final grade in the assignment options area.

Using weighted assignment groups allows Canvas to do your math for you. A column will appear in the Gradebook for each assignment group. The Total column will be calculated by multiplying the value of each column by its percentage weight and adding the results. In the case of the student below, the grade is calculated as follows:

Short Quizzes: 12 out of 15 possible points = 80 * 0.2 = 16

Midterm Exam: 90 out of 100 possible points = 90*0.3 = 27

Final Exam: 80 out of 100 possible points = 80*0.4 = 32

Attendance and Participation: 100 out of 100 possible points = 100*0.1 = 10

Total: 16+27+32+10 = 85

If you wish, you can set an assignment group to drop one or more low scores (or high scores) automatically. To do this, go to the group within the Assignments tab and click on the column of three dots across from its name to open a dialog box. Then enter the number of low or high scores you wish to drop and click Save .

You can also specify that an assignment should never be dropped by clicking the blue +Add an assignment link next to Never drop: and choosing its name from the drop-down that appears.

For more information, please see:

• How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?
• How do I create rules for an assignment group?

If you have additional questions, Academic Technology Solutions is here to help. You can attend our workshops to learn more about Canvas and other tools for teaching with technology. You can also drop into our Office Hours (virtual and in-person) to ask any questions you may have; no appointment is required.

(Cover Photo by Piret Ilver on Unsplash )

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E-Campus Faculty and Staff

How-to: set up weighted grades in canvas gradebook.

By:   Gracia Ostendorf     

Setting up weighted grades in canvas.

Canvas uses what are called “Assignment Groups” to organize assessments,  and view grades, in different groups.  You can create groups for different types of activities (i.e. all Discussions, all Quizzes, etc.), different units or modules of your course (i.e. a Unit 1 group with a Unit 1 Discussion, Unit 1 Quiz, etc.), or any other way that may be appropriate for your course setup and grading scheme. Your groups can then be weighted with different percentages to determine students’ final grades.

To Create an Assignment Group in Canvas:

• Click the “+ Group” button to create a new Assignment Group
• Add existing Assignments to the Groups by dragging and dropping them on the Assignments page
• Clicking the “+” button in the group header
• Clicking the “+ Assignment” button and selecting the group in the ”Assignment Group” dropdown on that Assignment’s edit page
• Each Assignment Group will be represented with its own column in the Canvas Gradebook (found by clicking “Grades” in the left-hand menu of your Canvas course)

To Assign Weights to Assignment Groups in Canvas:

• On the “Assignments” page, click the 3 dots in the upper right-hand corner of the page, and click “Assignment Groups Weight”
• Check the box next to “Weight final grades based on assignment groups”
• Specify the percentage for each Assignment Group, then click “Save.” These percentages will be reflected in the group headers on the Assignments page, as well as the group columns in the Gradebook
• To edit these percentages, as well as other options like ignoring a certain number of high or low scores from an Assignment Group, click the 3 dots in the right-hand corner of an Assignment Group header, and click “Edit”

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Create weighted assignment groups in canvas for grading - knowledgebase / teaching learning and research / canvas / assessments and grading / assignments - oit service center.

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Create weighted assignment groups in canvas for grading.

• cb christine brown
• ej edwin jeng
• mv maggie vecchione
• MK Melissa Kane
• rt rebecca taub
• Last updated: Jul 3, 2023 by Claire Streckenbach

When you have different assignment types (e.g., assignments, discussions, quizzes, etc.), and a weighted grading system, you may use Canvas’ Assignment Groups to calculate weighted grades and organize the assignments. Based on the information you’ve articulated in your syllabus, you can quickly set up Assignment Groups. 

Create Assignment Groups

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

Create an Assignment Group

• Enter the name of the assignment group in the Group Name  box.
• Enter the percentage of the total grade in the % of total grade  box. You can leave the box empty and/or change the number later.
• Click Save .

Create Weighted Assignment Groups for Grading

• Enter the percentage of the total grade for each assignment group in their respective % boxes.
• Make sure the Total is 100%.
• Click Save.

Manage Assignment Groups

• Edit the Group Name  and % of total grade  in their respective boxes.
• Enter the number of scores to drop from each student's final grade in the Lowest Scores  and Highest Scores  boxes.

• To reorder an assignment group in the Assignments  page,  click and drag the assignment group.
• To delete a group,  click the Edit  (gear) icon to the right of the group name, then click Delete . You can delete the assignments within the assignment group or move them to another assignment group.

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End of Semester Canvas Checklist Tips for Wrapping up Your Course on Canvas

April 29, 2024

✔️Put in Zeros for Missing Assignments

If students are missing assignments, you will need to put in zeros for those missing assignments. The easiest way to do this is to open your Grade Center and look for empty grade cells.

Some instructors may also use the  Missing Submission Policy  in the gradebook settings.

Resource:   How do I enter and edit grades in the Gradebook?

✔️Remove any Extra Categories and/or Columns

• Review the Assignments tab for any extra categories you didn’t use in your course. A common one is the category of “Imported Assignments” that gets created whenever assignments are imported from another course.
• Review all the Gradebook columns and make sure there aren’t any extra columns cluttering up your gradebook. These could be from duplicate assignments or assignments that were created but never published.  You can delete these from the Assignments tab.

✔️Final Grades Go in the Faculty Center

You may have used the Canvas grade book for calculations, but final grades need to be submitted to the Chapman Faculty Center .  For more instructions on how to submit grades, visit the Training Guides for the Faculty Center.  The Final Grading Reference Guide shows step-by-step directions for the grading process in the FacultyCenter.Chapman.edu .

Select the drop-down for Reference Guides . Click on Final Grading .

✔️Plan for Any Students Needing to Resolve Incompletes

If you have a course that needs to stay open beyond the end-of-term date to resolve an incomplete grade,  please submit a request form .

✔️Backup/Download Course Content

It is a good practice to backup or copy your course materials at the end of the semester by exporting your Canvas course. You may share your exported course with another Canvas user, upload to another institution’s account at a later date, or retain the course as a backup on your local computer. For instructions on how to do this, see  How do I export a Canvas course?

Note:  Exports are packaged as IMSCC ZIP files, which can only be opened by programs that support Common Cartridge files. You may also change the extension from .imscc to .zip and treat it like any other .zip file.

✔️Unpublish YuJa Videos Channels

Did you know that even after your course has ended, your students can still access your Channel videos through the YuJa platform? To prevent this, it’s important to unpublish your videos. This ensures that your content is only available during the active course period. Check out this guide on Unpublishing Media from Media Channels to learn how to keep your content secure.

✔️Organize your Dashboard and Courses

The end of term is a good time to  organize your Canvas Dashboard . You may unfavorite (“unstar”) any published courses you don’t want on your Dashboard anymore. A concluded course that has not been favorited will appear in the “Past Enrollments” list (Courses>All Courses).

Note: Concluded courses cannot be favorited (“starred”).

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Visit the  Virtual Tech Hub! We have drop-in hours daily or you can make an appointment with Shannon or Sarah for support. See our calendars and book time with us.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] .

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