how to submit an online assignment on canvas

Getting Started with Canvas Assignments

• Last modification date Updated On July 26, 2024
• 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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How to Create an Online Submission Assignment

Instructors will organize their graded assignments from the “Assignment” link in the Course Navigation. Published assignments will then automatically sync into the Canvas Gradebook for instructors to add grades and provide feedback. 

Online submission-type assignments, specifically, allow students to submit work for instructors online, through Canvas. Then, instructors can have digital forms of work without the need to download and clutter their desktop memory.

**Once students submit to an assignment, the instructor CANNOT unpublish it

**Graded discussions or quizzes will automatically drop into the “Assignments” section, but should be created in their respective sections (“Discussions” or “Quizzes” via the Course Navigation links).

• What are Assignments?
• How do I create an Assignment
• How do I create an online assignment?
• How do I assign an assignment to an individual student?
• How to Upload and Embed Files via the Rich Content Editor
• How do I assign an assignment to a course group?
• How do I use peer review assignments in a course?
• Email the LX Design team
• Video Suggestions
• Hybrid Learning

CSUEB Online Tools Help

• How to Submit an Assignment in Canvas

Updated on Apr 29, 2023

This article is for Students needing to submit Assignments in Canvas Courses. Instructors may have you access assignments in two different ways, this article will cover both.

Article Overview

• Accessing Assignments in Canvas Courses
• Viewing Canvas Assignment Features
• Submitting Assignments in Canvas

1. Accessing Assignments in Canvas Courses

Instructors may have you access assignments in Canvas by selecting the Assignments tab or Modules Tab from the Course Navigation links on the left in your courses. We will cover both ways.

1.1. Navigate to the Course's Assignments Tab

The Assignments tab can be found in Course Navigation to the left in Canvas.

Assignments will be available in four possible categories; Overdue , Upcoming, Undated, and Past . Assignments are categorized by the pencil and paper icon ( see red arrows) . Select an assignment by clicking on the text of the name of it to read submission instructions.

1.2. Navigate to the Course's Modules Tab

The Modules tab can be found in the Course Navigation to the left in Canvas. Selecting the Module tab will show you course content organized by week, unit, chapter etc. depending on the way your instructor sets up their course. Scroll through the module to find the Assignment to access. In this example I will select " Assignment 1 " pointed to with the red arrow .

2. Viewing Canvas Assignment Features

2.1. select the name of the assignment to open it..

Open the assignment by clicking on its name inside of the Modules or Assignments area in Canvas.

You will see the (1) title of the assignment at the top, beneath that, the (2) due date and time. If multiple attempts were assigned, attempts will be listed in a (3) drop box below the due date. On the far right, you can view (4) total points possible , as well as (5) an Add Comment button to select to leave your instructor feedback per each attempt submitted. See the (6) Details section with drop down arrow on the left, which outlines the instructions for the assignment. Your instructor may also place a rubric below the instructions. If this is the case, a drop down arrow with the words View Rubric will appear (7). If a rubric is present, read through it to get a better idea of what you need to do to successfully complete the assignment.

3. Submitting Assignments in Canvas

In the bottom right hand corner, there will be a faded out red "Submit Assignment" button . Canvas will not allow you to select this button until you scroll down and view the submission options your instructor enabled.

Scroll to the bottom of the assignment to view Submission type information. In this example, the red square for file uploads is enabled for submission. Select the rocket ship to open your computer's file browser, or drag an accepted file type into the perforated box to submit.

The red Upload square denotes the submission type chosen by your instructor. Clicking the red upload square will not allow you to submit. You must select the rocket ship and choose a file to upload. Do not select the the "More " square, unless directed to do so by your instructor.

Once a file has been selected, (1) the file name will be displayed above the rocket ship . The red Submit Assignment button will be bright red. At this time, you can (2) select the Submit Assignment button to submit your work.

Your submission will be (1) time stamped and your work will be visible in the (2) document viewer. You can send a comment to your instructor for your submission that they may see when grading your work. You can select the (3) Add Comment button in the upper right corner. If your instructor has enabled multiple submission attempts a red "Try Again" button (4) will be available in the bottom right corner. Selecting the Try Again button will allow you to submit another attempt.

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Canvas for Students

• (Students) Access Course Evaluations in Canvas
• Replying to a Canvas Discussion Board for Students
• (Students) Using Turnitin Draft Coach in Canvas
• Submit a Turnitin Assignment on Canvas
• (Students) Accessing Canvas Groups
• Creating Collaborations in Canvas Student Groups
• Submitting a Group Assignment in Canvas
• Calculating What if Scores in Grades
• Accessing Materials in a Course with Prerequisites, Requirements, and Mastery Paths
• Taking a Canvas Quiz with Respondus Lockdown Browser
• How to Check Waitlist Status Within Canvas

Featured Articles for Faculty

• Preparing to Teach Your First Canvas Course
• Locate and Import Blackboard-Migrated Course Content in Canvas
• Canvas Migration Exception Log
• Change Canvas Course Availability
• Create a Turnitin Assignment in Canvas

Featured Articles for Students

Other resources.

• Canvas for Faculty
• Grackle Docs
• RTP, Post Tenure & Range Elevation Processes and Interfolio (eDossier) Tutorials
• Sabbatical and DIP Info/Tutorials
• Lecturer-Related Tutorials
• Miscellaneous OAA Form Tutorials

Simon Fraser University Engaging the World

Canvas support.

• A-Z directory
• How do I submit an online assignment?

Assignments in Canvas can be submitted using several submission types. Instructors can choose what kind of online submissions they want you to use. You have the option to resubmit assignments if your instructor allows. If you cannot see the "Submit Assignment" link, you instructor may want you to submit your assignment in a different way.  

1. Click  the Assignments link in the course navigation sidebar on the left hand-side. 

2. Click the Assignments link to view all the assignments you have for that course.

Note: You can also access your Assignments through the Syllabus, Gradebook, Calendar, or Modules. 

3. When you click an Assignment title, you will see a screen with assignment instructions. You may also see a rubric if your instructor has provided one. 

4. Click the Start Assignment link to submit your work. If you cannot see the Start Assignment link, your instructor may not want you to submit your assignment online.

Your instructor will decide what kinds of submissions are appropriate for each assignment. In the case below, the instructor is allowing the student to upload a file. Not all file types may be available for your Assignment, depending on the assignment submission type set by your instructor. 

5. To submit a file upload, click   Upload File  or if you have already uploaded your assignment to Canvas and want to select it for our assignment submission, click the Click here to find a file you've already uploaded link. If you want to submit a photo you can use the Use Webcam option. See instructions here .

6. To submit a text entry, type or copy and paste text into the Rich Content Editor. Click Submit Assignment . You can submit up to 16384 characters in the Text Entry field. 

7. After you have submitted your work, you will see information in the Sidebar about your submission. If you choose and your instructor has allowed for this capability, you may resubmit another version of your assignment using the Re-submit Assignment  link. You will only be able to view the details of your most recent submission in the sidebar, but your instructor will be able to see all of your submissions.  

Once your instructor has graded your submission, you will be notified via the channels that you specified in your Notification Preferences. You can also see details about your assignment and links to additional feedback in the Gradebook. 

• How do I submit an assignment using Google Docs?
• How do I complete a peer review?
• How do I use my webcam to take a photo or an assignment?
• How do I view instructor feedback?

Visit the Health Advisories website for the latest vaccination and mask information and to Report a Case.

Center for Faculty Excellence and Teaching Innovation

Canvas Quick Guide for Students

This quick guide will provide a brief overview for students on how to set up basic settings and customize notification emails.

Canvas Login:

Login URL: https://sjsu.instructure.com

SJSU ID: SJSU 9-digit ID

Password: SJSUOne Password

To set up your own custom settings:

1. On the Canvas main page, click Account and then Settings found on the menu.

2. On the right side of the page you will see Ways to Contact , students can update and/or add e-mail addresses and add other contacts. Click on Add Email Address to add another email to Ways to Contact. You will be prompted to confirm your email. If you set more than one e-mail, hover over an email and click on the star to set a primary e-mail to receive updates.

3. To edit contact information (Language, Time Zone), click on Edit Settings on the right panel of Ways to Contact . Click Update Settings when finished.

4. On the Edit Settings page, you can receive messages from Canvas by connecting to other Web Services (i.e. Skype, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). If the service is not provided, click on New Access Token at the bottom of the page for approval under Approved Integrations .

Adding additional notifications (SMS Text)

1. To receive text notifications, under ‘ Ways to Contact ’, click on ‘ Add Contact Method ’ found under ‘Other Contacts’ heading.

2. Click on the ‘ Text (SMS) ’ tab.

3. Enter the Cell Number, Carrier and SMS Email to receive text alerts.

4. Click on ‘ Register SMS ’.

5. A text message will be sent to the provided cell phone number for a confirmation code.

6. Enter in the confirmation code, then click on ‘ Confirm ’.

Notifications:

To set when to receive notifications from Canvas:

1. On the Canvas Home page, click Account found on the upper left corner.

2. Click Notifications found on the left hand panel under Home .

3. Each Course Activity allows you to select the notification frequency on the right side in the grey shade under Email Address . Hover over the current option and four new options will appear.

4. There are four options to set for the frequency of emails you would like to receive.

• The check mark sign will send out a notice right away.
• The clock button will e-mail a daily summary from Canvas.
• The calendar button will send weekly updates.
• The X button will not send any notifications.

Assignments:

Under the Course Homepage, students can view the course Assignments under the Courses . Students can view all assignments (upcoming and past assignments) from the course along with their grade for the specific assignment.

Submitting Online Assignments

1. After accessing into Assignments, click on the assignment title to submit online.

2. On the assignment page, click on “ Submit Assignment ” on the right.

3. Click on “ Choose File ” to upload your work.

4. After choosing a file to turn your work in, click on “ Submit Assignment ”.

The submission receipt will appear on the sidebar after the assignment has been uploaded.

Discussions:

1. On the left panel of the Course Homepage, click on Discussions .

2. To start a Discussion, click on the blue button labeled “ + Discussion ” found on the top right corner.

3. There are different options to select while creating a discussion which can help

• Allow Threaded Replies
• Users must post before seeing replies
• Allow Liking
• This is a Group Discussion

4. You can set the Available From and Until Date for a particular discussion.

5. When finished, click “ Save ” and the discussion has been submitted to the course.

1. Grades are found on the left panel under the Course Homepage for students to view their grades in the course from assignments, quizzes, and exams.

2. To view “ What-if ” grades, students can enter a score on a certain assignment and see the changes in its grade. (*This does not officially change the grade on the student’s assignment, but a visual to see how the grade changes for the course assignment.)

3. On the right panel, the left arrow button “ Revert to Actual Score ” will replace back to its original grade for the assignment.

On the Course Navigation found on the left panel, “People” tab is the list of the Class List including the Instructors.

Search Utah State University:

Assignment submission types in canvas.

Canvas lets you decide the way you want students to submit their assignments. You specify the submission type in the Submission Type box when you create the assignment. Assignment settings always remember and display the settings created or edited in the previous assignment in the course.

On This Page

No Submission

External tool.

Choose No Submission when you do not want students to submit an assignment in Canvas. You can use this assignment type to create extra columns in the Gradebook, or when you want to create an assignment that involves multiple scores.

Choose Online when you want students to submit their assignments in Canvas. When you use the online submission type, you can specify online entry options.

Text Entry : Students can submit their assignment directly in the Rich Content Editor .

Website URLs : Students can submit a URL that fulfills the assignment.

Media Recordings : Students can submit an audio or video recording that fulfills the assignment. They can either record new media or upload existing media.

File Uploads : Students can upload a file to fulfill the assignment. Note that if your institution has enbled Google Docs as a submission type, students can connect to Google Docs as a web service to submit an assignment as a Google Doc, Google Sheet, or Google Slide. However, these files will convert to their Microsoft counterpart file type—Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, respectively.

If you want to only allow certain types of files for assignment submissions, click the Restrict Upload File Types check box and manually enter a list of accepted extensions in the Allowed File Extensions box. In the case of an odd or unusual file type, try adding it to your course to confirm the file is accepted before requesting students to submit the file type.

Select On Paper when you want students to submit an assignment to you but not through Canvas. When you choose this assignment type, Canvas creates a column in the Gradebook for grading purposes. However, you must enter the grades manually.

Choose External Tool 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.

How to use Canvas Discussions (Instructors)

• September 05, 2024 21:33

Discussions in Canvas are important elements of online learning in which instructors and students build community through lively conversations about course concepts, often pushing beyond the boundaries of the lessons to deepen the shared knowledge in the digital learning space.

This guide will help instructors understand the Canvas Discussion controls so that they can maintain an active role in facilitating a meaningful discussion experience for their students.

Article Contents

I. overview of instructor controls.

Learn about the controls at the top of any discussion page.

Discussion Controls, Top

Prompt display area & controls, post-specific options closeup, ii. editing a discussion.

Edit your discussion prompt, point values, grade settings, solo/group options, peer reviews, and other discussion settings.

Discussion Options

Iii. controls on individual posts.

Mark posts as read/unread, edit, grade, and more.

Your instructor's view of the discussion starts off with some sorting buttons, then the discussion prompt display area, which contains a few other important controls.

Along the top of the discussion, you will see buttons that control how your discussion looks to you, including sorting options, assign to options, and a search.

A. Search Forum : Look for keywords or search for specific students.

B. View: See all posts or unread posts by clicking this drop down menu.

C. Sort: Click to sort posts by newest or oldest. You'll see the arrow change position on this button after clicking it to remind you of the direction.

D. View: Click to choose between split screen or inline view and change the way your discussion displays threads.

Inline View

Inline View is the traditional view of the discussion, which distributes posts vertically on one page. Use the view option (D, above) to change the order of the posts from new to old and vice versa.

Split Screen

Split Screen opens the specific thread you click on in a pane on the right side of the screen.

If you click on a nested thread, you will see that thread open in the same pane. Click the  back button to go back to the original post. Click the X in the upper corner to close the view.

E. Expand Threads: Click this button to expand and collapse all threads in the forum. (Screenshot below shows all threads collapsed.)

F. Assign To:  Modify the from, due, and until dates for this forum.

Below the upper layer of buttons, you will see the following:

• (A) the assigned students and date detail;
• below that (B) the prompt display area, which contains your prompt and any images you have added (image, center)and a reply button (lower-left);
• and (C) post-specific data and options: the discussion point value, number of replies, published state, discussion-level option dots (upper-right).

The post-specific options in the upper-right corner of the prompt display area has the following information and controls.

A. Points Possible: The point value of the discussion. This point value can be adjusted by clicking item E and choosing Edit .

B: Replies: This shows the overall number of replies in this forum.

C. Published Status: If the discussion is published, it will appear with a green circle and check mark (as shown above). If unpublished, there will be an empty, crossed-out circle.

D. Subscribe: Clicking this will toggle your subscribe status from  subscribed (green) to unsubscribed (empty/white). For more about the subscribe feature, click the link below.

• How do I subscribe to a discussion? Instructure

E. Options: Click this to see the options for this specific discussion. You can use the Edit option to modify the point value, assignment category, due dates, and other options.

Click Edit from the three option dots in the upper right-hand corner of the prompt display area to modify the prompt content and many important settings in your discussion.

Title and Prompt Content

Change the title of your discussion and create a prompt with an introduction, specific instructions, and any images, links, or supplemental content your students will need to make their posts.

You can customize the settings for the discussion to meet your instructional needs.

Anonymous Discussion Options: Choose partial or fully anonymous discussions (if desired) or leave the setting to off so that students' names and profile pictures appear.

Disallow Threaded Replies: Every post will appear individually instead of in threads. (Not recommended)

Participants must respond before viewing: Make students post first before seeing their classmates' responses. Note: Do not use a discussion like a quiz; this setting is not recommended as students will complain that the discussion is not working or visible. Only use the setting if you explain this is the setting.

Enable Podcast Feed: Read about this option at How do I enable a podcast feed for a discussion in a course? Instructure

Graded: Check this box to make this a graded discussion and enter the point value below in the points possible  field. Uncheck the box to make the discussion ungraded.

Allow Liking: Click to enable liking posts. You can opt to have only graders like. The benefit from this option is creating an experience similar to social media. A possible downside is that likes are not always evenly distributed. Enable according to your instructional goals.

This is a Group Discussion: Group discussions use your pre-created groups and limit posting and replying to only the students put into each group. This could be used for small group feedback or group assignment-based discussions, for example.

Points Possible: Enter the numerical point value for the discussion. Explain any particulars of point value in the instructions or create a rubric using the three option dots on the main discussion page.

Assignment Group: Place this discussion into one of your assignment groups, which should correspond to your grading percentages on your syllabus.

• Read How to create assignment groups, apply weighting, drop lowest score, never drop an assignment

Peer Reviews: Click the appropriate radio button to disable or enable peer reviews as well as choose the assignment style for reviews.

• Read How do I use peer review discussions in a course? Instructure

Assignment Options

Below the discussion options you will see another way to change the assignment settings, which allow you to assign the discussion to everyone (default) or specific students (click in the assign to pane). You can also modify the due, available, and until dates.

When you are finished making all these settings, click  Save  in the bottom-right corner of the page.

You have some options to control the read status and make other changes to individual posts within the forum.

A. Replies: Click to expand all replies to this particular post.

B. Reply: Click to reply to the parent post.

C: Like: If enabled, click to like.

D. Mark as Read/Unread: Click to mark post as read or unread. This can also be done using option E (below).

E. Post options: Click to reveal a list of options (shown below).

Post Options Explained

• Mark as Unread/Read: Another way to mark the read status of a post.
• Mark Thread as Unread: Allows you to mark an entire thread as read or unread.
• Go To Topic: Returns you to the top of the page to view the discussion prompt area.
• Edit: Allows you to change the contents of a post. This will create an edited by tag with time and date.
• Quote Reply: This option allows you to call out the specific post in your reply, making it clear exactly what you are commenting on. Click the green slider to include the quoted reply, type your comment, and click  Reply , as you would with any other post you make.

• Delete: Allows you to delete a post. A notification will be created showing that a post was deleted.
• Open in Speedgrader: Allows you to leave the active discussion to score points or provide specific, non-public comments on students' contributions to the discussion.
• Report: This allows students to report problematic posts to you for review. Posts can be marked as inappropriate , offensive / abusive , or other , allowing detailed comments to be left.

Related articles

• How to adjust due dates and availability dates in Canvas
• How to Create a New Discussion
• How to enable/disable post editing and deleting in Discussions (Instructors)

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