Assignments can be in the form of quizzes and online submissions, such as essays and lab reports, and will vary depending on the modules you are studying this year.

Within Canvas, you will find the relevant assignments set for each of your modules by clicking on ‘Courses’ then ‘Assignments’ in the drop-down menu. Alternatively, you can go straight to assignments by clicking the Assignments icon on the Course navigation menu. All the information you need for your assignments, including due dates will be displayed here.

Each assignment will also include an icon showing the assignment type: assignment, discussion, or quiz.

Icons for different assignments in Canvas

By default, assignments are grouped by overdue assignments, upcoming assignments, undated assignments, and past assignments.

Overdue Assignments: assignments and discussions that are past the due date, are still available, have not been submitted, and have not been graded.
Upcoming Assignments: assignments, discussions, and quizzes that have an upcoming due date.
Undated Assignments: assignments, discussions, and quizzes that do not have a due date.
Past Assignments: assignments and discussions that are past the due date and either is not available, have been submitted, or have received a grade; quizzes that are past the due date.

Remember: There may be penalties if you submit your assignments late - so make sure you get on top of when your assignments are due.

Images showing how assignments are grouped in Canvas

Key to assignment types highlighted above:

Assignment: Paper & pencil
Discussion: Chat box
Quiz: Space rocket

Watch this short video to learn more about Assignments in Canvas

Collecting your Assignment Feedback

Visit this page for a written guide and video for instructions on accessing your assignment feedback in Canvas: Accessing your Assignment Feedback in Canvas

Quizzes

Quizzes may be used by your lecturers to help you engage directly with the content that you are being taught, testing your understanding and flagging up any areas where you may need to improve. For your academic team, quizzes can point out knowledge gaps and areas to cover in revision sessions.

Quizzes may be used for both formative and summative assessments.

Formative assessment refers to a wide variety of methods that academics use to review student understanding of topics being discussed, learning needs, and academic progress during a module. These assessments help lecturers identify any concepts that you or other students on your course may be struggling to understand, skills that you may be having difficulty acquiring, or to identify learning outcomes that have not yet been achieved so that they can adjust their teaching accordingly.
Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement, usually at the end of a defined period—typically at the end of a project, unit, module, semester, year or programme.

Watch this short video to find out more about Quizzes in Canvas

Turnitin and Speedgrader

Turnitin checks student assignments against existing sources to identify unoriginal content. It’s important to remember that this software is in place to flag up potential issues rather than catch you out. Academic staff will make the final assessment after receiving your originality score. Canvas also has its own assignment tool called SpeedGrader. Your lecturers will tell you which of these tools they will use in conjunction with their assignments. Links will be created in Canvas so that you can submit your work, be marked and receive feedback.

Watch this video by Canvas Coach Nathalie on submitting assignments in Canvas

Where to get help and advice

Click the Help icon on the blue global navigation bar for information on how to contact your Canvas Support Team via phone, email or online chat 24/7, 365-days-a-year.