Advanced assignment features (Group assignments)

Group assignments

Canvas assigns group assignments using group sets, and each group that is allocated to the assignment must complete it. See Step 4 for information on the creation of Group Sets.

Similar to assignments, you can allocate a group assignment to all or specific groups. This can be done during the creation of the group assignment or during editing. In the same way you can create alternative due dates and availability for different group(s) of students.

Note One submission will be counted for the group members in group assignments. Before group assignments are released, students should be assigned to groups.

The Group Assignment checkbox can be used to create a group assignment. Let's have a look at how to create group assignments using the steps listed below.

Step 1: From the course navigation, click "Assignments."
Step 2: In the top-right corner, click "+Assignment".

Step 3:  Check the box that says "This is a Group Assignment"  By using the "Assign grades to each student individually" checkbox, you can assign grades to students individually. If this option is left unchecked, the grade for the entire group will be the same.

Step 4: Select the "Group Set" drop-down menu to select an existing group set. Click the "New Group Category" button to create a new group category. Watch the instructional video, "Class Groups" to learn more about creating groups in CANVAS. Note this step has to be done before setting any group assignment.

Note Students' self-created groups can't be used for Group Assignments and will not display in the drop-down option.

Step 5: With group assignments, peer reviews can be used. Select the "Require Peer Reviews" checkbox if you would like to assign peer reviews.

Step 6: Canvas will assign the assignment to all your students in your class by default. Click the "Add button"  to add new due date and availability details for specific users or groups.

Step 7: Then, type the group's name in the new "Assign to" box. the search fields are dynamic, you can use any part of the group name to search what you're looking for. When the group's name appears, select it. You can add more than one group to the "Assign to" field as long as the due and availability dates are the same for all of them.

Note Hit the Remove icon (x) next to the "Everyone" label to make an assignment that is just for a specified group in the group set.

Step 8: Fill in the dates' fields with your selected date(s) using the options below:

Due: Set the date and time when the assignment is due. 
Available From: Set the date and time when the assignment will be available.
Until: Set a date and time when the assignment task will no longer be available.

Step 9: Click the "Save & publish" button when you're ready to publish your assignment. Click the "Save" button to produce a draft of the assignment that you may publish later.

Let's learn how to set the advanced assignment features such as "Grading assignments using SpeedGrader" in the next page. Click "Next."