Assignments is an add-on application for learning management systems (LMSs) to help you distribute, analyze, and grade student work with Google Workspace for Education.
For file submissions, Assignments make Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, and Google Drive compatible with your LMS. You can use Assignments to save time distributing and grading student work, and analyze student submissions with originality reports to ensure authenticity.
You use Assignments as a Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) tool integrated within your LMS. It works with any LMS that supports LTI version 1.1 or higher, such as Canvas or Schoology.
Adding Assignments to your LMS might require assistance from your LMS administrator. If you have never set up an add-on application or external tool for your LMS before, talk to your IT or LMS admin about setting up Assignments in Canvas, Schoology, or another LMS.
Assignments workflow
Step 1: Instructor creates an assignment
The instructor chooses to use Google Assignments when adding new course material, and configures assignment settings, including:
- (Required) Setting the point value
- (Optional) Setting the due date
- (Optional) Adding a grading rubric
- (Optional) Attaching assignment files to make a copy for each student to edit and submit
- (Optional) Enabling originality reports
Step 2: Students submit their assignments
When a student opens the assignment in their LMS, the student can attach files from their Google Drive to their submission, including:
- Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Sites, and Drawings
- Microsoft®️ Word®️, Excel®️, or PowerPoint®️
- Image files
- Text files
- Video files (WEBM, MPEG4, 3GPP, MOV, AVI, MPEG-PS, WMV, FLV, OGG)
Students can also upload files from their computer.
Tip: If a student submits a file unsupported by Docs or Drive, the instructor can download and view the file in the corresponding application. For more information, go to Files you can store in Google Drive.
When a student turns in their work:
- They no longer have edit or comment access to their original file.
- Assignments makes a copy of the submitted file and saves it to the student's Drive.
For more details, go to How instructors and students share files.
Step 3: Instructor grades and returns assignments
The instructor can open the assignment to their LMS to review submissions, give feedback, and assign grades.
When an instructor returns work:
- Ownership of the file returns to the student.
- Assignments archives a copy of the graded file and saves it to the instructor's Drive.
- Grades are saved to the LMS grade book.
For more details, go to How instructors and students share files.
General FAQ
Does my organization need Google Workspace for Education to use Assignments?
Yes. To use Assignments, your organization needs Google Workspace for Education, which includes an edition for educational institutions available at no charge. To apply for a Google Workspace for Education account, go to Get started with Google Workspace for Education.
Where and in what languages is Assignments available?
Assignments is available in all countries and regions where Google Workspace for Education is available. For a complete list, go to Qualifications for Google Workspace for Education.
Assignments supports 44 languages: Arabic, Basque, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (UK), Estonian, Farsi, Filipino, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
How much does Assignments cost?
Assignments, as a part of Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals, is available at no charge for educational institutions.
For more information, go to Qualifications for Education Fundamentals.
What browsers are supported?
Assignments, a Google Workspace product, supports the latest version of Chrome and the current and previous releases of Firefox®, and Safari®.
Does Assignments work on mobile devices?
Assignments is available only in web browsers, and works best on browsers running on computers and tablets. Support for using LMS add-on applications on mobile devices varies by LMS.
Is Assignments built for accessibility?
Yes, Assignments is built to the same high accessibility standards that all Google products meet. Visually impaired users can use a screen reader to guide them through Assignments.
For more information, go to Use a screen reader with Assignments.
Grading FAQ
Does Assignments have plagiarism detection?
Yes. Instructors and students can run an originality report on classwork.
For more information, go to Turn on originality reports.
Does Assignments support rubric grading?
Yes. You can create, view, and grade rubrics for individual assignments. You can use scored or unscored rubrics to give feedback. If the rubric is used for scoring, students see the score when you return the assignment.
For more information, go to Grade with a rubric.
Can I save draft grades or feedback outside the student’s view?
Yes. While grading, the grade and overall feedback fields automatically save, even if the assignment is changed or the page is closed. The grade and overall feedback is viewable to the student only when the file is returned.
Can classwork be returned individually or all at once?
You have both options. To return assignments individually, at the top of each assignment, click Return.
To return all assignments at once:
- Leave draft grades and overall feedback.
- Return to the list of students.
- Check the boxes for all the students whose assignments you want to return.
- Click Return.
Can I return classwork without a grade?
Yes, if the grade field is left empty.However, if the assignment is ungraded, the open LTI standard can’t indicate that an assignment has been completed. The LMS can’t distinguish between ungraded and unsubmitted assignments.
Can returned classwork be resubmitted or regraded?
Yes. Regrading works the same way as submitting, grading, and returning the first time, with the following exceptions:
- To provide context for giving a new grade, the previous grade is displayed next to the grade field. Only the most recent grade syncs to the LMS.
- Previous overall feedback is displayed and new overall feedback open in a separate text box.
Can co-instructors grade assignments?
Yes. Each assignment can have multiple graders. An Google Workspace for Education account is required for each instructor or teaching assistant (TA).
Do grades sync to the LMS?
Yes. The grade is synced one way from Assignments to the LMS and appears in the LMS grade book.
Class management FAQs
Can instructors see all their linked courses & assignments?
Yes, instructors can get all their linked courses and assignments.
Can instructors delete courses & assignments?
Instructors who own courses can delete courses and assignments. Learn how to delete courses and assignments.
Does Assignments support group assignments?
No, Assignments doesn’t have settings for group assignments. However, you can create a group project workflow:
- Tell each group to create a Google Doc and share it with group members for editing.
- Have the owner of the file submit the assignment for grading.
- Grade the assignment, leaving overall feedback as a margin comment or suggestion.
Tip: The overall feedback field is visible only to the owner of the file and not to the group. - In your grade book, record the grade for the other group members.
Does Assignments support peer review of assignments?
No, Assignments doesn’t have a feature for peer review. However, you can create a peer review workflow:
- Ask your students to start their assignments in Docs.
- Tell students to share their files with their peer reviewer.
- In Docs, peer reviewers leave margin comments and suggestions.
- Have students turn in their assignments, leaving in the reviewer’s comments and suggestions.Alternatively, students can review, implement, and resolve reviewer comments and instructors can view version history.
- Grade the assignments.
- (Optional) Record a separate grade for peer reviews.
Will Assignments work in a course copied in my LMS?
Yes, assignments set up in Google Assignments work in a course copied in an LMS. When you copy a course in your LMS, the following is copied over:
- Total points
- Rubrics
- Settings for originality reports
- Attachments
Important: Due dates are not copied and copied attachments can’t be removed from their assignment.
To avoid errors:
- Use Assignments LTI version 1.3 for best results.
- Copied assignments can only be opened by students after an instructor links the Assignment to their account. Learn about linking your account to Assignments.
- Make sure the person who copies the course is in the same Google Workspace for Education organization as the course creator or is on the organization’s allow list. Learn more about how to manage your organization’s allow lists.
- Don’t edit or delete the original assignment or its attachments.