Use Assignments with Canvas

Google Assignments and Canvas expanded Google Docs Editors and Google Drive to be compatible with Canvas for file submissions. With Assignments, you can distribute and grade student work, analyze student submissions for plagiarism detection, and use Google Docs and Drive with Canvas. 

Features and benefits of Assignments

When admins enable Google Assignments in Canvas settings, you can use its features and benefits.

• Instructors can select Google Assignments as an external tool when they create a new assignment, which enables instructors to:
  • Grade in Google’s grading interface or in SpeedGrader™.
  • File attachments to an assignment so each student gets their own copy to edit and submit.
  • Detect missed citation checks and possible plagiarism with the originality reports feature.
• Students can submit Drive files to Canvas assignments, which instructors can grade in SpeedGrader™.
• Embed Drive files with the Canvas rich text editor.
• Add Drive files to Canvas Modules.

Assignments also provides improvements from Google Apps LTI:

• Officially supported by Google and covered by the Google Workspace for Education Terms of Service.
• Provides an option for admins to require students to use their school-issued Google accounts.
• Uses Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) 1.3 for stronger security.

Use Assignments as an external tool for assignments

1. Create a new Canvas assignment.
2. Next to Submission Type, select External Tool.
   
3. Click Find and choose Google Assignments. 
   

Allow students to submit Drive files as file uploads

Students can submit Drive files that you can grade with SpeedGrader™.

For teachers

Allow students to submit Drive files with Canvas assignments

1. After you create a new Canvas assignment, next to "Submission Type", select Online.
2. Under "Online Entry Options", select File Uploads.

Important: You must select File Uploads or the submission will fail.

For students

Turn in assignments

1. Ensure you're signed into your school account. 
2. Next to "File Upload", click Google Drive.
3. To open a Google Drive window, click Select file.
4. Select the Drive file.
5. Click Add  Attach  Submit assignment. 

Embed Drive files with the rich text editor

In the Canvas rich text editor, you can embed a Google Drive file into announcements, assignments, or posts. You can share a Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, PDF, video, image, or any other file in your Drive. 
 
Assignments automatically handles all file permissions. Anyone in the class and their guardians can find the embedded class materials without a Google account sign in. Find step-by-step instructions in the Canvas Help Center. 

Tip: A known issue affects embedding files that are in shared or team drives. Learn more about known issues.

Add Drive files to Modules

You can use Google Drive as an external tool source for Module content. Students can open the files and work on their own copy. 

Add a Drive file to a Module

1. Sign in to Canvas.
2. Open the course.
3. Click Modules  Add Item .
   
4. Next to "Add", select External Tool.
   
5. Under "External Tool", select Google Drive.
   
6. Sign in to your Google Account.
7. Click Allow.
8. Select the Google Drive file.
9. Click Submit.

FAQ

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If my organization uses Google Apps LTI, should we also use Assignments?

From October 2023, Instructure will no longer support the Google Apps LTI. This means:

• No new installs will be allowed.
• No further development will be made on it.
• No customer support will be available.

Google and Instructure makes sure that Google Assignments LTI 1.3 has the Google Apps LTI functions, and includes:

• Improved security
• Flexibility
• Integrations 

Current Google Apps LTI users won’t lose access but should transition over to Google Assignments LTI 1.3.

To use the latest Assignments features, you can install and migrate to Google Assignments LTI 1.3.

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. Learn how to sign up for Google Workspace for Education. 

Can I embed a form from Google Forms or Forms quiz?

No. Currently, you can’t embed a form or select one as a file type for quizzes. To use Forms for quizzes, create a form and share the link with your students. Learn how to create a Google Form.

How can I copy an assignment from Google Apps LTI to Assignments LTI 1.3?

Important:

• Make sure you turn on both Google Apps LTI 1.1 and Google Assignments LTI 1.3 for your domain.
  • Any submitted work for the Google Apps LTI Cloud assignment that you want to migrate will reset. 
• If you want to keep your previous submissions, make a copy of the Canvas assignment.

1. Find the Canvas assignment you want to migrate to Google Assignments LTI 1.3.
2. On the right of the assignment, click More   Edit  More options.
3. Next to "Submission Type," click the dropdown  External Tool.
4. Click Find.
5. Select Google Assignments (LTI 1.3).
   • If you can’t find this option, request your Canvas administrator to turn on Google Assignments LTI 1.3.
6. Link your Google Workspace for Education account.
7. Click Continue.
8. Attach the Drive worksheet files.
9. Choose your grading tool, then make sure the due date and points are updated.
10. Click Create.
11. On the Canvas page, click Select  Save.

Related topics

• Set up Assignments in Canvas
• Set up Assignments in Schoology or another LMS
• Set up Assignments in Blackboard
• Set up Assignments in D2L/Brightspace
• Set up Assignments in Moodle
• Set up Assignments in Sakai

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