Assignment, Discussion or Quiz? Pick the Canvas Tool That Fits

Four questions, about a minute. Then the setup pages for each.

Start from what students do, not from the tool. "Can I do Flipgrid in Canvas?" is really "I want them replying to each other on video." Answer the four questions below and the tool picks itself.

01 Four questions

1. Should students see and respond to each other's work?

Yes →

Discussion

Posts, replies, and video replies (your Flipgrid). Graded or not. Jump ↓

No ↓

2. Are there right answers, or does it need a time limit or LockDown Browser?

Yes →

New Quiz

Canvas grades multiple choice and the like for you. Timed, locked, extra time per student. Jump ↓

No ↓

3. Will each student hand in something they made?

Yes →

Assignment

Then choose how they turn it in: typed, a file, a worksheet, a video, a link, or on paper. Jump ↓

No ↓

4. Is it reading, watching, or in-class work with nothing to hand in?

Yes →

Page, or an Assignment set to No Submission / On Paper

Give it a date so it shows on their list. Jump ↓

+ How to make any of them

1

Go to the page for that tool and click its red + button.

Assignments, Discussions, Quizzes or Pages in your course menu.

The red + Assignment, + Discussion, + Quiz/Survey and + Page buttons

2

Or build it right in a module: click + on the module, pick the type, then New.

It lands in the right unit and in order. Pick New, then name it.

Canvas Add Item to module dialog listing Assignment, Quiz, File, Page, Discussion, Text Header, External URL, External Tool

02 Side by side

	Assignment	Discussion	New Quiz
Students see each other's work	No	Yes	No
Canvas grades it for you	No	No	Yes, for multiple choice, matching, numeric and similar
Time limit / LockDown Browser	No	No	Yes
Extra time or a different date for one student	Different date: Assign To	Different date: Assign To	Yes: Moderate › extra time, extra attempts
Rubric	Yes	Yes	Not on the quiz; align essay questions to outcomes
Group work	Yes: group assignment	Yes: group discussion	No
Best for	Essays, worksheets, projects, videos, anything handed in	Responses to each other, video replies, debate, peer feedback in public	Checks for understanding, tests, exams, practice that grades itself

03 Assignment: how will they turn it in?

1

On the assignment, set Submission Type.

Online if they turn it in through Canvas. On Paper or No Submission if you grade it yourself.

Submission Type menu: Online, On Paper, No Submission, External Tool

2

Under Online, tick how they turn it in.

Each card below says which box to tick.

Online Entry Options: Text Entry, Website URL, Media Recordings, Student Annotation, File Uploads

Type it in Canvas

Set it to

Online › Text Entry

Short written responses. Nothing to save or lose; SpeedGrader shows it right away.

A Word file or PDF they finished

Set it to

Online › File Uploads (allow docx, pdf)

Essays and worksheets done in Word, OneNote or Edge.

Assign a Worksheet →

Write right on a worksheet

Set it to

Online › Student Annotation

The PDF opens in Canvas, saves as they go. No blank uploads.

Assign a Worksheet →

A video or audio recording

Set it to

Online › File Uploads (Studio tile)

Studio plays it in SpeedGrader, with comments on the timeline.

Assign a Studio Video →

A link to something they made

Set it to

Online › Website URL

Canva, a public Studio link, a website.

Assign a Studio Video →

Handwriting or math

Set it to

Online › File Uploads (allow pdf)

OneNote, exported as one PDF.

Writing on a PDF in OneNote →

Done on paper, in class

Set it to

On Paper

You enter the grade. It still shows on their list.

Every Kind of Work, on the Student's List →

Tick more than one. An assignment can take Text Entry and File Uploads at once, so a student can type or upload. Peer review and group submission are switches on the same assignment page.

04 Discussion: when they should see each other

1

Click + Discussion, write the prompt, then tick the options.

Participants must respond to the topic before viewing other replies stops copying. Graded adds points and a rubric.

Discussion options with Participants must respond to the topic before viewing other replies and Graded ticked

Video replies (your Flipgrid): students click Reply, then the filmstrip button › Upload/Record Media › Record. Full setup, a prompt to paste, and the student page to share: Video Discussions in Canvas: Your Flipgrid →

Required replies: say exactly how many and to whom in the prompt ("reply to two classmates").
Grading: SpeedGrader shows each student's posts together.

05 New Quiz: when it has answers or needs a lock

1

Click + Quiz/Survey, choose New Quizzes/Surveys, then Submit.

Tick Remember my choice for this course so it stops asking.

Choose a Quiz Engine dialog with New Quizzes/Surveys selected and Submit

Building it: Canvas Quizzes · math and science: questions that look like the exam
Testing securely: LockDown Browser & Test Security · extra time: Extended time, every way
Practice that shouldn't count: set it to 0 points, or ungraded, and use the results to plan tomorrow.

06 Nothing to hand in

Reading, a video to watch, or in-class work: use a Page with a to-do date, or an Assignment set to No Submission or On Paper. Every one needs a date to show on the student's list: Every Kind of Work, on the Student's List. Not sure it should count? Should this be graded?

07 What teachers ask, and the answer

"Can I do Flipgrid?"	Discussion with video replies
"How do I get a worksheet back?"	Assignment › Student Annotation, or a Word file
"I want a quick exit ticket."	New Quiz, 0 points, or a Discussion if they should see each other
"Essay test in class, locked down."	New Quiz with an essay question + LockDown Browser
"They made a Canva poster."	Assignment › Website URL
"Show your work on the math."	Assignment › File Uploads, from OneNote
"They read chapter 3 tonight."	Page with a to-do date

LAST CHECKED Oct. 20, 2026 · Canvas screens checked in a sandbox course