How to Create Individual, Non-Graded Reading, and Group Assignments in Canvas

At a Glance

Assignments are the backbone of a well-organized Canvas site. As a member of the teaching team, you’ll work with three main types: individual assignments for collecting each student’s own work, non-graded reading assignments for keeping readings visible on students’ calendars and to-do lists, and group assignments for team submissions. This guide walks you through when to use each type and how to set it up correctly.

Before You Begin

Decide which assignment type fits your needs:

• Individual Assignment: Each student submits their own work.
• Non-Graded Reading Assignment: Students complete a reading—nothing is submitted or graded.
• Group Assignment: Students work in teams and submit one deliverable per group.

Gather assignment details from your teaching team: title, instructions, point value, due date, and (for group assignments) team rosters.

Create an Individual Assignment

Use case: Students submit their own work individually. Submissions are collected in one place, making grading and feedback easier.

1. In your Canvas course, click Assignments in the Course Navigation Menu.
   
2. Click + Assignment.
   
3. In the Assignment Name field, enter a title that begins with the course number (e.g., 15.927 – Class 4 Assignment).
   
   
4. Add instructions in the Rich Content Editor (RCE).
5. Enter the total points possible for the assignment in the Points field.
   
6. To collect student work (e.g., Word docs, PDFs, spreadsheets), set the submission type to Online [1] → File Upload [2].
   
7. Set the due date.
   
8. Click Save, or Save & Publish if the assignment is ready for students.
   

To learn more, see How do I create an assignment? and How do I add or edit details in an assignment?

Create a Non-Graded Reading Assignment

Use case: Keeps readings visible on students’ Canvas calendars and to-do lists without adding items to the Gradebook. Commonly used for Study.Net and Harvard Business Publishing (HBP) materials.

Step 1: Create the Assignment

1. In your Canvas course, click Assignments in the Course Navigation Menu.
   
2. Click + Assignment.
   
3. In the Assignment Name field, enter a title that begins with the course number (e.g., 15.927 – Class 4 Reading).
   
   

Step 2: Add the Reading to the Assignment

In the Rich Content Editor (RCE), add the reading itself so students can open it directly from the assignment. Follow the steps below based on where the reading lives.

To add a Study.Net reading:

Your Study.Net course pack must be requested and published before its readings will appear in Canvas. To confirm, click Study.Net Materials in the Course Navigation Menu—if the course pack loads and you see the readings, you’re all set.

1. In the RCE, click the Plug icon [1] and select View All [2] from the drop-down menu.
   
2. Type Study.Net into the Search field or scroll to find the tool, then click Study.Net material links to load your course pack.
   
3. Click the reading you want to assign.
   
4. Repeat these steps to add additional Study.Net readings due that day to the same assignment.

To learn more, see How to Add Study.Net Materials in Canvas.

To add an Harvard Business Publishing (HBP) reading:

You must register for a free HBP Educator account and be approved by HBP before you can search the catalog.

1. In the RCE, click the Plug icon [1] and select View All [2] from the drop-down menu.
   
2. Type Harvard Business Publishing into the Search field or scroll to find the tool, then click Harvard Business Publishing Catalog – Rich Text.
3. Click Search Full Catalog. This will launch HBP’s website in a new browser window.
   
4. Search HBP’s website for the content you need. Copy the content’s Product # to your clipboard.
   
5. Navigate back to Canvas, paste the Product Number [1], and click Submit [2].
   
6. Repeat these steps to add additional HBP materials due that day to the same assignment.

To learn more, see How to Add Harvard Business Publishing (HBP) Content to a Canvas Course.

To add a reading from your course’s Files area:

The reading must first be uploaded to your course’s Files area. Make sure the file and its parent folder are published or set to Only available with link—otherwise students won’t be able to open it from the assignment.

1. In the RCE, click the Document icon [1] in the toolbar and select Course Documents [2] from the drop-down menu.
   
2. In the Type drop-down menu [1], select All [2].
   
3. Select Course Files.
   
4. Navigate to and click on the reading you want to assign.
5. Repeat these steps to add additional course files due that day to the same assignment.

To learn more, see How do I link to a document from Canvas in the Rich Content Editor?

Step 3: Finish the Assignment Settings

1. Set the point value to 0 (zero).
   
2. Set the submission type to No Submission.
   
3. Set the due date so the reading appears on students’ calendars and to-do lists.
   
4. Click Save, or Save & Publish if the assignment is ready for students.
   

To learn more, see How do I create an assignment? and How do I add or edit details in an assignment?

Create a Group Assignment

Use case: Students work together and submit as a team. Only one student per group needs to submit on behalf of the team. All group members receive the same grade and feedback (unless you choose to assign grades to students individually).

Step 1: Set Up Your Groups

1. Create a Group Set (e.g., Final Project Teams) under People → + Group Set.
2. Create the groups within the set.
3. Add students to their groups.

Step 2: Create the Assignment

1. In your Canvas course, click Assignments in the Course Navigation Menu.
   
2. Click + Assignment.
   
3. In the Assignment Name field, enter a title that begins with the course number (e.g., 15.927 – Team Project).
   
   
4. Add instructions in the Rich Content Editor (RCE).
5. Enter the total points possible for the assignment in the Points field.
   
6. To collect student work (e.g., Word docs, PDFs, spreadsheets), set the submission type to Online [1] → File Upload [2].
   
7. IMPORTANT – DO NOT SKIP: Under Group Assignment, select This is a Group Assignment [1] and choose the correct group set from the Group Set drop-down [2].
   • Optional: Select Assign Grades to Each Student Individually if you want to grade group members separately. Leave it unchecked to give all group members the same grade and feedback.
     
8. Set the due date.
   
9. Click Save, or Save & Publish if the assignment is ready for students.
   

To learn more, see How do I assign an assignment to a course group?

Tips for All Assignment Types

• Bulk update due dates: Need to adjust assignment due dates after copying a course? Canvas lets you bulk update due dates for assignments, quizzes, and discussion—all in one place, which can save a lot of time.
• Check your work in Student View: Use Student View to confirm what students will see (note that it does NOT work with Study.Net or HBP content—see above).
• Add assignments to Modules: Add each assignment as a module item so students can find everything for a class session in one place.