Canvas Baseline Practices: 4. Assessment
Provide clear, timely, and structured assessment information.
What this practice involves
- Set up coursework assessments using the Canvas Assignments or Quizzes tool.
- Include clear instructions for each task, including format, word count (if applicable), due date, and submission process.
- Link to marking rubrics or criteria where available.
- Ensure due dates are entered in Canvas so they appear in the Calendar, To-Do list, and Syllabus’ Course Summary section.
- Add assessment deadlines to the Canvas Calendar and ensure the weighting and timing align with the course syllabus.
- Provide space for formative assessment, peer review, or low-stakes practice activities if possible.
Why it matters
Assessment is often a major source of stress for students. Unclear instructions, hidden deadlines, or last-minute updates can lead to confusion and mistakes. Transparent assessment instructions help students understand how they’ll be evaluated, what they need to do, and when. It also supports fairness, reduces anxiety, encourages better preparation and academic integrity.
And it aligns with Universal Design for Learning by supporting ‘action and expression’ through allowing students to plan and manage their workload more effectively.
Implementation
4.1 Assessment tasks are provided in Canvas
Placing all relevant assessment information under Canvas Assignments helps students find their assessment tasks easily.
Teachers or markers can use Gradebook and/or SpeedGrader to score assessment tasks.
TeachWell Digital: Canvas Assignments
4.2 Essential instructions
Publish assessment information with due dates at the start of the course to help students plan their workload and keep track of deadlines.
Provide an estimation of the time to complete an assignment with regards to the marking regime so students have a better idea how much effort is required; this should be reflected in the applied weighting.
Write instructions so that students have a clear understanding of required actions. Assessment tasks should be aligned with stated goals, learning objectives, and/or standards.
- Due dates are published at start of the course.*
- Weightings are set up correctly.
- Estimated duration is communicated where possible, e.g., “Part two should take no more than 4 hours.”
* You can withhold details about the assessment task using the ‘Available From‘ date.
Consider using this assignment template (Word docx) and adapting it to your needs.
Teacher guides
Instructor guide: What is the difference between assignment due dates and availability dates?
4.3 External assessment tools
External assessment tools are set up and working correctly (e.g., Perusall, H5P, FeedbackFruits, Inspera, etc.).
Scores that are passed back to Canvas align with the associated ‘points’ added to the Canvas assignment settings.
4.4 Rubrics
Use rubrics (or marking guides) so students understand the criteria used to evaluate assessment tasks. Provide as much detail as possible when setting the marking criteria and grade allocation.
This ensures that assessment criteria is less subjective and contestable, allowing for greater consistency across a range of markers. Students will have a greater sense of transparency and fairness for how their work is assessed.
TeachWell Digital: Rubrics in Canvas
Instructor guide: How do I add a rubric in a course?
Further reading
Tips and tools
- Use the Canvas Rubrics tool to clearly show how students will be assessed.
- Enable assignment feedback options like inline comments or annotated files.
- For quizzes, offer practice versions with immediate feedback.
- Schedule release dates and due dates in advance to support time management practices.
Page updated 27/06/2025 (content refresh)