Quizzes, Assignments, and rubrics
Canvas Quizes and Assignments can be used for both formative or summative modes of assessment.
Canvas Assignment
Designed for essay-type answers and file uploads, and easy integration with Turnitin.
Canvas Quiz
Canvas Quizzes can make use of question banks and can comprise various question types.
Rubrics and criteria
Adding rubrics to assessments provides clarity for students and consistency of marking.
Use Assignment Groups
If you plan to use both a Canvas Quiz and Assignment for your assessment (e.g., the academic term test), make it clear to students that both parts comprise the total marks. For clarity, put your Canvas Quiz and Assignment into the same Assignment Group and label the group accordingly, e.g., ‘Online Exam – ECON 101 or Academic Term Test’.
Instructor guide: How do I add an assignment group in a course?
Comparison between Canvas Quiz and Assignment
| Features | Canvas Quiz | Canvas Assignment |
|---|---|---|
| Can examiners upload documents and media files as part of assessment instructions? | Yes – See Quizzes > Supplimentary files | Yes – Recommend locking access to these files for release on the assessment date only. |
| Can examiners use rubrics for marking? |
You can add a rubric in New Quizzes and use it for marking. Students are also able to view the rubric when they launch the quiz. For Classic Quizzes, however, rubrics allow you to view and choose criteria, but not for marking purposes. Marks must be added as an extra step manually. |
Yes for New Quizzes Extra step required for Classic Quizzes |
| Can students upload files as part of their assessment answer? | Yes – use the File upload question in New Quizzes or File upload question in Classic Quizzes. | Yes – see assignment submission type |
| Can students record audio/video directly in assessment question answer box for submission? |
Yes, in Classic Quizzes – use the Essay question type. Students can use the Record media function in the menu of the answer text box. No, in New Quizzes. Use Canvas Assignment instead and remember to group different parts of the assessment together using assignment groups. |
Yes – use the Media Recordings submission type. |
| Can examiners randomise questions students receive? | Yes – Use item banks (New Quizzes) and see this demonstration video on using item banks. Or question banks (for Classic Quizzes, deprecated). | No |
| Can examiners use Turnitin for plagiarism checks of text answers in Canvas? | No, Canvas Quiz answers are not able to be checked by Turnitin. | Yes – Recommend setting up Plagiarism Review in Assignment settings. |
| Is there an option available to allow students to review the similarity report on their submission from Turnitin and make alterations before their final submission? | No – Turnitin plagiarism check can only be administered after the end of the final assessment period so students cannot view this. | Yes – Recommend to communicate expectations and guidelines around this to students in assessment instructions, e.g., number of submissions and so on. |
Support
Check out our learning technology support page to find out what options are available for Canvas.
Page updated 17/12/2025 (minor edit)