There’s a Template for That! Leveraging Canvas Assignment Templates to Simplify Lesson Planning & Improve Student Access
- Jan 9
- 5 min read
By Patricia Helfenbein, NFHS
As we wrap up the final week of the first cycle, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on our classroom practices and to consider what adjustments we need to make as we head into the second cycle after Fall Break. All of us are familiar with Canvas and use it nearly on a daily basis to distribute work to our students, grade assignments and assessments, and communicate with our classes. Because Canvas is already a tool we use at Naaman Forest, I wanted to make you aware of a feature within Canvas that can help simplify the process of creating assignments: Assignment Templates.
Assignment Templates
What Are Assignment Templates?
This year, GISD has created eight Assignment Templates on Canvas and automatically put them on each teacher’s page. The purpose of this was threefold:
If all teachers use the same Assignment Templates to create their assignments on Canvas, students will have a more consistent experience across classes, making it less likely that they will be confused about what they are expected to do.
Coming this spring, Garland ISD and other large school districts will be required to meet accessibility requirements for online materials.1 These Assignment Templates already meet these accessibility requirements.
The Assignment Templates each include tutorials to help students submit their work, so not knowing how to submit an assignment will no longer prevent them from completing their classwork.2
Canvas Assignment Templates are a great way not only to be compliant with federal law but also to make your lesson planning a little bit easier. Most of the Canvas assignment components are already built into each template, so you can focus on creating a quality assignment and quickly and easily publish it to students so they can complete it.
There is a template available for the following assignment types on Canvas:
Media Recording: this can be used for video or microphone recording
No Submission: this can be used to let students know that a test is coming up and to provide a study guide, even though they aren’t actually turning anything in
Google LTI 1.3: this allows you to assign an assignment using a Google tool
On Paper: this allows you to give students instructions online even though you are collecting their final work on paper
Text Entry: this allows you to assign a writing assignment that they complete online
Website URL: this can be used if you want students to share their work with you, such as a Google Slides or Canva assignment
BEWARE: students have to share their assignment with you or allow anyone with the link to view their file in order for you to be able to view it
File Uploads: this can be used if you want students to share a file from their Google Drive with you
Student Annotations: this can be used to grade students’ annotations assignments
How Do I Use Assignment Templates?
To create an assignment using an Assignment Template, the most important thing to keep in mind is DO NOT publish or edit the Assignment Template itself. Here is a step-by-step guide to publishing an assignment using an Assignment Template.
Step 1: Make a copy of the template & rename
To make a copy of the Assignment Template, click on the three dots on the far right of the assignment and click on Duplicate.
When you click on duplicate, you should see the new assignment pop up right underneath the original template. To edit your copy, just click on the assignment name.
When you rename your assignment, make sure that it’s clear to students what the assignment is and when it is due.
Step 2: Write the Learning Objective, Directions, & Grading Information
Try to be as descriptive as possible without overwhelming students with words. This is very useful especially for our Text-to-Speech and Emergent Bilingual students because they can use the Immersive Reader function on Canvas to have the directions read to them or translated into their native language.
Don’t make any changes to “How to Submit.” GISD has made these tutorial videos to explain how to submit each assignment type. This is one aspect of making these pages accessible, so it is important that we don’t make any changes here.
Step 3: Make other adjustments to the assignment as necessary
Now just edit your assignment (mostly) as you have in the past:
Points: Decide how many points the assignment is worth
Assignment Group: Change this to MIN for a minor grade or MAJ for a major grade
Display Grade As: Decide what is best for you; I generally keep it at points
Submission Type: DO NOT change this
Submission Attempts: Decide what is best for you
With media recordings, students often have technical difficulties, so it may be best to offer multiple attempts
Group Assignment: Decide what is best for this assignment
Peer Reviews: Decide if you want students to do peer reviews
Sync to Skyward: I highly recommend this
Assign Access: Decide if you want all students to have access at the same time or if you want to have A-day and B-day students have access on the day of their class
If you don’t have an end date for access, kids can keep turning in the assignment late, which can be annoying to grade.
Personally, I keep assignments open about a week after their due date and then require students to email me their work if I’m still willing to accept it after then.
Step 4: Click “Save and Publish” and add it to a module
After you save and publish the assignment, it’s best to use a module system to help students navigate to the assignment. I actually keep my assignment page hidden from students (it’s not on their navigation bar) so that they have to go to Modules to find any classwork. You can organize your modules in any way. I do mine by units, but other teachers do theirs by week or
even by day. Just keep it consistent so that your students feel comfortable about how to access work in your class.
To add an assignment to a module, click on the + button at the top right of the module bar.
Then select the assignment you created and click “Add Item”.
That’s it - you’re ready to go! Assignment Templates are a great way to provide clear instructions to students and to ensure that the settings for each assignment type you want to use are correct. Using these will be particularly important moving into the spring semester as we will need to meet Department of Education accessibility requirements, so try these out during Cycle 2 and see if it makes a difference not only in your lesson planning time but also in your students’ ability to complete assignments successfully.
References
1 Kara Arundel, “How can schools prepare for ADA digital accessibility requirements?” K-12 Dive, May 6, 2024, https://www.k12dive.com/news/schools-colleges-title-ii-digital-accessibility/715184/.
2 We all know how important physical classroom structures and routines are for students, but we often don’t translate that onto our Canvas courses. Here’s a great resource for learning more about creating an online learning platform that helps foster student success: Carissa Gober, Melissa Locher, and Laura Schisler, “Ten Online Course Structural Components to Support Learning,” Faculty Focus, June 1, 2022, https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/online-course-design-and-preparation/10-online-co urse-structural-components-to-support-learning/.
