Canvas Update: New "Assign to" Workflow


Effective July 20, 2024

Starting July 20, 2024, Canvas is changing where the "Assign To" option appears for instructors, TAs, designers, and other roles that can create learning activities. Canvas also adds the "Assign To" functionality in areas of a course where it was previously unavailable, such as Modules, Pages, and ungraded Discussions. The "Assign To" settings allow users to assign learning activities to everyone, specific students, or sections and control due dates, availability dates, and until dates.


What Changed?

  1. The "Manage Assign To" link replaces the traditional location of the "Assign To" settings.
  2. The "Assign To" tray replaces the traditional "Assign To" cards.
  3. Learning activities now have an "Assign To" shortcut button at the top.
  4. Module items now have an "Assign To" shortcut.
  5. Modules, Pages, and ungraded Discussions now have "Assign To" settings.
  6. Banner IDs now appear when assigning specific students to learning activities.

What Does This Change Look Like?

"Manage Assign To" Link:

The "Assign Access: Manage Assign To" link replaces the traditional location of the "Assign To" card when editing assignments or quizzes. If ignored, it defaults to "Everyone" in the course, excluding due and availability dates

new assign to, assign access highlighted on an assignment

"Assign To" Tray:

The "Assign To" tray includes all functionalities of the previous "Assign To" cards.

assign to tray with multiple assign to options shown

"Assign To" Shortcut Button:

To provide instructors with a quick and easy way to access, view, and change "Assign To" settings, the "Assign To" button has been prominently placed at the top of all learning activities (Assignments, Discussions, Pages, and Quizzes). Instructors no longer need to edit the learning activity to adjust these settings.

new assign to button located at top of learning assignments

fly out assign to tray highlighted

Modules and Module Items:

By default, module items created in Modules are assigned to everyone in the course. However, instructors no longer need to open and edit each module item to change the "Assign To" settings.

module shortcut highlighted

While modules are still assigned to everyone in the course by default, you can now assign modules to specific students and sections.

assign a module menu options

On the "Assign To" tab, instructors can set the module visibility to "Everyone" or assign it to specific students.

assign to modules from everyone to specific students in the fly out window

A "View Assign To" icon on the module title allows instructors to identify differentiated modules while scanning the modules page quickly.

assign to for modules listed near title

Pages:

By default, Canvas pages are still assigned to everyone in the course, but the "Manage to Assign To" link in Pages allows assigning pages to specific students and/or sections and settings available from/until dates. Pages still use the "add to student-to-do" option, which can act like a due date.

page assign to visible on the page creation

Instructors can differentiate pages and manage availability dates in the "Assign To" tray.

assign to page differentiation flyout

Ungraded Discussions:  

The “Manage Assign To” link in ungraded Discussions allows assigning discussions to specific students and/or sections and settings available from/until dates. Ungraded Discussions still use the “add to student-to-do” option, acting like a due date. Group discussions use the “Group Discussion” option on the edit discussion page to select groups, while the “Assign To” settings do not include a group selection option. Graded Discussions use the full functionality of the “Assign To” settings, including due dates.

ungraded discussions assign to

Instructors can differentiate ungraded Discussions and manage availability dates in the “Assign To” tray.
  • Click the “Apply” button to save the settings.

discussions different assign to fly out menu

Banner IDs:

banner id highlighted in assign to menu


Guidance and Troubleshooting Tips

How do I save changes after making adjustments?

pending assign to and save highlighted on assignment screen

What happens if I ignore the "Manage Assign To" settings?

If you ignore the "Manage Assign To" settings when creating learning activities, the system defaults to "Everyone" without due dates. This means all students will have access to the content without specific deadlines.

How do due dates work on pages and ungraded discussions?

Pages and ungraded Discussions still use the “add to student-to-do” option that acts like a due date. The “Manage Assign To” link for these activities only provides options to assign specific students and/or sections and set available from/until dates.

How are specific assignment settings within modules respected?

Any specific 'assign to' item settings will be respected when you assign a module. For instance:

 

Best Practices:


Why Did Canvas Make This Change?

Canvas aims to solve existing course design problems and introduce new possibilities.

Key benefits include:

Additional Canvas Resources