Creating an Assignment Using the Google Assignments LTI 1.3 External Tool

Instructors can create a Google Assignment in their Canvas course(s) that utilize(s) a Google document, a Google sheet, or Google slides from their Google Drive account. For example, you might have a Google sheet that contains a table template you’ve created. You want your students to fill out specific areas of the Google sheet and submit it back to you for grading. This is possible with the Google Assignments LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) 1.3 external tool that CCS has integrated with Canvas.

When you select a file for your students to edit, a copy of your file is saved to a student’s own Google Drive. Your own version of this file is never modified within your Google Drive. Student submissions can be accessed directly from within Canvas or even via your own Google Drive account.

Creating a Google Document

  1. Log in to the CCS Access Manager.
  2. Click on the Google Drive button.
  3. Click on the ➕ New button on the upper left-hand corner of the Google Drive interface.
  4. Select Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Google Slides to create a new file in your Google Drive account.
  5. Include any details within the document for your students…such as parts of the document you want students to fill out or complete before submitting back to you.

Attaching a Google Document to a Canvas Assignment

Watch this video to learn how to attach your Google file to a Canvas assignment.

  1. In your Canvas course, create a new assignment.
  2. While editing the details for your assignment (including the assignment name, directions, points possible, etc.), from the Submission Type drop-down list, select External Tool.
  3. Click the Find button.
  4. In the Configure External Tool window that appears, find and click on Google Assignments (LTI 1.3).
  5. In the Link Resource from External Tool window that appears, click the Continue button to confirm your CCS e-mail address.
  6. In the Create a Google assignment window that appears, decide if you want to Check plagiarism (originality) by using the toggle switch.
  7. Select a file that you want your students to edit. Either:
    • Click the Attach button to select a file from Recent, My Drive, Shared drives, or Upload. Click the Add button to add the file to your Canvas assignment.
    • Click the Create button to create a New Doc, New Sheet, New Slide, or New Drawing.
  8. Select how you want to grade the assignment:
    • Google Assignments – uses the Google interface to grade
    • Canvas SpeedGrader – uses the Canvas interface to grade
  9. Click the Create button.
  10. Back in the Canvas interface, you’ll be returned to the Configure External Tool window. Click on the Select button.
  11. Save & Publish your assignment in Canvas.

This screenshot shows a view of what a newly created Google assignment might look like in your course:

This is an example of what a Google Assignment looks like inside of Canvas without any student submissions.

Viewing Assignment Submissions in Canvas

  1. Navigate to your Google assignment within your Canvas course. The Google interface appears below any directions you had provided for the assignment.
  2. Click on the name of a student to view the submissions.
This is an example of what a Google Assignment looks like inside of Canvas with a student submissions.
insert_drive_file

Viewing Submissions in the SpeedGrader

You can also view student submissions via the Canvas SpeedGrader. These are only snapshots (not “live”) of the submitted assignment.

Viewing Assignment Submissions in Google Drive

When students submit assignments to you via Google assignments, a copy of each student’s submission will be automatically added to your Google Drive account.

  1. Log in to the CCS Access Manager.
  2. Click on the Google Drive button.
  3. Click on My Drive.
  4. Find and open the Assignments folder.
Instructors can view student submissions via Google Drive. Within the Assignments folder, you will find a folder for each Canvas course. Further, when you open up a course folder, folders for each Google assignment in the course will be added as students submit assignments to you. Files from your students will be housed in these folders.

Within the Assignments folder, you will find a folder for each Canvas course. Further, when you open up a course folder, folders for each Google assignment in the course will be added as students submit assignments to you. Files from your students will be housed in these folders. Your folder structure will look similar to this:

  • Assignments
    • Course Name 1
      • Assignment Name 1
        • File Name 1
        • File Name 2
      • Assignment Name 2
        • File Name 3
        • File Name 4
        • File Name 5
    • Course Name 2
      • Assignment Name 1
        • File Name 1
        • File Name 2

Additional Resources