Unused Assignment Groups in Canvas Courses

Unused Assignment Groups in Canvas Courses

Identifying Unused/Empty Assignment Groups

As described in Setting Up a Weighted Gradebook in Canvas, Assignment Groups in Canvas can be used as a way to organize and group similar assignments together. In addition, you can weight your Assignment Groups with percentages for grading purposes. For example, you may have the following weighted Assignment Groups:

  • Assignments: 50%
  • Exams: 35%
  • Discussion Topics: 15%
  • TOTAL: 100%

In your Canvas course(s), you may have Assignment Groups that are unused. In the following example, five Assignment Groups are displayed on the Assignments page of a Canvas course. The “Sample Assignment Group (faculty edit this)” Assignment Group has an unpublished assignment in it called “Assignment (Template)”. The “Imported Assignments” Assignment Group does not have any assignments in it. In this example, both of these Assignment Groups are weighted at 0% of the Total for the course.

A screenshot of the Canvas Assignments page lists several assignment groups, with dark purple arrows highlighting two unused groups at the bottom. The "Sample Assignment Group (faculty edit this)" and "Imported Assignments" groups are both shown with a "0% of Total" weight, which the arrows specifically point out. Additional arrows indicate the contents of these unused sections: the Sample group contains a single item labeled "Assignment (Template)," while the Imported Assignments group is empty, displaying the text "No assignments in this group." Active groups visible above include "Assignments" weighted at 50%, "Exams" at 35%, and "Discussion Topics" at 15%.

Leaving unused Assignment Groups can confuse students. Even if these groups are empty or contain only unpublished items, they still appear in the student Gradebook. This creates unnecessary clutter, as students will see these group names listed alongside the active assignment categories in their grade summary.

A screenshot of the "Assignments are weighted by group" sidebar in the Canvas student gradebook displays a table comparing assignment groups and their respective weights. The groups listed are "Assignments" (50%), "Exams" (35%), and "Discussion Topics" (15%). Below these active groups, a dark purple box highlights two unused rows: "Sample Assignment Group (faculty edit this)" and "Imported Assignments," both showing a weight of 0%. At the bottom, the "Total" is calculated as 100%, followed by a checkbox labeled "Calculate based only on graded assignments."

In the above example, the unused Assignment Groups are listed for students. They may not know why they are seeing “Sample Assignment Group (faculty edit this)” or they may not know what “Imported Assignments” means.

A screenshot of the bottom section of a student's gradebook in Canvas displays a list of assignment groups under the headers "Name," "Due," "Submitted," "Status," and "Score." The standard groups "Assignments," "Exams," and "Discussion Topics" are listed first. Below them, a dark purple box highlights two unused groups: "Sample Assignment Group (faculty edit this)" and "Imported Assignments." All groups currently show a score of "0.00 / 0.00" with a status of "N/A," and the "Total" at the bottom of the page is also listed as "N/A."

Similarly, still in a student’s view of the Gradebook, these same Assignment Group names are listed at the bottom of the screen above the “Total” row.

If you have Assignment Groups that are either empty or won’t be used in your Canvas course(s), it is safe to delete them. This will help:

  • to keep your Assignments page clean and organized.
  • to eliminate those unused Assignment Group columns at the end of your own Gradebook.
  • your students to better understand how their grades are being assessed in your course(s).

Deleting Unused Assignment Groups

  1. Navigate to your Assignments index page of your course in Canvas.
  2. Click click the Options (three vertical dots) icon to the right of an Assignment Group name.
  3. Select 🗑️ Delete to delete the Assignment Group from your course.
A screenshot of the options menu for an assignment group in Canvas highlights how to remove a group. A yellow circle labeled "2" points to the three vertical dots icon located next to the "0% of Total" badge. The menu is expanded, displaying options such as "Edit," "Move Contents," and "Move Group." A yellow circle labeled "3" specifically highlights the "Delete" option within this list.

Additional Resources

Add an assignment group in a course (Instructor Guide)
View my grades in a current course (Student Guide)

How do I view my grades in a current course?