The difference between an assignment and an assessment in Canvas.
MIT uses the word ‘assessment’ to collectively describe how learners will be assessed on your course. Canvas has a page called ‘Assignments’ where you need to put all the assessments for your students.
Assessing as per your PAD
Your PAD document (in the Programme Library) tells you what assessments you must include in your course. You have no choice about this at this stage. Your PAD document is approved by NZQA. You must deliver the assessments, including their types, weighting and description as given in the PAD.
There are various assessment types found in your PAD e.g.
- Assignment
- Report
- Portfolio
- Essay
- Practical
- Practicum
- Unit Standard Evidence
- Presentation
- Discussion
This is not a complete list. Assignment is one of many types of assessment in MIT terminology. When Canvas uses the word Assignment, we translate this as assessment. Make sure that you and your students are clear about this, just so there isn’t any confusion.
Make sure you create Assignment Groups on your Assignments page that reflect the assessments listed in the Course Descriptor in your PAD. Weight these groups as per the weighting in the course descriptor. You will need one Assignment Group for each assessment listed in your course descriptor.
Hints and Tips
- Check your PAD first. Make sure you understand the assessment requirements of the course
- Use Assignment Groups – they’re great for weighting in Canvas correctly