How do I make a timed assignment in Canvas?

[lori_graham]

I would like to have an assignment on Canvas to do at home that is timed.  The students once they open the assignment will have one hour, for example. How do I do this?  Thank you. 

Lori 

[kblack · Accepted solution]

Hi  @lori_graham  Welcome to the Canvas Community!  While there are various ways one can work around this, a timed assignment is not actually possible other than by making it an online quiz and setting it to be timed, as outlined in the various options shown here:  https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10152-415241475 .  Depending on what you had in mind for this assignment, you could in theory make it a one-question quiz where they have to upload a file, as outlined here:  https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-12878-4152125612 .  That is exactly what instructors at my own institution have done when they have asked similar questions to yours, Lori.  Hopefully this is an option for you. 

(Those links, by the way, lead to the current version of quizzes.  If you are on Quizzes.Next, there is information on setting a time here, and information on file upload questions here.   You can tell if you are a Quizzes.Next next institution by the way that you create a quiz.  The traditional engine has quizzes added via the Quizzes menu item; Quizzes.Next adds them via the Assignments menu item.)

[leo_spizzirri1]

This is so problematic. Quizzes and assignments both have useful functions, but neither has all of them! Why can't these be combined!!! I want to have quizzes with multiple pages uploaded for one question, and the ability to annotate their responses in Canvas, but I need the timer as well. It seem so poorly planned and I cannot figure out the reason to keep these functions separated. 

[aaron_burger]

I wonder if anyone at Canvas is considering this as a feature ? Sometimes I wish I had the Canvas developers by my side when I'm working on my course...

[klassen]

There is a huge problem with using quizzes and uploaded answers and that is you can't use speedgrader.  You have to download all the attachments, open them in something that will allow annotations, then upload them back up so students can see them.  UGH!

[ashok_thapa]

Hi  @lori_graham 

Well, Online quizzes would do fine but if you are trying to restrict the time, please try with due dates. You can enter the time you want the due to be.

Also, please make sure, if you want or don not want the assignment to be accessed after due date which Canvas allows.

Hope it helps,

Ashok

[James]

Making it an assignment is almost certainly a bad idea for a project to do at home. It would require that all of the students start at the same time or they won't have their full hour. A quiz, as  @kblack  suggested, allows each student to have the full hour once they start.

I've done this with paper and pencil take home exams in the past with assignments. However, the assignment was an LTI that would add a timestamp to a PDF file that the student would download, print, complete, scan and then upload within the allowed time. On my end, it would write the time the file was downloaded to a database (the link to download wrote it to the database) so I could go back later in case I needed to audit things.

[mpetersen]

I have used a quiz to administer a timed assignment. I distribute a file with a password, the quiz gives them the password, they complete the assignment and then upload the file before the time runs out. The problem is I can bulk download the files, but there is no upload button (like there is with assignments). Thus the files must be returned one file at a time. Assignments allow bulk upload, but no timer. Quizzes allow timer but not bulk upload. Has anyone found a workaround that vies you both?

[sgilbert]

I am currently using quizzes for this. However it has one big problem. With assignments, if students turn it in late they can still upload the file and it is marked as late. With quizzes, once the time expires they can't upload the file. That means that I have to deal with students asking if they can email the file because time ran out. I would much prefer that it worked like assignments, that students could still upload but have it marked late. This is especially a problem since students cannot see the timer while they are completing the assignment, which is done in an entirely separate tab.

[james_whalley]

This is something we have been running into a lot lately as well. Quizzes just don't have the annotation or plagiarism checking that folks want for essays they use on exams. We have been recommending a workaround for some, but it is not pretty.

If you create a timed quiz, have the prompt for the questions in there, then also have an assignment set up that is only a submission space, you can have them turn in their work via the assignment before the timer runs out. Times can be checked via various logs. Again, this is NOT pretty.

[freeman1]

How come canvas has not yet added timed assignments as a feature?  This basic functionality should be an option for us.  It is really too bad that we can never seem to do what we want with canvas.

[hwalter1]

I agree, having a timed assignment would be amazing. Our students do not need hours and hours as it takes attention away from other important things they should be doing. I would suggest a feature request, and then let us know so we can vote on it.