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Create and grade assessments

Use the Instructor application to create assignments and exams, publish them deliberately, review student work, and release results.

For
Instructor
Reading time
12 min
Updated
August 16, 2026
The gradebook, taking grades from assignments, attendance, and manual items on equal terms with the weight each carries.

Before you start

  • Instructor access to an active course that is not archived.
  • Prepared instructions, availability dates, grading scale, attempt policy, and any protected attachments.

You are done when

  • The assignment or exam list shows the intended draft, scheduled, published, or archived state.
  • Saved grades and append-only feedback appear against the selected student submission.
  • The gradebook shows the intended source weight and release state.

If something goes wrong

  • Use Try again on a failed list or detail surface before re-entering content.
  • If a save fails, keep the editor open and copy long instructions or feedback before retrying.
  • Do not publish or release results to compensate for a loading error; first confirm the current server state.

Create an assignment

  1. Open Courses, choose the course, then open Assignments

    Choose New assignment. The control is unavailable when the course is archived.

  2. Define the task and its boundaries

    Enter the title, instructions, open and due dates, grading scale, weight, allowed submission types, late policy, attempt count, and any assignment attachments.

  3. Create the assignment and verify its state

    Save the editor, then reopen the assignment from the list. Confirm the availability badge, instructions, dates, scale, attempts, submission types, and late policy.

Review and grade assignment work

  1. Open the assignment and choose a person under Student or group

    Choose the intended student or group. The workspace shows attempts, response content, files, and the active attempt.

  2. Enter the score against the correct attempt

    Confirm the active attempt, record the score and any extension details, then choose Save grade in the grading section.

  3. Send feedback separately

    Add written feedback or files and choose Send feedback. Feedback is append-only, so verify the student and content before sending.

Create and publish an exam

  1. Open Exams and choose New exam

    Set the title, availability window, duration, maximum attempts, weight, questions, and any accommodation-aware settings shown in the editor.

  2. Keep the exam as a draft while editing

    Use Manage exam to reopen the exam and review its question and timing configuration. Draft exams are not available to students.

  3. Publish only after final review

    Open the exam actions menu and choose Publish exam. Confirm that the list shows Published and the intended availability window.

  4. Grade and release through the exam and Gradebook surfaces

    Review submitted attempts, save grading decisions, then use Gradebook to confirm source weights and release results only when they are ready for students.

Continue with

Submit assignments and take exams

Use the Student application to save assignment work, submit it as an attempt, and complete an available exam attempt.

Review and grade exam attempts

Review submitted and expired exam attempts, score written responses, attach feedback, and understand how results reach the gradebook.

Run the course gradebook

Combine assignment, exam, attendance, and manual sources into a weighted course grade, release results deliberately, and read released grades as a student.