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We are often pulled in many different directions when we're thinking of ways to create assignments in our courses. How do we make our assignments more AI-resilient? How can we encourage group work in an online course while ensuring everyone has access to the same document (and how might we keep track of who has contribute what)? What can we do to streamline templatized content so that there is no download and upload process? Answering these questions (and more) can be daunting; one possible solution to address these challenges is the implementation of Google Assignments.

What are Google Assignments?

Google Assignments is an LTI integration through Canvas that allows instructors to create Google content for students. Student can then complete their work on the provided Google document for submission. Instructors can require students to complete their work through any of the following Google applications:

  • Google Docs: Word processing software, similar to Microsoft Word. Good for general writing assignments.
  • Google Slides: Presentation creation software, similar to Microsoft PowerPoint. Good for creating slideshows.
  • Google Sheets: Spreadsheet software, similar to Microsoft Excel. Good for creating data spreadsheets and tables.
  • Google Drawings: Graphic design software, similar to Canva. Good for creating diagrams and charts.

Because these documents are tied to Google Drive, they make use of all of the features of Google content--automatically saved progress, version history, continuous access to living documents, and more.

What are the benefits of using Google Assignments?

This year, we're compiling a list of practices and tools that speak to the four C's as outlined by Drs. Voegele, Benson, and Gallavan in their article "Four Powerful Practices to Promote Student Success": curiosity, communication, connections, and compassion. Google Assignments touches on these four ideas in ways that can improve the online learning experience for both students and instructors.

Curiosity & connection

Drs. Voegele, Benson, and Gallavan share five components of curiosity, one of which is that "shared conversations are promoted" (2025). Google Workspace applications are designed with this exact component of curiosity in mind. Unlike many other ways of sharing a document, students and instructors can be working on the same document together and can see updates in real time. The shared conversations around the work can be asynchronous, or students in a group can work together synchronously and discuss their progress as it's happening.

In addition to communicating with their instructors, students need to connect to their classmates in order to be successful. Group work can be powerful, but especially online, it can be difficult to manage. Who is responsible for what? How do we know who is working and who isn't? Google Assignments supports group work by allowing students to work from the same document. Students can share their documents or slideshows with each other and build something together. If you want students to have access to a group document that you build, you might try using the Collaborations feature in Canvas.

Communication & compassion

The communication channel between instructors and students is paramount in ensuring student success. Google Assignments can provide a class community with tools to enhance that communication. Like SpeedGrader, Google Assignments has a comment feature that allows specific parts of the document to be tagged with questions, thoughts, or encouragement. Students can also leave comments on their own document, asking for clarification, providing feedback to a peer, or reminding themselves of what they want to include as they work through a drafting process.

Additionally, one of the most challenging aspects of teaching online (or teaching in general) is what to do when an instructor suspects academic dishonesty on the part of their students. Google Assignments has the potential to improve communication between instructors and students when these tough conversations arise. The version history of the document provides information on who edited a document when and what they added. This is one data point (amongst many) that can be discussed as students and instructors work to understand how an assignment was completed and what next steps should be taken. Using this kind of data to inform conversations and giving students an opportunity to explain themselves fosters compassion in online courses.

What can I use Google Assignments for?

Google Assignments can be used for virtually any kind of assignment where students would already be submitting a Word document, PowerPoint, Excel sheet, or something similar. Learn more about how to add a Google Assignment to your course.

Google Assignments also makes templatized content much simpler. If there is a particular format you'd like students to follow or set of questions you'd like for your students to answer, you can set that up in Google Assignments, which will ensure that every student works form the same kind of document.

Truly, the sky's the limit when it comes to Google Assignments! If you're not sure where to get started, take a look at some of the examples below. Each document has comments you can view to learn more about the assignment and the choices made by the instructor. You can make a copy of these examples for yourself by going to File > Make a Copy, and then choosing where you'd like for it to save.

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