Assignment – Combined Assignment and Task Tool (Teacher)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
From 28 October 2026, the new Assignment is available to all itslearning customers as an opt-in pilot. This guide explains how to create work through Assignment (new) and use the new interface for activities that do not require a student submission.
Teachers can create activities with or without submissions from the same starting point. Activities without submissions use the new interface. Activities requiring submissions continue to use the existing submission interface.
You can choose to try the new tool during the pilot. The existing Task and Assignment tools remain available, and existing Tasks are unchanged. Read about the opt-in pilot.
Still using the separate Task tool? See Tasks – Overview (Teacher).
When creating an assignment, teachers enter content and instructions into the rich text editor, attach files, and configure settings. Two assignment types are available:
| Students submit work | No student submission required | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical use | Essays, project reports, file uploads, text answers | Reading tasks, presentations, excursions, in-class activities |
| After creation | Opens in the existing submission interface | Opens in the new interface with Description and Students tabs |
| Student action | Submits work via text editor or file upload | Follows the activity instructions. Can mark it complete only when student completion is enabled |
| Teacher assessment | All-in-One Grader | Assesses and gives feedback directly in the student list. A Completed switch is used for completion-based activities |
| Assessment options | Scale, rubric, peer assessment, self-assessment | Student completion, teacher completion, or assessment using the configured scale, including a numeric score where selected |
If students must submit work, you can create the assignment using this tool, but editing the assignment after creation will follow the old workflow. Continue with the relevant submission and assessment instructions in Assignment - Reference (Teacher). That guide also contains screenshots of the existing creation page.
For creation through Assignment (new), follow the steps in this article.
1 Creating an assignment
In your course, add a resource and select Assignment (new) from the activity list. The new Assignment creation form opens.
The creation page contains a content area on the left and a Settings summary panel on the right. The Create and Cancel buttons are in the settings summary panel.
1.1 Assignment content
The assignment has a required Title field and an optional Description field. The description uses the itslearning rich text editor, which supports text formatting, embedded media, and third-party tool content via LTI Advantage.
1.2 Adding files
Use the Add attachments area below the description to attach files to the assignment. Files can be dragged and dropped directly into the area.
Available file sources depend on the account setup. Typical sources could include Your computer, Google Drive, Office 365, and Your files.
1.3 Assignment type
Select the assignment type under Assignment type in the content area.
| Assignment type | Description |
|---|---|
| Students submit answer | Students submit work via the text editor or by uploading files. Examples: an essay, a project report, or a video. |
| No student submission required | Students do not submit work in itslearning. Examples: reading a chapter, giving a presentation in class, or taking part in an excursion. |
1.4 Visibility and deadline
Visibility and deadline are configured below the assignment type selector.
| Setting | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Visible to students / Not visible to students / Scheduled | Controls whether students can see the assignment. Scheduled sets a specific date and time from which the assignment becomes visible. |
| Deadline | No deadline / With deadline | Sets a deadline for when the activity should be completed. For assignments requiring a submission, submission times are recorded and late-submission rules apply where configured. Activities without submissions do not require students to upload or submit work in itslearning. |
1.5 More settings
Expand the More settings accordion to configure additional options. The available settings differ depending on the assignment type selected.
▶ More settings – Students submit work
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Submission | Individual (default) or Group. Selecting Group enables group submission. |
| Anonymous student submissions | Hides student names from the teacher during assessment. |
| Student answer file | Determines how students submit their answer: free-form (text editor and file upload) or by receiving a dedicated file copy (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, or PDF) to work on and submit. |
| Assessment scale | Selects the assessment scale. If set to No assessment scale, the assignment is not added to the assessment record. |
| Category | Will only show up when assessing with a scale and is defined in the assessment settings. See section 7.3 in Subject Course settings – Reference (Teacher). |
| Self-assessment | Students assess their own work before teacher assessment. |
| Peer assessment | Students assess each other's work after the deadline. Requires a deadline to be set. |
| Publish results to students | When enabled, students can view their assessment results immediately after the teacher saves them. |
| Labels | Labels let you mark an assignment as Optional or Homework. A tag is added to the assignment, the student's task list, and Plans. |
| Custom Label | Lets you mark an assignment with a label set by the sysadmin on your site. |
| Learning objectives | Attaches learning objectives from the course to the assignment. Enables tracking of standards mastery. |
| Assigned to | Assigns the assignment to all participants (default) or a specific subset of students. |
▶ More settings – No student submission required
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Completed by students | Students mark the assignment as complete themselves using a toggle on the assignment page. |
| Marked as complete by teacher | The teacher marks each student's assignment as complete from the Students tab. Students cannot mark it themselves. |
| Assessed using a scale | The teacher assesses students using an assessment scale. Selecting this option reveals an Assessment scale selector, an Add to assessment record checkbox, and a Category dropdown. The assignment is considered complete when the teacher sets an assessment. |
| Show completed assignments in the teacher’s follow-up tasks | When enabled, completed assignments are shown in Updates and the Course overview for the teacher. |
| Publish results to students | When enabled, students can view their assessment results immediately after the teacher saves them. |
| Labels | Labels let you mark an assignment as Optional or Homework. A tag is added to the assignment, the student's task list, and Plans. |
| Custom Label | Lets you mark an assignment with a label set by the sysadmin on your site. |
| Learning objectives | Attaches learning objectives from the course to the assignment. |
| Assigned to | Assigns the assignment to all participants (default) or a specific subset of students. |
1.6 Settings summary
The Settings summary panel on the right side of the creation page reflects the current configuration at a glance. It floats as you scroll the page, so it remains visible while editing the assignment.
The panel shows icons for visibility, deadline, assignment type, assessment scale, labels, and assigned participants. When you are ready, click Create to create the assignment.
Note: For assignments without submissions, the Settings summary remains visible in the assignment view after creation, with an Edit button to return to the edit page. It continues to float while scrolling.
2 No student submission required
When the assignment type is set to No student submission required, a new dedicated view is used for both teachers and students. Assignments that require a submission continue to open in the existing submission interface.
2.1 Teacher view
After creating a no-submission assignment, the assignment opens in the new assignment view. The page has two tabs: Description and Students.
The Description tab shows the assignment title, description, any attached files, and the Settings summary panel. The settings summary floats as you scroll, keeping the current configuration and the Edit button visible at all times.
For assignments without submissions, select Edit in the Settings summary to change the description, attachments and available settings. The assignment type is read-only. Some settings become locked when student work or assessment has been recorded. Once any student has been assessed, the assessment type and scale cannot be changed.
2.2 Monitoring completion
Select the Students tab to view all assigned students and their completion status or assessment.
The Students tab provides the following controls:
| Control | Description |
|---|---|
| Search | Search for a student by name. The list updates to show matching students. |
| Groups | Filter the student list by course group (if used). |
| Sort by | Sort by name or by the assessment/completion option available for this activity. A scale-based activity includes Assessment sorting. |
| Assessment or completion | The control depends on the activity’s assessment settings. Select an assessment from its menu, enter a score where configured, or use the Completed switch for completion-based activities. |
| Give feedback / edit feedback | Opens a rich-text editor within the student’s row. Other students’ assessments and feedback remain in the list. |
| Publish results to students | Toggle at the top right of the Students tab. When enabled, students can see their assessment results and published feedback. Saving an assessment or feedback and publishing results are separate. |
| Select all / checkboxes | Select students for bulk assessment or feedback. Select all applies to the students on the current page. Check the selected-student count before opening Assess. See Section 2.4. |
| Pagination / page size | Move between pages or choose 20, 50 or 100 students per page. |
2.3 Assessment options
The assessment method for a no-submission assignment is set under More settings during creation, or via Edit in the settings summary afterwards. Three options are available:
| Assessment option | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Completed by students | Students mark the assignment as complete themselves using a toggle on their assignment page. The teacher can see each student's self-reported completion status in the Students tab and can override it. |
| Marked as complete by teacher | Students cannot mark the assignment as complete. The teacher marks each student using the toggle in the Students tab. Until marked, the student’s status is Not completed. |
| Assessed using a scale | The assignment is assessed by the teacher using the selected assessment scale, which can be a grade scale or a numeric Score. The assignment is considered complete when the teacher sets an assessment. If Add to assessment record is enabled, the result is included in the course assessment record. A Category can also be assigned. This will only show up when assessing with a scale and is already defined in the assessment settings. |
2.4 Providing feedback
Feedback can be provided to individual students or to multiple students at once.
For activities without submissions, you can assess students directly in the Students tab while keeping other students’ assessments and feedback in view. The available assessment control depends on the activity’s settings.
Assessment scale
Open the assessment menu in the student’s row and select a value from the configured scale. Selecting a value saves that assessment directly; a separate assessment form is not required for this route.
Numeric score
If Score is configured, use the score’s edit control, enter the score and save it. Cancel discards the change.
Written feedback
Select Give feedback, or the edit icon beside existing feedback. Write and format the feedback in the rich-text editor within the student list. Use the checkmark to save or the cross to cancel. Saved feedback is shown in the student row. If the feedback is longer than one line, a Show more button is provided.
Completion
For completion-based activities, continue using the Completed switch. Students can mark their own activity complete only when student completion is enabled.
Saving and publishing
Saving an assessment or feedback and making results visible to students are separate. Check Publish results to students to control whether students can see their results and feedback.
Bulk feedback and assessment
To provide the same feedback or assessment to multiple students at once:
- Select the intended students in the list and check the selected-student count.
- Select Assess.
- In the bulk form, choose a common assessment if required, or Keep current status to retain the existing assessments while providing feedback.
- Review any warning about existing individual comments before entering shared feedback and saving.
The bulk assessment window shows the selected students on the right. The options you choose and the feedback you enter are applied to all of them when you click Save.
More Help Resources
Have more questions? Please start with asking your school administrator.
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The features shown are part of the project within the framework of the German Development Project (GDP), a cooperation between four German states and itslearning with the aim of improving digital education in Germany through tailor-made product developments.
The tool was developed in cooperation with the education authorities of Bremen, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin.
Click here to learn more about the GDP roadmap and what other features you can expect.
For German readers: Click here for more information about the project within the framework of the German Development Project.