Posted on by jrdingwall

Don’t have a Scanner? Submitting Assignments with a Mobile Device

Much of the work we produce in online classes takes the form of discussions, and assignments. Most of this is done online, using a computer (either desktop or laptop), and using applications such as Word, PowerPoint, SPSS, and more. However, there are times were we might have work to complete “off-screen” such as illustrations, graphs, charts, calculations, musical notation, etc. In these cases you might have a document or paper you’ve written on, and need to submit that work. There are a few ways you can use your mobile device to scan and submit these documents.

1. Scan and Submit Using the Canvas Student App

The Canvas student app is the simplest way to submit mobile-scanned documents. The app is available for both iOS and Android. First you will need to download the app, and sign-in (How do I log in to the Student app on my iOS device with a Canvas URL? iOS Android). From there you can access your courses and navigate to the assignment. Follow these guides (iOS Submit an Assignment; Android Submit an Assignment) in order to access the course and get to the point where you need to choose how to upload your file. The option we are interested in here is option 4. Scanner. Note: File Upload will only appear as an option if your instructor has selected that as an Online Entry Option.

  1. Click Submit Assignment
  2. Click File Upload
  3. Click Scanner
  4. Position your camera and take a photo
  5. Use the four circles to select the area you want to save
  6. Continue taking photos until all documents are scanned. Then click Save (#)
  7. Check that all documents have been selected, then click Submit
  8. Wait until the upload is complete
  9. Celebrate

The accompanying images are using iOS, Android devices may look just a little bit different, but the process should be the same.

2. Submit a File Using the Canvas Student App

Both iOS and Android have the ability to scan documents using the camera on your mobile device. Once the document is scanned and stored as a file on your mobile device you can submit the file using Files in the Upload File menu in the Canvas App. To scan a document in iOS, use the Files Application. To scan a document in Android, use Google Drive.

  1. Click Submit Assignment
  2. Click File Upload
  3. Click Files
  4. Choose the file you wish to upload
  5. Check that all documents have been selected, then click Submit
  6. Wait until the upload is complete
  7. Celebrate

The accompanying images are using iOS, Android devices may look just a little bit different, but the process should be the same.

3. Scan and Send to Yourself for Desktop/Laptop Submission

As stated above, both iOS and Android have the ability to scan documents using the camera on your mobile device. Once the document is scanned and stored as a file on your mobile device you can send the file to yourself (by email for example) and then upload your assignment to Canvas using your desktop or laptop as you normally would.

To scan a document in iOS, use the Files Application. To scan a document in Android, use Google Drive.

To email a file from your iOS device, use the share button. To email a file from your Android device, use attach file or insert from Drive.