What counts as an "assignment" in Canvas?

The term "assignment" in Canvas is used to describe any potentially-gradable object.  This includes quizzes and graded discussions, in addition to content that might be considered a "traditional" assignment such as an essay or reading assignment.  An associated gradebook column is created whenever you create a new assignment (unless you specify that the assignment is ungraded).

As an instructor, you may also choose to set up Assignment Groups in order to more easily organize different assignment types or if you wish to weight assignment groups for final grade calculation.  More information about Assignment Groups is available at the end of this module.