Assignment

Assignment overview

Learners can submit any digital content including; word processed documents, spreadsheets, images, audio, and video clips. Assignments don't necessarily have to consist of file uploads. Alternatively, trainers can ask learners to type directly into Learningzone using an online text assignment. There is also an offline activity assignment which can be used to remind learners of real-world assignments they need to complete and to record grades in Learningzone for activities that don't have an online component.

Assignments can be specified with a due date and a maximum grade.
Learners can upload their assignments (any file format) to the server, where they are date stamped.
Late assignments are allowed, but the amount of lateness is shown clearly to the trainer.
For each particular assignment, the whole class can be assessed (grade and comment) on one page in one form.
Trainer feedback is appended to the assignment page for each learner, and notification is mailed out.
The trainer can choose to allow resubmission of assignments after grading (for regrading).
Allowing resubmissions can allow the trainer to progress monitor learner projects/assignments as they evolve.
Advanced assignments can allow multiple files to be uploaded. This could keep together pre-planning maps, outlines, research papers, and presentations. (Not for beginners).

Plugin settings

Assignments have different methods that can be used to submit and provide feedback. To change these select Site administration > Plugins > Activity modules > Assignment.

Assignment settings

Feedback plugin: Select the plugin that will be used to add comments to the gradebook.

Show recent submissions: Enabling this lets everyone see the notifications of recent activity.

Send submission receipt to students: Enabling this sends a notification to learners every time they successfully submit an assignment.

Submission statement: Statement that appears to learner when they submit an assignment.

Default assignment settings:

Define all of the default assignment settings.

Submission plugins

Lets the administrator Hide/Show, reorder, and change submission plugin settings.

Online text submissions: Allows text editor to be used for submission.

File submissions: Allows multiple file to be submitted. The number of files and file size can be controlled through the plugin settings.

Submission comments: Allows comments to be made when submitting files.

Feedback plugins

Lets the administrator Hide/Show, reorder, and change feedback plugin settings.

Feedback comments: Allows inline comments to be made on submissions.

Annotate PDF: This allows stamps to be added to PDF submissions. The ghostscript application is required to be installed on the server and the path to the application included.

Offline grading worksheet: This allows a grading worksheet to be downloaded allowing marking to be done offline and uploaded.

File feedback: Allows a file to be uploaded to provide feedback on assignment submissions.

Settings

General

Availability

Submission types

Here you can decide how you wish learners to submit their work to you.

If Submission comments are enabled in Administration>Plugins>Activity modules>Assignment>Submission plugins, learners will be able to add a note to their trainer on submitting work. If Blind marking is enabled, learner comments display in the gradebook as from "Participant 01 etc" to avoid revealing identities.

Feedback types

Submission settings

Groups submission settings

These settings allow learners to collaborate on a single assignment, eg, working in the same online area or uploading , editing, and reuploading an MS Powerpoint in the common assignment area. When grading, the trainer may choose to give a common grade and feedback to all learners in the group or to give individual grades and feedback to each member.

Notifications

Grade

Use Grading workflow

Enable Marking Workflow if you need to:

Keep grades and feedback hidden until you are ready to release them (otherwise by default they display to each learner as you save them).
State where you are up to in your grading.
Coordinate multiple markers.

One advantage of using marking workflow is that the grades can be hidden from learners until they are set to Released. The actual list of steps are:

Not marked: The marker has not yet started.
In marking: The marker has started but not yet finished.
Marking completed:The marker has finished but might need to go back for checking/corrections.
In review:The marking is now with the trainer in charge for quality checking.
Ready for release:The trainer in charge is satisfied with the marking but is waiting before giving learners access to the marking.
Released:The learner can access the grades/feedback.

Example use cases

One marker, Marker, wants to release all grades at the same time:

Marker enables Use marking workflow.
Marker marks each submission and transitions the grading to Marking completedas each submission is graded.
Marker then uses the batch operations to transition all grades to Releasedat the same time.

Use grading allocation

If enabled together with grading workflow, graders can be allocated to particular learners.

Creating assignments

Once you’ve decided on the basic type of assignment, you can very quickly create a place for learners to upload or enter their responses.

To create an assignment:

Click Turn editing mode on.
Select an assignment type from the Add an activity/ resource
Enter an assignment, this then appears on the course page for learners.
Enter the assignment description.
Select any Additional Files to help learners complete their assignment.
Select the Grade Scale.
Set the Available fromand Due Date for your assignment or check the Disable
Select whether to prevent late submissions.
Choose the options for the type of assignment you have chosen:
- Advanced uploading of files
  - Set the maximum size for a file upload, the top of the scale is set by your system administrator. There is also a maximum upload size in your course settings.
  - Choose whether learners may delete uploaded files at any time before grading.
  - Set the maximum number of files each participant may upload.

Learners can’t see this number, so it’s a good idea to write the actual number of requested files in the description.

Choose whether to enable learners to enter notes into the text area. This can be used for communication with the grading person or for assignment progress description.
Decide whether to hide the assignment description prior to the date when the assignment is available.
Choose whether trainers should be alerted via email whenever learners add or update their submission.

Online text
- Decide whether to allow learners to resubmit assignments after they have been graded (for you to regrade).
- Choose whether trainers should be alerted via email whenever learners add or update an assignment submission.
- Choose whether the learner's submission is copied into the feedback comment field during grading, making it easier to comment in line or to edit the original text.
Upload a single file
- Choose whether to allow learners to resubmit assignments after they have been graded (for you to regrade).
- Choose whether trainers should be alerted via email whenever learners add or update their submission.
- Set the maximum size for a file upload (as mentioned previously, the top of the scale is set by your system administrator, and there is also a maximum upload size in your course settings).

Set Restrict accessif required.
Set Activity completionsettings if required.
Click Save changes.

Your assignment appears on your course page. It is also added to your course calendar and appears in the Upcoming Events block if added to your course page.