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Using Assignment

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Viewing assignments

Viewing/submitting an assignment you will see the assignment name and its description with the 'View x submitted assignments' link (where 'x' is the number of assignments submitted) and the opening/closing dates and hours ('Available from' and 'Due date') of a given assignment. What's (and if there is anything) below depends on the type of assignment.

  • In the Offline activity assignment there are no additional options.
  • In the Online text assignment you will also see your assignment submission (if you have done so) with the Edit my submission option as well as the Feedback from the Teacher field.
  • In the Upload a single file assignment, you can go for the Upload a file option, the execution of which demands using the Browse link allowing you to choose the file on your computer you wish to be uploaded.

Creative uses

Iterative assignments

A graphic representation of how the assignment module can be used

It is possible to create iterative assignments - where the piece of work is graded by the teacher, re-edited by the student, re-graded and so on using either the single file or the online text and setting 'Allow resubmitting' to 'Yes' in the assignment settings.

A tool for reflection

As reflective learning and formative assessment have a greater presence in education today, the online text assignment proves a useful way for students to record their thoughts and feelings about a particular topic or theme within the Moodle environment itself. Tutors can set up online text activities that ask students to reflect on both rhetorical or assigned questions depending on the learning outcome or goal.

Online text assignments can also be free spaces set up by the course tutor for students to reflect at moments of their own choosing within a course. It is perfectly acceptable to make use of the online text assignment as a private space for personal learning and reflection in some instances (ie. no tutor feedback) and as a collaborative space between tutor and student in others (ie. tutor feedback, comments and/or short discussions). Pedagogically, both methods of using the activity are good learning models for the former allows students a reflective space of their own to develop their ideas, whilst the latter gives them a space of private support with you that provides them with reliable feedback.

How you decide to monitor online text activities is, of course, up to you. The most significant element of monitoring is to provide students with clear guidance of when and how this will take place. For instance, if you do not plan to monitor the activity at all, be sure to inform the students that this is a private space for their own personal use (although tutors will be able to read entries) and be clear that no feedback will be provided. Alternatively, if you wish to make contributions in the form of feedback, be sure to inform the student that, for example, they can expect feedback and comments from you once a week or every two weeks. In terms of feedback and expectation levels, keeping communications between you and students very clear will ensure a level of trust necessary to build and maintain a community in your e-learning environment.

Tips and Tricks

  • Want to use an Assignment activity again in another Moodle site? Copy the assignment by backing up the course and selecting just the assignment, with or without students and their data. Restore the backup to the same course or to a new course. Move the copied assignment and or edit it.
  • Want to use an Assignment activity in another course you teach? Use the Import function in the course administration block.
  • Where Allow Resubmitting has been enabled, a learner can upload a file again to overwrite the old file, and then the submission will be marked as needing to be graded again in the View # submitted assignments page.
  • Moodle will sometimes appear not to be uploading a resubmitted assignment - you seem to be downloading the original assignment. This is a cache issue, in short, go to "Tools > Clear Recent History" in Firefox or "Tools > Delete Browsing History > Delete Temporary Files" in Windows Explorer. The newer file will then appear.