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Assignment
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{{Assignments}}
{{Assignment}}
An Assignment is an activity that a teacher can select by a pull down menu in a course topic or week section. This page is about the Assignment settings, also found with the Update Assignment  button.


==Assignment name==
==Adding and editing an Assignment activity==
Give your assignment a name (e.g. “Report on Topic Content”). The name entered here will be the name that learners see in the course content area. Learners will click on this name to view the details of the assignment and, if applicable, submit their work.
*To add a new Assignment activity to your course, login with the appropriate access rights (e.g.editing teacher, course creator or administrator) and Turn Editing On. Within the required Week or Topic Block click Add and Activity or Resource link.  
*In the Add an activity or resource dialogue box that appears, select Assignment and click Add.
*To edit an existing Assignment activity, login to your course with the appropriate access rights (e.g. editing teacher, course creator or administrator) and Turn Editing On. Select the Update icon against the relevant Assignment item.
*Alternatively, after logging into your course simply click on the name of the Assignment activity you wish to edit and then click the Edit Settings link under Assignment administration within the Settings block.


==Description==
The following configuration options are available when creating or editing/updating any Assignment activity. Only General,Availability and Submission types are open by default;the others are collapsed. To expand everything, click the "Expand all" link top right.
Click on any screenshot to see it full size.


The description of the assignment, which should include precise instructions for students regarding the subject of the assignment, the form, in which it should be submitted, the grading criteria etc.


Use this area to describe the assignment and explain what learners are expected to do to complete this task. The assignment description can be as brief or as expansive as you feel is necessary to meet the needs of your learners. However, it is to your benefit to provide as much detail and information as possible, especially at the start of the course while you are still establishing procedures. Generally, the more information you are able to provide here the fewer questions and problems your learners will have completing the task.
==General ==
The General section allows you to give your assignment a name and description.
{|
|[[File:assignmentgeneral26.png|General settings for an assignment]]
|}
 
===Assignment name===
Give your Assignment a name (e.g. “Report on Topic 1 Content”). The title entered here will be the name that learners see in the course content area. Learners will click on this name to view the details of the assignment and, if applicable, submit their work.
 
===Description===
Provide instructions for your students here so they are clear what they have to do.
Click the icon on the left to expand the toolbar and drag the bottom right of the text box out to expand it.
 
You can also provide information or resources related to the assignment, such as a video clip, an image, or a link to a webpage.
 
===Display description on course page===
Enabling this will display the description on the course page just below the link to the assignment activity.
===Additional files===
{{New features}}
Here a teacher can attach files which may be of help to the students as they do their assignment, such as example submissions or answer templates.
 
[[File:AddFilesAssign.png|thumb|center|500px]]
 
==Availability==
{|
|[[File:AssignAvailability.png|thumb|450px|Availability settings for an assignment]]
|}


The assignment description field can also be used to provide information or resources related to the assignment. An instructor, for example, could provide some literature, a video clip, an image, or a link to a webpage, and then ask the learners to use these materials in completing the task. (Alternatively, the instructor could post these items using the Resource Module and refer students to them in the assignment details. See the section titled Resource Module for more information.)
   
   
Finally, if you are adding rich content, tables, etc. to your description, it is best to expand the HTML editor into full screen mode so you can make your webpage document look nice when participants view it.
===Allow submissions from===
The Allow submissions from setting prevents students from submitting their assignment before the shown date. A teacher can to set a day, month, year and time (24 hour clock) from which learners can begin to submit their assignments. Please note that this setting does not hide the activity from the learners. Instead, the learner will see the activity, be able to view the instructions and use any materials you have included in the description, but the learner will not be able to submit or complete the assignment until the Allow submissions from date.
 
This setting is enabled (ticked/checked) by default and is set at the day and time you added the assignment. To disable this, remove the tick/check.
 
===Due date===
The Due date setting establishes when the assignment is due. Submissions will still be allowed after this date, but any assignments submitted after this date are marked as late.
 
This option allows an teacher to set a day, month, year and time (24 hour clock) before which learners must submit their assignment.
 
By default the Due date is Enabled (ticked) and is set at 7 days ahead of the day and time you selected Add Assignment. To disable this feature, simply ensure the Enable checkbox is not marked. For more information on using the Due Date see Assignment FAQ
 
Note: Assignments without a Due date will appear on the My home page with “No Due date” displayed.
 
===Cut-off date===
 
The Cut-off date is the date beyond which students will not be able to send in their assignment as the button for doing so will no longer be displayed. After that date (or time) a teacher may, on request, grant an extension by going to the class assignment grading screen, clicking the "Edit" column and choosing "grant extension" for the relevant student.
 
For more details, see this Youtube screencast [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaL0LzZwyYI&feature=share&list=UUCRg_EbhU9tdpLdiGGN1Mgg Assignment Extensions]
 
===Always show description===
 
If the 'Always show description' checkbox is ticked, the assignment description is always shown. If the checkbox is not ticked, the assignment description will be hidden until the 'Allow submissions from' date.
 
{|
|[[File:alwaysshowdescription.png|thumb|450px|Assignment description hidden until the 'Allow submissions from' date.]]
|}
 
If 'Allow submissions from' is disabled, then this setting has no meaning: the assignment description will always be visible to students.
 
==Submission types==
 
{|
|[[File:26submissioncomments.png|thumb|450px|Select the type of submission here]]
|}
Here you can decide how you wish students to submit their work to you.
 
''Note that if Submission comments are enabled in ''Administration>Plugins>Activity modules>Assignment>Submission plugins'' then students will be able to add a note to their teacher on submitting work. If Blind marking is enabled, student comments display as from "Participant 01 etc" to avoid revealing identities. These comments will appear in the grading table in the Submission comments column.''
 
===Online text===
Learners can type their response directly in Moodle using the text editor.
{{New features}}
Text typed into the Atto text editor is automatically saved at regular intervals. See [[Text editor]] for more information.
 
It's possible to set a word limit on an online text assignment. Students get a warning if they try to exceed the word limit:
 
[[File:onlinetextwordlimit.png|center|]]
 
''Note:'' Numbers (such as in addresses) are counted as words; structures such as I'm where an apostrophe replaces a part of a word are only counted as one word.
 
===File submissions===
Learners can upload and edit one or more files of any type the teacher can  open.
 
If the student uploads a pdf file, the teacher can annotate it within the browser, and on saving, the annotated file is made available to the student. See section 5.4.1 Annotating pdfs in [[Using Assignment]]
 
Note: This requires Ghostscript to be enabled on the server. This can be checked in ''Administration>Site administration>Plugins>Activity modules>Assignments>Feedback plugins>Annotate pdf''.
 
===Maximum number of uploaded files===
Here you can decide the maximum number of files which may be uploaded by each learner. (It might be helpful to display the number in the assignment description.)
 
===Maximum submission size===
This setting specifies the maximum size per file of each of the files that the students can upload as part of their submission. This maximum upload size may only be equal to or less than the course limit (which in turn may only be equal to or less than the site limit). The maximum size of each file is displayed to students at the point where they upload files.
 
{|
|[[File:submission comments.jpg|thumb|Submission comments]]
|[[File:maximum file size.jpg|thumb|Maximum file size]]
|}
 
==Feedback types==
(This setting is collapsed by default)
 
{|
|[[File:feedbacktypes.png|Feedback types]]
|}
 
===Feedback comments===
Setting this to yes means that markers can leave feedback comments for each submission. It enables the Feedback Comments column in the grading table.(To access the grading table, click on the assignment activity and then ''View/Grade all Submissions'').
Feedback comments are also accessible by clicking on the green tick in the grade column on the grading table.
 
{|
|[[File:feedback comments.jpg|thumb|The Feedback comments column]]
|[[FIle:feedback comments 2.jpg|thumb|Type feedback comments into the box]]
|}
 
===Offline grading worksheet===
 
If set to yes, the teacher will have a link to download the grading list as a spreadsheet. They will then be able to enter grades and feedback comments offline:
(Not working for non English users, yet. See https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-40597)
 
{|
|[[File:emptygradebook.png|thumb|The empty gradebook on Moodle]]
|[[File:downloadgradingworksheet.png|thumb|The dropdown to download the list]]
|[[File:excelgrades.png|thumb|Editing the grades offline]]
|}
 
When the teacher has completed their grading offline, they can then upload the spreadsheet, confirm the changes and the grades and comments will be transferred over into Moodle's gradebook:
 
{|
|[[File:uploadgradingworksheet.png|thumb|Uploading the grading worksheet]]
|[[File:confirmchanges.png|thumb|Confirming the changes]]
|[[File:fullgradebook.png|thumb|Grades and feedback transferred into Moodle]]
|}
 
See also [http://www.somerandomthoughts.com/blog/2012/11/19/offline-grading-worksheet-in-moodle-2-4-assignment/ Offline grading worksheet] blog post by Gavin Henrick.
 
===Feedback files===
This allows  markers to upload files with feedback when marking. These files may be the marked up student assignments, documents with comments, a completed marking guide, or spoken audio feedback. It enables the Feedback Files column in the grading table. (To access the  grading table click on the assignment activity and then ''View/Grade all Submissions'')To upload feedback files, click on the green tick in the grade column on the grading table and then upload either with drag and drop or using the [[File picker]].
 
Feedback is displayed to students on the assignment submission page.
 
{|
|[[File:feedback files.jpg|thumb|The Feedback files column]]
|[[File:feedback files 2.jpg|thumb|Upload files here]]
|[[File:feedback view for students.jpg|thumb|Student view with comments and file feedback both enabled]]
|}
====Uploading multiple feedback files====
 
It is also possible to upload multiple feedback files as a zip, from the dropdown above the grading list:
 
#Download the students' assignments using the "Download all submissions" link from the same dropdown menu;
#Extract the folder offline and add your comments to the student's submissions.Keep the names the same.
#Select the students' submissions and zip them into a new folder. Important: Don't just edit them inside their original folder and re-zip this; it will not work. The folder name does not matter as long as the feedback files have the same names as before.
#Upload this newly zipped folder.
#You will be presented with a confirmation screen displaying your feedback files.
 
{|
|[[File:mutiplefeedbackzip.png|thumb|Choose from the dropdown menu]]
|[[File:multiplezip1.png|thumb|Confirmation screen displaying the feedback files to be uploaded]]
|[[File:multiplezip2.png|thumb|Screen confirming uploaded feedback]]
|}
 
''Note:''If you zip files on a Mac, you may get a folder included in the zip called _MACOSX_ which needs to be removed otherwise moodle will not recognise the changes in the files.
 
===Comment inline===
 
If set to Yes, a teacher can comment directly on the text which a student has submitted as an online text type assignment.
 
==Submission settings==
(This setting is collapsed by default)
 
{|
|[[File:submissionsettings.png|Submission settings]]
|}
===Require students click submit button===
Students can upload draft versions of the assignment until such time as they are ready to submit.Once they click the submit button they indicate to the teacher that they have finished working on the assignment. In earlier versions of Moodle this was called ''"Send for marking"''.)
 
They can then longer edit their submission. If they need to change it, they must ask the teacher who can revert the assignment to draft status.
 
To revert to the draft stage, click on the assignment activity and then View/Grade all Submissions. Locate the student and click the action icon in the Edit column. Select Revert the submission to draft.
 
If this setting is No, then students do not have to to click a submit button and are able to make changes to uploaded files at any time.
 
If this setting is No but the teacher wishes to grade students work, then you can stop students from making further changes by using Prevent submission changes. Prevent submission changes can also be used in cases where students have neglected to click the Submit button and grading has commenced.
To prevent submission changes, click on the assignment activity, then click on the View/Grade all submissions button. On the grading table, locate the student and click the action icon in the Edit column. Select Prevent submission changes.
 
To do either of these with a number of students, use the ''With selected'' menu at the bottom of the grading table.
 
{|
|[[File:revert to draft.jpg|thumb|Reverting to draft]]
|[[File:prevent submission changes.jpg|thumb|Prevent submission changes]]
|[[File:with selected.jpg|thumb|"With selected"..]]
|}
 
To do either of these with a number of students, use the ''With selected'' menu at the bottom of the grading table.
 
===Require that students accept the Submission statement===
 
An administrator can define a "Submission statement", ie, a statement where students promise the work is their own and which they must agree to before submitting their work. This may be done via ''Settings>Site administration>Plugins>Activity modules>Assignment.''
 
If preferred, the available default statement which may be used instead: ''This assignment is my own work, except where I have acknowledged the use of the works of other people''
 
If the administrator has given teachers the option of using a submission statement or not, then it will be available in the assignment settings screen. The section [[#Submission_Statement]] explains how an administrator can set this up.
 
When this setting is enabled, students will have to check a button before they can submit their assignment:
 
If the administrator has forced the statement throughout the site, a teacher will not have this option in the settings but a student will see the statement when accessing their assignment.
 
===Attempts reopened===
 
This setting allows the teacher to decide how submissions are reopened. The default is "Never", in that students may only submit once. However, a teacher can set this to "Manually" and reopen it themselves for the student to resubmit, or to "Automatically until pass". The student must then keep trying and resubmitting until they get a pass grade. [[Grade_items#Activity-based_grade_items|Passing grades]] are set in the Gradebook. ''(Note that for this you need to set the assignment so that students have to click 'submit for marking'. If not, then, unless you manually lock a student's assignment, then they can continue to edit it for as long as they like.)''
 
===Maximum attempts===
 
If a student is allowed to resubmit, this setting will determine how many times they can resubmit before they are no longer allowed to do so. (For example, if a student has to keep trying until they get a pass grade, the teacher might decide that ten attempts is enough even though they have not yet passed!)
 
==Groups submission settings==
(This setting is collapsed by default)
{|
|[[File:groupsubmissionsettings.png|Group submission settings]]
|}
 
===Students submit in groups===
 
If this box is ticked, then students are able to collaborate on an assignment. This might involve for example, working in the same online text area, or one student uploading an MS Powerpoint which another student downloads, improves and re-uploads to the common assignment area.
 
When grading, the teacher may choose to give a common grade and feedback to all students in the group or to give individual grades and feedback to each member.
 
If no groups have been made, then Moodle will make a default group of every student in the course.  (Note also that if a student is in more than one group then their submission will be made to the default group.)
 
For more details see this Youtube video [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G16gYZJFCrM&feature=share&list=UUCRg_EbhU9tdpLdiGGN1Mgg Group Assignment 2.4]
 
===Require all group members submit===
 
This setting will only appear if the teacher has ticked the "Require students click submit button" earlier. The assignment will not be classed as "submitted" until all members of the group have made a contribution. When one student has submitted, the other members of the group will be able to see who still has to submit.
 
===Grouping for student groups===
If a particular grouping is selected here, then the gradebook will display any other groups and non-grouped students in the "default group", while naming the group(s) that are in the chosen grouping. If "none" is selected, then the gradebook will display the names of all groups and put any non-grouped students in the "default group". See this [https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=216399#p942913 forum post on grouping for student groups] for examples of how this might be used.
 
==Notifications==
(This setting is collapsed by default)
 
{|
|[[File:notifications25.png|Notifications]]
|}
===Notify graders about submissions===
Teachers will receive a message (of a type they choose) whenever a student submits an assignment.  Please note if you are using the assignment in Groups Mode (eg Separate or Visible Groups), the teacher will need to be a member of the group in order to receive the submission notification.
===Notify graders about late submission===
Teachers will receive a message (of a type they choose)whenever a student submits a late assignment.  Please note if you are using the assignment in Groups Mode (eg Separate or Visible Groups), the teacher will need to be a member of the group in order to receive the submission notification.


==Grade==
==Grade==
(This setting is collapsed by default)
{|
|[[File:point1.png|Grade]]
|}
===Grade===
*Select [[Grade points|Points]] or [[Scales|Scale]] from the dropdown. If you will not be giving a grade for the assignment, choose No Grade.
*Then select your points or chosen scale.
===Grading method===
There are 3 options:
* Simple direct grading (entering a grade or scale item)
* [[Marking guide]]
* [[Rubric]]
===Grade Category===
Any custom [[Grade_categories|Grade Categories]] that have been created within your site or course will be listed here and will be available for selection.  Select the required Grade Category to add this assignment as a [[Grade_items|Grade item]] within this Category.
===Blind marking===
''Note that in the US, this is known as 'blind grading'.''
If this setting is enabled, then a teacher will not see the names of students who have submitted their assignments. Instead, they will see randomly generated Participant numbers. (The student view of the assignment does not change.) This is also the case if student comments have been enabled. Once they have graded the assignment, it is however possible for teachers to see who submitted what by clicking on "Reveal student identities" in the Assignment settings.
====Returning Marks to Students ====
Because of the nature of blind marking, the students cannot see the final grade until all of the students' names have been revealed. If you are grading an assignment using an advanced grading method such as a rubric, the rubric will also be hidden from students' view until the names are revealed. To reveal student names after you are finished grading, look under Assignment Settings > Reveal Student Names. Feedback comments will appear whether or not student names are hidden or revealed.
''Note:'' Because of this, the level of anonymity might not suit the privacy requirements of your establishment. See this tracker entry MDL-35390 - "Blind Marking is not so blind"
For more details on this feature, see this Youtube video [http://youtu.be/Biiw3E13mgM Blind marking in 2.4].
===Use marking workflow===
When set to Yes, teachers will be able to specify the stage they are at in their grading of individual assignments (as in the screenshot below)
''Note that in the US this is known as 'grading workflow'.''
{|
|[[File:26markingworkflow.png|thumb|Marking workflow state in the individual grading screen]]
|[[File:26quickgradingworkflow.png|thumb|Dropdown to select marking workflow state when quick grading]]
|}
One advantage of using marking workflow is that the grades can be hidden from students 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 teacher in charge for quality checking)
* Ready for release (the teacher in charge is satisfied with the marking but wait before giving students access to the marking)
* Released (the student can access the grades/feedback)


The grade for the assignment is specified here. Choosing a number will become the maximum grade for this assignment. Apart from the numbers, one of the descriptive grades which have been defined for this course can also be picked.
====Example use cases====


If you will not be giving a grade for the assignment, choose No Grade.
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 completed" as each submission is graded.
* Marker then uses the batch operations to transition all grades to "Released" at the same time.  


==Available from==
Multiple markers,
* Marker enables "Use marking workflow"
* Marker marks each submission and transitions the grading to "Marking completed" as each submission is graded.
* Marker then uses the batch operations to transition all grades to "Released" at the same time.


Setting this date prevents students from submitting their assignments before this date.
===Use marking allocation===
''Note that in the US, this is known as 'grading allocation'.''


The Available from date setting allows an instructor to set a day and time at which learners can begin submitting the assignment. This setting does not, however, hide the activity from the learners. Instead, the learner will see the activity, be able to view the instructions and use any materials you have include in the description, but the learner will not be able to submit or complete the assignment until the Available from date.
If marking workflow (see above) is set to Yes, it is possible to enable marking allocation. This means that teachers can be selected to grade or review the submitted work of specific students. Colleagues can monitor progress through the displayed marking workflow states:


To activate the Available from date, make sure that the “Disable” checkbox is not marked. Then, use the drop down menus to choose the day, month and year. You can also set a time with the last two fields on the line. Note: the time is based on a 24 hour clock or “military time,” so 14:00 refers to 2:00 p.m.
{|
|[[File:26markingworkflowallocatedmarkers.png|thumb|Allocated markers on the grading screen]]
|}


If you do not wish to use the Available from option, just check the “Disable” checkbox by clicking on it; the rest of the field will turn gray and the date will be ignored.
==Common module settings==
See [[Common module settings]]


==Due date==
==Restrict access settings==
The restrict access area becomes visible in Moodle activities and resource settings if [[Conditional_activities|Conditional Activities]] have been enabled.


And this prevents students from submitting their assignments after this date.
==Locally assigned roles==


The Due date field works in much the same way as the Available from field with a few small differences. Unchecking the “Disable” checkbox activates the Due date option and you have the same ability to select a day, month, year, and time. If the checkbox is checked, then the due date will be not be applied.
In ''Administration > Assignment administration > Locally assigned roles'' selected users can be given additional roles in the activity. See the Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=98208 Custom role for 'Course Monitor'] forum discussion for an example.


As with the Available from setting, the Due date defines when learners are able to submit their assignment. However, with the Due date settings, you also have the Prevent late submissions option (below the date and time fields). Setting Prevent late submissions to Yes will prevent learners from being able to submit this assignment after the Due date. If you set Prevent late submissions to No, then learners can submit the assignment as long as the assignment is visible or accessible to them.
==Assignment capabilities==


Both the Available from and Due dates are displayed for learners in the assignment details, but the Due date is also marked in the course Calendar as a visible reminder for participants. Furthermore, the indicator on the calendar will actually link learners directly to the activity!
* [[Capabilities/mod/assign:exportownsubmission|Export own submission]]
* [[Capabilities/mod/assign:grade|Grade assignment]]
* [[Capabilities/mod/assign:submit|Submit assignment]]
* [[Capabilities/mod/assign:view|View assignment]]


Your use of the Available from and Due date settings will probably be dependent on the overall structure of your course. If you are facilitating an open ended course or a course with rolling enrollment, then you might find it easier to not apply the Available from and Due date settings (leave the boxes checked). This arrangement will allow the learners to access the assignments according to their own schedule and progress within the course. Alternatively, if you are working within a more structured format or adhering to a timeline, the Available from and Due date settings are useful for keeping learners on schedule. Using the Available from setting will make it possible for learners to preview upcoming activities, while at the same time, prevent them from finishing the course in the first week and not returning for additional activities or information. Likewise, the Due dates help keep the learners from lagging too far behind and decrease the likelihood that the learner will become overwhelmed by having to complete several weeks worth of work at once.
Role permissions for the activity can be changed in ''Settings > Assignment administration > Permissions''.


==Prevent late submissions==
==Site administration settings==


Set to "No", assignments submitted after the due date will be marked as late, but students will still be able to submit them. Set to "Yes", assignment submission will be blocked after the due date.
The following configuration options are available for an administrator under ''Administration > Site administration > Plugins > Activity modules > Assignment''.


==Settings for specific assignment types (1.7 onwards)==


Each assignment type, except offline assignment, has further settings which are detailed on the relevant assignment type pages:
===Assignment settings===
*[[Upload a single file assignment|Upload a single file]]
====Feedback plugin====
*[[Online text assignment|Online text]]
The comments that are pushed to the gradebook from the assignment are limited to a single text only comment. An Administrator can specify which of the feedback plugins will be push comments to the gradebook. On a standard Moodle install the choices are "Feedback comments" (default) or "Feedback file" but there may be additional options if your Moodle install contains additional feedback plugins.
*[[Advanced uploading of files assignment|Advanced uploading of files]]


==Assignment type (pre-1.7)==
====Show recent submissions====
This option allows everyone to see notifications of submissions in [[Recent activity]] reports and the Recent Activity Block, within a course context.  Note that the default for this option is No which means students will not be able to see when classmates have submitted or updated any Assignments.


With the Assignment type setting (pre-1.7), you choose the type of assignment which defines how learners will complete the assignment and turn it in to the instructor. Assignments can be set up as offline activity, online text, or upload a single file.
====Send submission receipt to students====
This switch will enable submission receipts for students. Students will receive a notification every time they successfully submit an assignment.
{|
|[[File:ass_settings.jpg|thumb|350px|Submission receipts settings]]
|}


;Upload
====Submission Statement====
:A student can upload a single file. This could be a Word document, spreadsheet or anything digital. Multiple files could be zipped and then submitted.After learners upload their files in this arrangement, the instructor will be able to open the submission and then use the Moodle interface to assign a grade and offer comments as feedback.


:In addition to using this activity to collect work from learners, some instructors and learners use this module as a tool for transferring projects from one location to another. For example, if an instructor offered learners an assignment of this form, the learner could upload a file he was working on at school and then, once home, retrieve it from the assignment screen to continue his work. With the right settings (offered on the next screen), the learner can then submit the new file from home to use at school again.
An administrator can enter text in the box here which will appear when students are about to submit their assignment.  


;Online Text
{|
:This assignment type asks users to compose and edit text, using the normal editing tools. The online text assignment can be set up to allow learners to compose, revise and edit over time or such that the learner only has one opportunity to enter his or her response. Furthermore, with the online assignment, instructors can grade the work online and even edit and/or provide comments within the learner’s work.
|[[File:newsubmissionstatement.png|thumb|Admin view of Submission statement set up screen - click to enlarge]]
|[[File:submissionstatement.png|thumb|Student view when about to submit - click to enlarge]]
|}


:The online text assignment is ideal for journaling and composition work.


;Offline assignment
If it is left as the default "No", then teachers will have the choice within their own assignments to force this or not.
:This is useful when the assignment is performed outside of Moodle. It could be something elsewhere on the web or face-to-face. Students can see a description of the assignment, but can't upload files. Grading works normally, and students will get notification of their grades.


:The offline activity has a number of different applications. In general, the offline activity is designed for activities completed outside of the online environment. Additionally, if you are using the Moodle gradebook, the offline activity gives you the capability to add gradebook entries for assignments completed outside of Moodle or for non-graded activities within Moodle.
Note that since Moodle 2.8.2 it's possible to show submission statements in different languages. See [[Multi-language content filter]] for how to do this.


:Specifically, an instructor in a hybrid or blended environment (combination of face-to-face and online instruction) may use the offline activity type of assignment to assign a project that the learner will physically present to the instructor at a face-to-face session. This arrangement allows the instructor to communicate the project expectations online while creating an entry for the project in the Moodle gradebook.
====Default assignment settings====
The administrator can specify here the default assignment settings which may be set as 'Advanced' (ie, they will appear when clicking 'Show more') or 'Locked' (ie the teacher cannot change them.)
{|
|[[File:26assignmentdefaults.png|thumb|Default, Advanced and Locked checkboxes]]
|}


:In another example, consider the instructor who gives reading assignments or assigns problems for practice. These activities wouldn’t necessarily be turned in for a grade, but the instructor needs a tool for communicating the assignment details. The offline assignment, with its unique icon, could be used as a consistent visual cue for the learners; learners would come to know that they can always look for the assignment icon to see what work they need to complete.


:Finally, the offline assignment, as mentioned previously, is a tool for making entries in the Moodle gradebook. Perhaps an instructor wants to assign a grade for contributions to a class wiki; however, the wiki itself is an ungraded activity. The instructor could use an offline assignment to create an entry for the wiki contribution grade in the Moodle gradebook. In this example, however, the instructor may choose to hide the actual listing of the assignment in the Moodle course since it is primarily being used for the purpose of making a gradebook entry.
The following configuration options are available for an administrator under ''Administration > Site administration > Plugins > Assignment''.  


To complete the settings specific to the assignment type, click Next to proceed to the [[mod/assignment/details|assignment details]] page.
===Submission plugins===
====Manage assignment submission plugins====
Here you can change the order, check the settings or uninstall a particular submission plugin.
====File submissions====
'''Enabled by default''' If set, this submission method will be enabled by default for all new assignments.


== Common module settings ==
'''Maximum submission size''' An Administrator can specify the maximum size of any individual file uploaded within the assignment module across all courses on the site. This limit may be equal to or less than course file upload limit.


=== Group mode ===
====Online text submissions====
When course group mode is turned on, the [[Groups|group mode]] can be one of three levels: no groups, separate groups or visible groups.
'''Enabled by default''' If set, this submission method will be enabled by default for all new assignments.


;No groups
====Submission comments====
:There are no groups and all students submit their assignments in one Assignment area


;Separate groups
If Submission comments are enabled in ''Site administration>Plugins>Activity modules>Assignment>Submission plugins'' AND comments enabled globally in ''Site Administration > Advanced features'') then students will be able to send a message to their teacher when submitting their assignment. If either of those settings is disabled, then the submission comments link will not appear.
:Students submit their assignments within a separate Group based submission area and teachers/trainers can sort submissions by Group or view All Participants.


;Visible groups
===Feedback plugins===
:All students submits their assignment within a single Assignment area but may choose which Group to associate their submission with before uploading.  Teachers/trainers can sort submissions by Group or view All Participants.
====Manage assignment feedback plugins====
Here you can change the order, check the settings or uninstall a particular feedback plugin.
====Feedback comments====
'''Enabled by default''' If set, this submission method will be enabled by default for all new assignments.
====Annotate pdf====


=== Visible ===
Here you can upload stamps for teachers to use when annotating student pdfs.  You can also check the ghostscript path:
Choose whether to Show or Hide the assignment
{|
|[[File:Selection_116.png|thumb|Ghostscript not installed or incorrectly installed]]
|[[File:Selection_115.png|thumb|Ghostscript correctly installed]]
|}


=== ID number ===
If the default stamps are deleted by accident, they can be found in mod/assign/feedback/editpdf/pix and re-uploaded.
Setting an ID number provides a way of identifying the assignment for grade calculation purposes. If the activity is not included in any grade calculation then the ID number field can be left blank.


==Tips and tricks==
====File feedback====
*Want to use an Assignment activity again? 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.
'''Enabled by default''' If set, this submission method will be enabled by default for all new assignments.
*Want to use an Assignment activity in another course you teach?  Use the import function in the course administration block.


==See also==
===Offline grading worksheet===


* [[Peer_Review_Assignment_Type|Peer Review Assignment Type]] (contributed module)
'''Enabled by default''' If set, this will be enabled by default for all new assignments
* Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=64755 How do I make assignments worth more than 100 points?] forum discussion


[[de:Aufgabe anlegen]]
==See also==
[[cs:Přidání/úprava úkolu]]
Synergy Learning blog post: [http://www.synergy-learning.com/moodle-2-5-improvements-assignment-resubmissions/ Assignment resubmissions]
[[de:Aufgabe konfigurieren]]
[[fr:Ajouter/modifier un devoir]]
[[fr:Ajouter/modifier un devoir]]
[[ja:課題を追加/編集する]]
[[ja:課題を追加/編集する]]
[[es:Configuraciones de tarea]]

Latest revision as of 11:26, 5 March 2015


Adding and editing an Assignment activity

  • To add a new Assignment activity to your course, login with the appropriate access rights (e.g.editing teacher, course creator or administrator) and Turn Editing On. Within the required Week or Topic Block click Add and Activity or Resource link.
  • In the Add an activity or resource dialogue box that appears, select Assignment and click Add.
  • To edit an existing Assignment activity, login to your course with the appropriate access rights (e.g. editing teacher, course creator or administrator) and Turn Editing On. Select the Update icon against the relevant Assignment item.
  • Alternatively, after logging into your course simply click on the name of the Assignment activity you wish to edit and then click the Edit Settings link under Assignment administration within the Settings block.

The following configuration options are available when creating or editing/updating any Assignment activity. Only General,Availability and Submission types are open by default;the others are collapsed. To expand everything, click the "Expand all" link top right. Click on any screenshot to see it full size.


General

The General section allows you to give your assignment a name and description.

General settings for an assignment

Assignment name

Give your Assignment a name (e.g. “Report on Topic 1 Content”). The title entered here will be the name that learners see in the course content area. Learners will click on this name to view the details of the assignment and, if applicable, submit their work.

Description

Provide instructions for your students here so they are clear what they have to do. Click the icon on the left to expand the toolbar and drag the bottom right of the text box out to expand it.

You can also provide information or resources related to the assignment, such as a video clip, an image, or a link to a webpage.

Display description on course page

Enabling this will display the description on the course page just below the link to the assignment activity.

Additional files

New feature
in Moodle 2.8!

Here a teacher can attach files which may be of help to the students as they do their assignment, such as example submissions or answer templates.

AddFilesAssign.png

Availability

Availability settings for an assignment


Allow submissions from

The Allow submissions from setting prevents students from submitting their assignment before the shown date. A teacher can to set a day, month, year and time (24 hour clock) from which learners can begin to submit their assignments. Please note that this setting does not hide the activity from the learners. Instead, the learner will see the activity, be able to view the instructions and use any materials you have included in the description, but the learner will not be able to submit or complete the assignment until the Allow submissions from date.

This setting is enabled (ticked/checked) by default and is set at the day and time you added the assignment. To disable this, remove the tick/check.

Due date

The Due date setting establishes when the assignment is due. Submissions will still be allowed after this date, but any assignments submitted after this date are marked as late.

This option allows an teacher to set a day, month, year and time (24 hour clock) before which learners must submit their assignment.

By default the Due date is Enabled (ticked) and is set at 7 days ahead of the day and time you selected Add Assignment. To disable this feature, simply ensure the Enable checkbox is not marked. For more information on using the Due Date see Assignment FAQ

Note: Assignments without a Due date will appear on the My home page with “No Due date” displayed.

Cut-off date

The Cut-off date is the date beyond which students will not be able to send in their assignment as the button for doing so will no longer be displayed. After that date (or time) a teacher may, on request, grant an extension by going to the class assignment grading screen, clicking the "Edit" column and choosing "grant extension" for the relevant student.

For more details, see this Youtube screencast Assignment Extensions

Always show description

If the 'Always show description' checkbox is ticked, the assignment description is always shown. If the checkbox is not ticked, the assignment description will be hidden until the 'Allow submissions from' date.

Assignment description hidden until the 'Allow submissions from' date.

If 'Allow submissions from' is disabled, then this setting has no meaning: the assignment description will always be visible to students.

Submission types

Select the type of submission here

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

Note that if Submission comments are enabled in Administration>Plugins>Activity modules>Assignment>Submission plugins then students will be able to add a note to their teacher on submitting work. If Blind marking is enabled, student comments display as from "Participant 01 etc" to avoid revealing identities. These comments will appear in the grading table in the Submission comments column.

Online text

Learners can type their response directly in Moodle using the text editor. New feature
in Moodle 2.8!

Text typed into the Atto text editor is automatically saved at regular intervals. See Text editor for more information.

It's possible to set a word limit on an online text assignment. Students get a warning if they try to exceed the word limit:

onlinetextwordlimit.png

Note: Numbers (such as in addresses) are counted as words; structures such as I'm where an apostrophe replaces a part of a word are only counted as one word.

File submissions

Learners can upload and edit one or more files of any type the teacher can open.

If the student uploads a pdf file, the teacher can annotate it within the browser, and on saving, the annotated file is made available to the student. See section 5.4.1 Annotating pdfs in Using Assignment

Note: This requires Ghostscript to be enabled on the server. This can be checked in Administration>Site administration>Plugins>Activity modules>Assignments>Feedback plugins>Annotate pdf.

Maximum number of uploaded files

Here you can decide the maximum number of files which may be uploaded by each learner. (It might be helpful to display the number in the assignment description.)

Maximum submission size

This setting specifies the maximum size per file of each of the files that the students can upload as part of their submission. This maximum upload size may only be equal to or less than the course limit (which in turn may only be equal to or less than the site limit). The maximum size of each file is displayed to students at the point where they upload files.

Submission comments
Maximum file size

Feedback types

(This setting is collapsed by default)

Feedback types

Feedback comments

Setting this to yes means that markers can leave feedback comments for each submission. It enables the Feedback Comments column in the grading table.(To access the grading table, click on the assignment activity and then View/Grade all Submissions). Feedback comments are also accessible by clicking on the green tick in the grade column on the grading table.

The Feedback comments column
Type feedback comments into the box

Offline grading worksheet

If set to yes, the teacher will have a link to download the grading list as a spreadsheet. They will then be able to enter grades and feedback comments offline: 

(Not working for non English users, yet. See https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-40597)
The empty gradebook on Moodle
The dropdown to download the list
Editing the grades offline

When the teacher has completed their grading offline, they can then upload the spreadsheet, confirm the changes and the grades and comments will be transferred over into Moodle's gradebook:

Uploading the grading worksheet
Confirming the changes
Grades and feedback transferred into Moodle

See also Offline grading worksheet blog post by Gavin Henrick.

Feedback files

This allows markers to upload files with feedback when marking. These files may be the marked up student assignments, documents with comments, a completed marking guide, or spoken audio feedback. It enables the Feedback Files column in the grading table. (To access the grading table click on the assignment activity and then View/Grade all Submissions)To upload feedback files, click on the green tick in the grade column on the grading table and then upload either with drag and drop or using the File picker.

Feedback is displayed to students on the assignment submission page.

The Feedback files column
Upload files here
Student view with comments and file feedback both enabled

Uploading multiple feedback files

It is also possible to upload multiple feedback files as a zip, from the dropdown above the grading list:

  1. Download the students' assignments using the "Download all submissions" link from the same dropdown menu;
  2. Extract the folder offline and add your comments to the student's submissions.Keep the names the same.
  3. Select the students' submissions and zip them into a new folder. Important: Don't just edit them inside their original folder and re-zip this; it will not work. The folder name does not matter as long as the feedback files have the same names as before.
  4. Upload this newly zipped folder.
  5. You will be presented with a confirmation screen displaying your feedback files.
Choose from the dropdown menu
Confirmation screen displaying the feedback files to be uploaded
Screen confirming uploaded feedback

Note:If you zip files on a Mac, you may get a folder included in the zip called _MACOSX_ which needs to be removed otherwise moodle will not recognise the changes in the files.

Comment inline

If set to Yes, a teacher can comment directly on the text which a student has submitted as an online text type assignment.

Submission settings

(This setting is collapsed by default)

Submission settings

Require students click submit button

Students can upload draft versions of the assignment until such time as they are ready to submit.Once they click the submit button they indicate to the teacher that they have finished working on the assignment. In earlier versions of Moodle this was called "Send for marking".)

They can then longer edit their submission. If they need to change it, they must ask the teacher who can revert the assignment to draft status.

To revert to the draft stage, click on the assignment activity and then View/Grade all Submissions. Locate the student and click the action icon in the Edit column. Select Revert the submission to draft.

If this setting is No, then students do not have to to click a submit button and are able to make changes to uploaded files at any time.

If this setting is No but the teacher wishes to grade students work, then you can stop students from making further changes by using Prevent submission changes. Prevent submission changes can also be used in cases where students have neglected to click the Submit button and grading has commenced. To prevent submission changes, click on the assignment activity, then click on the View/Grade all submissions button. On the grading table, locate the student and click the action icon in the Edit column. Select Prevent submission changes.

To do either of these with a number of students, use the With selected menu at the bottom of the grading table.

Reverting to draft
Prevent submission changes
"With selected"..

To do either of these with a number of students, use the With selected menu at the bottom of the grading table.

Require that students accept the Submission statement

An administrator can define a "Submission statement", ie, a statement where students promise the work is their own and which they must agree to before submitting their work. This may be done via Settings>Site administration>Plugins>Activity modules>Assignment.

If preferred, the available default statement which may be used instead: This assignment is my own work, except where I have acknowledged the use of the works of other people

If the administrator has given teachers the option of using a submission statement or not, then it will be available in the assignment settings screen. The section #Submission_Statement explains how an administrator can set this up.

When this setting is enabled, students will have to check a button before they can submit their assignment:

If the administrator has forced the statement throughout the site, a teacher will not have this option in the settings but a student will see the statement when accessing their assignment.

Attempts reopened

This setting allows the teacher to decide how submissions are reopened. The default is "Never", in that students may only submit once. However, a teacher can set this to "Manually" and reopen it themselves for the student to resubmit, or to "Automatically until pass". The student must then keep trying and resubmitting until they get a pass grade. Passing grades are set in the Gradebook. (Note that for this you need to set the assignment so that students have to click 'submit for marking'. If not, then, unless you manually lock a student's assignment, then they can continue to edit it for as long as they like.)

Maximum attempts

If a student is allowed to resubmit, this setting will determine how many times they can resubmit before they are no longer allowed to do so. (For example, if a student has to keep trying until they get a pass grade, the teacher might decide that ten attempts is enough even though they have not yet passed!)

Groups submission settings

(This setting is collapsed by default)

Group submission settings

Students submit in groups

If this box is ticked, then students are able to collaborate on an assignment. This might involve for example, working in the same online text area, or one student uploading an MS Powerpoint which another student downloads, improves and re-uploads to the common assignment area.

When grading, the teacher may choose to give a common grade and feedback to all students in the group or to give individual grades and feedback to each member.

If no groups have been made, then Moodle will make a default group of every student in the course. (Note also that if a student is in more than one group then their submission will be made to the default group.)

For more details see this Youtube video Group Assignment 2.4

Require all group members submit

This setting will only appear if the teacher has ticked the "Require students click submit button" earlier. The assignment will not be classed as "submitted" until all members of the group have made a contribution. When one student has submitted, the other members of the group will be able to see who still has to submit.

Grouping for student groups

If a particular grouping is selected here, then the gradebook will display any other groups and non-grouped students in the "default group", while naming the group(s) that are in the chosen grouping. If "none" is selected, then the gradebook will display the names of all groups and put any non-grouped students in the "default group". See this forum post on grouping for student groups for examples of how this might be used.

Notifications

(This setting is collapsed by default)

Notifications

Notify graders about submissions

Teachers will receive a message (of a type they choose) whenever a student submits an assignment. Please note if you are using the assignment in Groups Mode (eg Separate or Visible Groups), the teacher will need to be a member of the group in order to receive the submission notification.

Notify graders about late submission

Teachers will receive a message (of a type they choose)whenever a student submits a late assignment. Please note if you are using the assignment in Groups Mode (eg Separate or Visible Groups), the teacher will need to be a member of the group in order to receive the submission notification.

Grade

(This setting is collapsed by default)

Grade

Grade

  • Select Points or Scale from the dropdown. If you will not be giving a grade for the assignment, choose No Grade.
  • Then select your points or chosen scale.

Grading method

There are 3 options:

Grade Category

Any custom Grade Categories that have been created within your site or course will be listed here and will be available for selection. Select the required Grade Category to add this assignment as a Grade item within this Category.


Blind marking

Note that in the US, this is known as 'blind grading'.

If this setting is enabled, then a teacher will not see the names of students who have submitted their assignments. Instead, they will see randomly generated Participant numbers. (The student view of the assignment does not change.) This is also the case if student comments have been enabled. Once they have graded the assignment, it is however possible for teachers to see who submitted what by clicking on "Reveal student identities" in the Assignment settings.

Returning Marks to Students

Because of the nature of blind marking, the students cannot see the final grade until all of the students' names have been revealed. If you are grading an assignment using an advanced grading method such as a rubric, the rubric will also be hidden from students' view until the names are revealed. To reveal student names after you are finished grading, look under Assignment Settings > Reveal Student Names. Feedback comments will appear whether or not student names are hidden or revealed.

Note: Because of this, the level of anonymity might not suit the privacy requirements of your establishment. See this tracker entry MDL-35390 - "Blind Marking is not so blind"

For more details on this feature, see this Youtube video Blind marking in 2.4.

Use marking workflow

When set to Yes, teachers will be able to specify the stage they are at in their grading of individual assignments (as in the screenshot below)

Note that in the US this is known as 'grading workflow'.

Marking workflow state in the individual grading screen
Dropdown to select marking workflow state when quick grading

One advantage of using marking workflow is that the grades can be hidden from students 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 teacher in charge for quality checking)
  • Ready for release (the teacher in charge is satisfied with the marking but wait before giving students access to the marking)
  • Released (the student 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 completed" as each submission is graded.
  • Marker then uses the batch operations to transition all grades to "Released" at the same time.

Multiple markers,

  • Marker enables "Use marking workflow"
  • Marker marks each submission and transitions the grading to "Marking completed" as each submission is graded.
  • Marker then uses the batch operations to transition all grades to "Released" at the same time.

Use marking allocation

Note that in the US, this is known as 'grading allocation'.

If marking workflow (see above) is set to Yes, it is possible to enable marking allocation. This means that teachers can be selected to grade or review the submitted work of specific students. Colleagues can monitor progress through the displayed marking workflow states:

Allocated markers on the grading screen

Common module settings

See Common module settings

Restrict access settings

The restrict access area becomes visible in Moodle activities and resource settings if Conditional Activities have been enabled.

Locally assigned roles

In Administration > Assignment administration > Locally assigned roles selected users can be given additional roles in the activity. See the Using Moodle Custom role for 'Course Monitor' forum discussion for an example.

Assignment capabilities

Role permissions for the activity can be changed in Settings > Assignment administration > Permissions.

Site administration settings

The following configuration options are available for an administrator under Administration > Site administration > Plugins > Activity modules > Assignment.


Assignment settings

Feedback plugin

The comments that are pushed to the gradebook from the assignment are limited to a single text only comment. An Administrator can specify which of the feedback plugins will be push comments to the gradebook. On a standard Moodle install the choices are "Feedback comments" (default) or "Feedback file" but there may be additional options if your Moodle install contains additional feedback plugins.

Show recent submissions

This option allows everyone to see notifications of submissions in Recent activity reports and the Recent Activity Block, within a course context. Note that the default for this option is No which means students will not be able to see when classmates have submitted or updated any Assignments.

Send submission receipt to students

This switch will enable submission receipts for students. Students will receive a notification every time they successfully submit an assignment.

Submission receipts settings

Submission Statement

An administrator can enter text in the box here which will appear when students are about to submit their assignment.

Admin view of Submission statement set up screen - click to enlarge
Student view when about to submit - click to enlarge


If it is left as the default "No", then teachers will have the choice within their own assignments to force this or not.

Note that since Moodle 2.8.2 it's possible to show submission statements in different languages. See Multi-language content filter for how to do this.

Default assignment settings

The administrator can specify here the default assignment settings which may be set as 'Advanced' (ie, they will appear when clicking 'Show more') or 'Locked' (ie the teacher cannot change them.)

Default, Advanced and Locked checkboxes


The following configuration options are available for an administrator under Administration > Site administration > Plugins > Assignment.

Submission plugins

Manage assignment submission plugins

Here you can change the order, check the settings or uninstall a particular submission plugin.

File submissions

Enabled by default If set, this submission method will be enabled by default for all new assignments.

Maximum submission size An Administrator can specify the maximum size of any individual file uploaded within the assignment module across all courses on the site. This limit may be equal to or less than course file upload limit.

Online text submissions

Enabled by default If set, this submission method will be enabled by default for all new assignments.

Submission comments

If Submission comments are enabled in Site administration>Plugins>Activity modules>Assignment>Submission plugins AND comments enabled globally in Site Administration > Advanced features) then students will be able to send a message to their teacher when submitting their assignment. If either of those settings is disabled, then the submission comments link will not appear.

Feedback plugins

Manage assignment feedback plugins

Here you can change the order, check the settings or uninstall a particular feedback plugin.

Feedback comments

Enabled by default If set, this submission method will be enabled by default for all new assignments.

Annotate pdf

Here you can upload stamps for teachers to use when annotating student pdfs. You can also check the ghostscript path:

Ghostscript not installed or incorrectly installed
Ghostscript correctly installed

If the default stamps are deleted by accident, they can be found in mod/assign/feedback/editpdf/pix and re-uploaded.

File feedback

Enabled by default If set, this submission method will be enabled by default for all new assignments.

Offline grading worksheet

Enabled by default If set, this will be enabled by default for all new assignments

See also

Synergy Learning blog post: Assignment resubmissions

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