Assignment settings

Template:Assignments 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.

I am a STAR

Complete Lessons 1-15 in the "Learn to Read" section. Take your time, you are not graded on your speed.

No Grade

October 14, 2009 12:00:00

June 20, 2010

Prevent late submissions

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.

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 type (pre-1.7)

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.

Upload: 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.

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.

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

Offline assignment: 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.

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.

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.

To complete the settings specific to the assignment type, click Next to proceed to the assignment details page.

Common module settings

Group mode

When course group mode is turned on, the group mode can be one of three levels: no groups, separate groups or visible groups.

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

Separate groups: 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: 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.

Visible

Choose whether to Show or Hide the assignment

ID number

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

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.
Want to use an Assignment activity in another course you teach? Use the import function in the course administration block.

Documentation