All About Assignments

1. An Introduction to Assignments

Assignments - The Basics

Like other activities, you'll create an Assignment by turning editing on in your course, clicking the Add an Activity or Resource link to open the Activity Chooser, and selecting "Assignment".

The following video will walk you through creating an Assignment using the most common settings. We strongly recommend viewing it in fullscreen mode (press "f" after you hit play). The rest of this book will spend more time on features mentioned in the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48y8l1vABKU

2. The "Remind Me to Grade" Feature

The Remind Me to Grade feature in the Timing section of the Assignment settings is especially helpful if your site defaults to using the Dashboard. 

On the Dashboard you'll (likely) find the Course Overview block. This block displays course progress to your learners, as well as links to upcoming activities. Activities due soonest display at the top, and include a direct link to the activity. 

As an instructor, you have a similar overview. Your assignments that require grading are clearly visible and accessible. The number of attempts that need to be graded will appear next to the Grade link. Clicking the Grade takes you directly to the grading screen.

How to Make Activities and Resources Appear in the Course Overview Block

For activities: 

• Either set a due date, or
• Set an 'Expect completed on' date in the activity completion settings

For instructors to see assignments that need grading, a 'Remind me to grade by' date must be entered in the Assignment set up screen. This setting is in the Availability section.

For resources:

• Set an 'Expect completed on' date in the activity completion settings (see image above)

3. What Does Grading Look Like?

While it is possible to download all learner submissions for offline review, many instructors prefer to review and grade submissions using the assignment grader interface.

To review submitted work, click on the Assignment, then Grade button. 

Here, the submission may be annotated (1) and/or downloaded (2). You can also enter a grade (3) and typed feedback (4). When you're done, save your changes (5) and move to the next student (6). 

Note: Your exact view will depend on your Assignment settings. For example, if you've enabled Feedback Files, there will be a file upload box in the grade panel on the right. 

4. My Learner Submissions Vanished!

If you attempt to view submissions for an assignment but see a page with no submissions to display, click the "Reset table preferences" link in the top-right corner of the page. This sometimes happens when your site remembers your filtering preferences from a different course.