Assignments

1. Finding your assignments
2. Assignment types
3. Turning in your assignment
4. Other information
5. Instructor Options
   

Moodle includes an assignment tool that allows instructors to set up assignments that can be turned in both online and offline. A due date can be specified, which is then displayed on the class calendar. Reminders are also provided for upcoming due dates. The following is basic information on using the assignment tool as a student.

Finding your assignments

You can access assignments two ways.

Click on the assignment icon or name on your class page:

Click on the assignment icon in the list of activities:

You will then see a list of all the assignments for your class:

Scroll down until you find the assignment you need. Click on the assignment name or icon.

Assignment types

There are four types of assignments in Moodle:

1. In an Offline assignment, the instructor will give directions, and the student will complete the assignment.  Nothing is turned in through the assignment tool, though the student may be expected to do an activity within Moodle.
   
2. In an Online Text assignment, the instructor will give directions, and the student will respond in an online text box provided in the assignment tool.
3. In an Upload a Single File assignment, the instructor will give directions, and the student will upload their file through the Moodle assignment tool.
4. In an Advanced Uploading of Files assignment, the instructor will give directions, and the student will upload multiple files through the Moodle assignment tool.

Here is a sample assignment:

All assignments will contain a few basic components:

1. Assignment description and expectations
2. Available date, indicating when students can begin the assignment
3. Due date, indicating when students must complete the assignment

Turning in your assignment

Offline assignments, as mentioned above, are completed following the instructors' directions.  These directions may involve doing activities online, including through Moodle.

Online text assignments are completed by submitting text through the text box provided in the assignment.  If you have not submitted your assignment, you will see a prompt to edit your submission:

Clicking on Edit my submission will display a rich-text editor, through which you can compose and submit your assignment.  You can also copy and paste your assignment from another document.

Click on Save changes to turn in your assignment.

Upload a single file or Advanced uploading of files assignments are turned in by uploading a file to Moodle. In this sample, the assignment is a paper that, once completed, needs to be uploaded to the instructor via Moodle:

Click on "Browse", locate the file on your computer, and click on "Open". The file location should be filled into the box. Click on "Upload this file."

Once this is complete, you will receive confirmation that you have successfully submitted your file.  If you are uploading multiple files, after uploading the first file, you will be able to upload additional files, up to the limit set by your instructor.  Your instructor will receive notification that you have turned in your assignment.

Pat yourself on the back for turning in your homework on time. Good for you.  

If you navigate away from the assignment and want to make sure you actually turned your homework in, you can do this by going back to the assignment. The filename of your submitted file will be displayed in the center of the page.

Other information

• If, after uploading your file, you realize that you've uploaded the wrong one, you may be able to resubmit your file.  If so, just repeat the process above. You will receive confirmation that your previous file has been deleted and that your new file has been submitted. Your instructor will be able to see when the file was last modified.
• Please make sure to keep a copy of your file after you upload it. While not required, it might be a good idea to upload your file(s) to your H: drive space just in case!
• If your instructor is using Moodle's gradebook, your grade will be automatically entered into the gradebook, and you should be able to see it by clicking on "Grades" in the Administration box.  You can also see your grade and the instructor's comments from the actual assignment.

Instructor Options

Creating Assignments

To create an assignment, first .

From the Add an activity drop-down menu in the appropriate week, select Assignment.

Provide a name and a description for your assignment:

The name you provide will be displayed in the course space.  The description field is where you can compose or paste your instructions for the assignment itself.

Next, specify the grading scale:

Moodle has three default grading options: No grade, 1-100 points, or Separate and Connected ways of knowing.  You can also specify your own grading scale using the Scales option.  Use the drop-down menu to select the appropriate value for your assignment - or choose No grade if you don't want to use the Moodle gradebook.  More information on the gradebook, grading tools, and grading scales is available in the Grades and Scales portion of this guide.

The assignment tool asks for two different dates:

The Available from date is the first date and time when the assignment can be submitted.  The Due date is the date and time that the assignment is due.  Both of these dates are optional; if you do not wish to specify them, simply uncheck the box by the date information.

The Prevent late submissions option allows you to control whether or not assignments can be submitted after the due date.  If you select No from the drop-down menu, then students can submit assignments after the due date - they will just be marked as late.  If you select Yes from the drop-down menu, the assignment will shut off at the specified due date and time.

The next very important step is specifying the assignment type:

The four types of assignments have been previously described in this guide.  The assignment type selected will determine the  options you see on the next few screens.

There are two final settings on this page:

The Group mode options controls the submission of assignments.  Visible Groups or Separate Groups will use groups set up in from the Groups menu.  More information on Groups is available in the Groups portion of this guide.

The Visible option allows you to Show (or make available) or Hide (keep hidden) the new assignment.

Click on Next >> to proceed to the next set of options.

The next page will confirm the assignment type you've selected.  It will give you more information about the assignment type, as well as additional options if necessary.

For the Offline activity assignment type, no additional options are necessary:

Review the description, then click on Continue to submit.

For the Online text assignment type, the following options are available:

Allow resubmitting allows you to give your students the option of resubmitting their assignments.  By default, this is set to No.
Email alerts to instructors will allow you to receive an email notification whenever an assignment has been submitted.
Comment inline allows you to provide feedback to written assignments in-text.

Review these options, then click on Continue to submit.

For the Upload a single file assignment type, the following options are available:

Maximum size specifies the largest file size allowed.  The maximum is currently 2 MB.
Allow resubmitting allows you to give your students the option of resubmitting their assignments.  By default, this is set to No.
Email alerts to instructors will allow you to receive an email notification whenever an assignment has been submitted.

Review these options, then click on Continue to submit.

For the Advanced uploading of files option, the following options are available:

Maximum size specifies the largest file size allowed.  The maximum is currently 2 MB.
Allow Deleting allows your students to delete files after they've been submitted.
Maximum number of uploaded files allows you to specify a maximum of up to 20 files.  This value is not shown to students, so it is recommended that you include this information in your assignment description.
Allow notes, if set to Yes, allows students to include notes about the files they are submitting.
Hide description before available date allows you to keep the assignment description hidden.  This option is similar to the Visible option on the previous screen.
Email alerts to instructors will allow you to receive an email notification whenever an assignment has been submitted.

Review these options, then click on Continue to submit

Additional Information

More information on the Assignment tool is available here:

• MoodleDocs: Assignment module
• Using Moodle Chapter 7: Assignments and Exercises (pdf)