Unlocking the Full Potential of Moodle's Assignment Activity: A Comprehensive Guide for Instructors

Remind Me to Grade By

• - The "Remind Me to Grade By" setting allows instructors to set a reminder for themselves to grade assignments by a specific date. This feature helps instructors stay on track with grading deadlines and ensures timely feedback for students.
• By setting a reminder, instructors can better manage their grading tasks and avoid missing important deadlines.

Submission Types

File submissions:

• - The File Submission method enables students to upload documents or other files for grading. It is the most widely used submission type and is ideal for assignments such as essays, reports, presentations, images, or spreadsheets.
• Instructors can configure file type and size restrictions, and students can upload multiple files if needed. This method offers flexibility and supports a variety of assignment formats.

Online text

• - The Online Text submission type allows students to type or paste their assignments directly into a text box within Moodle. This method is ideal for shorter assignments, reflections, or activities where submitting content directly on the platform is preferred. It simplifies the submission process and eliminates the need for file uploads.

Offline submissions:

• - The Offline Activity submission type is used for assignments that are completed outside the Moodle platform, such as in-person presentations, lab experiments, or other hands-on activities. This option is ideal when no digital submission is required, but tracking and grading the activity within Moodle is still necessary.

Note:

• - Offline submission means both the file submissions and online text will be unticked.
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1. Feedback Comments

• - Instructors can provide detailed textual feedback on student submissions, offering valuable insights and guidance. This feedback can vary from general observations of the student's performance to specific, actionable suggestions for improvement.
• - By using this feature, educators can address areas of strength and highlight growth opportunities, fostering a more personalized learning experience. Textual feedback is essential for supporting student development, clarifying misunderstandings, and guiding future efforts. It enhances the overall learning process by providing clear, direct communication between instructors and students.

2. Feedback Files

• - Instructors can upload feedback files to accompany their grading, offering more detailed, personalized feedback. These files can include documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, or other file types. Feedback files are commonly used to provide annotated versions of student submissions, offer additional resources, or suggest corrections.
• - This method enhances the feedback process by allowing instructors to provide more comprehensive, targeted support, ensuring students have the necessary materials for improvement and further learning.

3. Annotating PDFs (Inline Feedback)

• - Moodle offers a robust PDF annotation tool, enabling instructors to directly mark up students' PDF submissions within the platform. This feature is especially valuable for assignments such as essays, reports, or problem sets, allowing educators to provide clear, in-line comments, highlight key sections, and make corrections or suggestions.
• - The tool streamlines the feedback process by enabling efficient, detailed annotations without the need for external software, enhancing the overall learning experience for students.

4. Offline grading worksheet

• - The Offline Grading Worksheet in the assignment activity allows instructors to download a spreadsheet template for grading assignments that don't involve digital submissions. This worksheet can be used to record grades, feedback, and other relevant details offline.
• - Once grading is complete, the file can be uploaded back to Moodle to sync with the assignment records. This feature is useful for managing assignments that require manual grading or for activities conducted outside the platform.

Submission Settings

• - The "Allow submissions to be changed" setting controls whether students can edit their submissions after uploading them. If enabled, students can make changes. If disabled, they cannot edit the submission once it’s uploaded.
• - When set to 'No', students can continue making changes to their submissions at any time. To prevent further edits once you're ready to grade, go to the Submissions link, find the student’s submission, and click the three-dot icon in the Status column. Select 'Prevent submission changes' to lock the submission, ensuring that no further edits can be made.
• - When set to 'Yes', students can upload draft versions of their assignments and continue editing them until they are ready to submit. Once they click the Submit button, the assignment is marked as finalized, and no further changes can be made.

Prevent submission changes

Require that students accept the Submission statement

• - An administrator can define a "Submission statement" (see below) i.e. a statement where students promise the work is their own and which they must agree to before submitting their work. 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.

Additional attempts (previously named Attempts reopened)

• - Whether a student can make additional attempts at the assignment. Changing this setting to 'Manually' allows the teacher to go into the grader and in the "Attempt settings" section set "Allow another attempt" to either "yes" or "no".
• - Changing the setting to "Automatically until pass" requires setting "Grade to pass" in the Grade section. If the student does not receive a passing grade, the submission will automatically be reopened, and another attempt can be made.

Note:

• - When "Automatically until pass" is enabled, maximum attempts settings need to be set.
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Maximum attempts:

• - In this setting, you can define the number of attempts allowed for students to resubmit their assignments. If a student needs to continue attempting the assignment until they achieve a passing grade, you may choose to limit the number of attempts, preventing indefinite submissions.
• - Limiting attempts ensures that students work within a structured framework, encouraging progress without overwhelming them with endless chances to resubmit.

Group Submission

1. Enable Group Submission

• - The Group Submission setting allows instructors to configure whether assignments can be submitted by groups. When enabled, students within a group will collaborate and submit a single assignment on behalf of the entire team, rather than submitting individually.
• - This feature is particularly useful for group projects, fostering teamwork and ensuring that all members contribute to the final submission. It streamlines the grading process by consolidating submissions, and instructors can assess the collective effort of the group rather than individual submissions.

2. Require Group to Make Submission

• - The "Require Group Submission" setting in Moodle ensures that a submission is made by the entire group rather than individual members. When enabled, the group collaborates to submit one shared response for the assignment.
• - This feature encourages teamwork, improves coordination, and simplifies grading for educators, as only one submission is evaluated for the whole group. It's ideal for collaborative projects and group-based tasks.

Students Submitting in Groups in Moodle

• - In Moodle, the Group Submission feature allows students to submit an assignment as a group rather than individually. When this setting is enabled, the group makes a single submission, and all members of the group share the same grade and feedback.
• - This feature promotes collaboration among students, encouraging teamwork and collective responsibility for completing the assignment. It also simplifies the submission process for instructors, as they only need to review and grade one submission per group rather than multiple individual submissions.

Note:

• - If this option is enabled, Require the group to make a submission, Require all group members to submit, Grouping for student groups these following settings need to apply.
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Grouping for Student Groups in Moodle

• - The Grouping for Student Groups setting allows instructors to assign students to specific groups within the course. This enables the creation of smaller subsets of students for group activities, assignments, or discussions, providing a more organized and focused learning experience.
• - Instructors can define these groups based on criteria such as performance, interests, or project teams, ensuring that students are placed in appropriate groups for collaborative work.

Notifications

Notify Graders About Submissions

• - The 'Notify Graders About Submissions' setting ensures that graders are alerted when a new submission is made for an assignment. When enabled, graders receive notifications about student submissions, helping them stay informed and manage their grading tasks efficiently.

Late Submission Alerts

• - Moodle provides instructors with notifications for late submissions, ensuring they are promptly informed when students submit assignments past the deadline (if permitted).
• - This feature streamlines the monitoring of late work, allowing instructors to address delays effectively and maintain a consistent grading process. Keeping educators informed, supports transparency and ensures that late submissions are managed efficiently within the framework of course policies.

Default notification preferences

• - The 'Notify Student' setting determines whether students are notified when their assignment is graded or feedback is provided. By default, instructors can choose to enable or disable notifications based on their preferences.
• - When enabled, students will automatically receive notifications when their grades or feedback are available, ensuring they are promptly informed of their progress. If disabled, students will need to check the grade book or assignment to view their grades and feedback.
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Grading Settings

• - In Moodle, the grading method setting allows instructors to define how an assignment will be graded, influencing both the display and calculation of scores.
• - This setting offers flexibility in choosing different grading methods, such as simple point grading, a scale, or rubric-based assessments. The chosen method affects how students’ performance is evaluated and reported, ensuring that grading aligns with the intended assessment strategy.

Grading Method

• The Point-based grading method in Moodle is the most commonly used approach, allowing instructors to assign a numerical score (e.g., out of 100 points) to student submissions. This method provides a straightforward and clear way to evaluate performance, making it easy for both instructors and students to understand how grades are determined.
• The Marking Guide in Moodle offers a flexible grading method similar to a rubric but with greater customization options. This method allows instructors to define specific criteria and assign detailed grading scales, offering a more tailored approach to evaluation.
• The Rubric grading method in Moodle allows instructors to evaluate assignments using predefined criteria and performance levels. This approach helps provide detailed feedback on specific aspects of the assignment, such as organization, content, and clarity.

Grade Category

• Grade Categories in Moodle allow instructors to organize assignments, quizzes, and other graded activities within the course gradebook. By grouping similar assessments under specific categories (e.g., Homework, Exams, Participation), instructors can manage grades more effectively and maintain a clear, structured grading system

Grade To Pass

• The Grade to Pass setting in Moodle defines the minimum grade required for students to pass an assignment, quiz, or course. This setting ensures that students meet specific academic standards and helps instructors track progress toward learning goals.

Grade Category

• Grade Categories in Moodle allow instructors to organize assignments, quizzes, and other graded activities within the course gradebook. By grouping similar assessments under specific categories (e.g., Homework, Exams, Participation), instructors can manage grades more effectively and maintain a clear, structured grading system

Anonymous submissions

• The Anonymous Submissions setting in Moodle allows instructors to collect student assignments without revealing the identity of the submitters to the graders. This feature is particularly useful in promoting fairness and reducing bias in the grading process.

Hide grader identity from students

• The Hide Grader Identity feature in Moodle allows instructors to keep their identity anonymous when grading assignments. This setting ensures that students cannot see who has graded their work, promoting unbiased feedback and reducing potential grading bias.

Use marking workflow

• The Marking Workflow feature in Moodle provides a structured process for grading assignments, ensuring consistency and transparency across the grading process. It enables instructors to manage the flow of grading by setting up a series of steps that assignments must go through before final grades are assigned.

Note:

• When using marking workflow enable Use marking allocation  and Allow partial release of grades while marking anonymously will enable
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Use Marking Allocation in Moodle

• The "Use Marking Allocation" setting allows instructors to assign specific grading tasks to different graders or teaching assistants. This feature is particularly useful in larger courses with multiple graders, ensuring that each part of an assignment is evaluated by the appropriate person.

Allow Partial Release of Grades While Marking Anonymously

• This setting enables instructors to release grades partially while still maintaining anonymity during the grading process. Instructors can choose to provide feedback or release some grades before fully completing the grading, ensuring that students receive timely information about their progress, even if the final grade is not yet available.

Common Module Settings

• In Moodle, the Common Module Settings control the visibility, access, and participation settings for various activities, including Assignment activities. These settings ensure that assignments are displayed to the correct audience and integrated properly within the course structure.

Availability:

• The Availability setting in Moodle gives instructors the ability to control whether an activity is visible to students. When an activity is hidden, it will not be displayed on the course page, and students will be unable to access or participate in it.

ID Number

• Instructors can assign a unique ID number to each activity, which can be used for various purposes such as external tracking, integration with other systems, or detailed reporting.
• By using ID numbers, activities can be easily linked to external tools or systems, making data management more efficient. This is particularly beneficial for institutions that require integration with student information systems or for those who need comprehensive reporting to track academic progress.

Group Mode

• No Groups: Students work individually, and there is no grouping involved. The activity is open to all students.
• Separate Groups: Students only see and interact with members of their group. Groups are isolated from each other.
• Visible Groups: Students can see other groups' activities but are still restricted to interacting only with their group.

Grouping

• The Grouping setting in Moodle allows instructors to specify which grouping an activity belongs to, defining a subset of groups within the course. This feature is particularly useful for managing differentiated assignments, where different groups of students are assigned unique tasks or deadlines.

Restrict Access

Date Restrictions

• The Grouping setting in Moodle allows instructors to specify which grouping an activity belongs to, defining a subset of groups within the course. This feature is particularly useful for managing differentiated assignments, where different groups of students are assigned unique tasks or deadlines.
• Instructors can set a start date for assignments, determining when they become available to students. Until this date, students won’t be able to see or access the assignment.
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Grade Restrictions

• This feature allows instructors to restrict access to the assignment based on the grade received in a previous activity, such as a quiz or another assignment.
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User Profile Restrictions

• You can restrict access to the assignment based on user profile fields, such as a specific role, language, or any custom profile field created in the system.
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Restriction Setting

• Restriction settings allow instructors to control when and how activities are available to students based on specific conditions. These settings provide flexibility in managing course content by defining criteria students must meet before accessing or completing an activity.

Tags

• Tags in the Assignment activity in Moodle provide a way to categorize and organize assignments, making it easier for instructors and students to find and manage relevant content. By assigning tags to assignments, instructors can group similar tasks based on topics, learning objectives, or other criteria

Competencies

Course Competencies in Moodle

• Course competencies refer to the specific skills, knowledge, and abilities that students are expected to acquire by the end of a course. In Moodle, competencies can be tracked and assessed, helping both instructors and students understand the progress made toward meeting course goals.

Up On Activity Completion

• The Upon Activity Completion setting in Moodle allows instructors to define specific actions or criteria that must be met before an activity is considered complete. This feature ensures that students engage with the activity fully before marking it as complete, such as completing all required tasks or reaching a specific score.

Note:

• When applying, the competency needs to override the existing grade when completed.
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