Module 3 – Good practice for online submissionThis guide is for staff managing or delivering a course in Learn, and looks at how to support students through the online assignment submission process. Assignment submission, in particular using assessment tools, is one of the most stressful activities for students and providing support and guidance through the process can help reduce this. This is the third in a series of three introductory modules, and covers:

1. Assignment hand-ins through Learn: Good practice guidance for staff

2. Assessment2.1 Assessment Information2.2 Assignment Submission2.3 Examples of previous assessment2.4 Group assignments in Learn

3. Assignment submission3.1 Assignment key features comparison grid3.2 File types3.3 Similarity check3.4 Rubrics grading3.5 Optional settings for a Turnitin assignment3.6 Using the Own Work Declaration Form in Learn

Learn FoundationsTo enhance students’ use of the Learn VLE (virtual learning environment), the University is investing in improvements over the next few years that will make it easier for students to find course specific materials and ensure Learn is used more consistently across the University. These improvements are being delivered through a multi-year service improvement programme called Learn Foundations. The Learn Foundations project is introducing minimum standards to Learn through the application of a new structure and more consistent terminology that will make it easier for students to access resources as well as offering training and support to academic colleagues in how to use Learn effectively. These improvements will enable Edinburgh to address accessibility issues and promote positive equality and diversity. The new structure is being offered to all Schools over a three-year period, with around one third of Schools adopting the new structure for the start of teaching 2019/20.

Digital skills training – making the most of Learn

If your School is adopting the new Learn Foundations structure for Semester 1, you can use the guidelines here to edit items. If you have not adopted the new structure, you can still follow these guidelines to incorporate good practice in your course. The aim is to support all users of Learn with training and resources that can be tailored according to need and enhance the use of Learn.

If you require this document in an alternative format, such as large print or a coloured background, please phone Paul Smyth (Learning Technology Advisor)

on 0131 651 1261 or email LearnFoundations@ed.ac.uk

July 2019

1.Assignment hand-ins through Learn: Good practice guidance for staff

Students need very clear and explicit guidance on how to manage their assignment hand-in. Some may never have used an electronic system before. So, in addition to guidance on the assignment itself, provide very clear instructions on what they will do and see as they hand in. If possible, use screen shots to illustrate this.

Here are some suggestions:

Practice submission

Set up a practice test three or four weeks before the first assignment so that everyone can go through the process. If you do this, make sure the students know this is a practice only.

Feedback and grades

If you are using Learn to return grades and feedback, you may wish to include this in your guidance so that students know what to expect and where to go to see feedback and grades. Ensure students understand that the grades are provisional until ratified by the exam board.

Timing of deadlines

Make the assignment deadline mid-day, on a day other than Friday. That way, if there are any problems there will be staff on hand to help sort them out. If your students are at a distance, make sure the time zone is specified.

Group assignments together

Within Learn, create a folder where all the assignments can be seen together. This does not prevent you from adding in links to specific assignments from other parts of the course. It does allow students, as the course develops, to look back over assignments easily.

Specify formats clearly

If you require assignments to be in a particular format (e.g. pdf files) make it clear to the students and, if necessary, provide instructions for how to create a file in that format.

If you require assignments to be anonymous, specify naming conventions for the students.

Specify procedures for problems

Be very clear on what students should do if they have a problem submitting their work electronically. We suggest telling them to send a screenshot of any error message, together with the submission, to an administrator email.

They may also email is.helpline@ed.ac.uk to report any technical problems.

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2.Assessment Adding an assessment content area makes all of the relevant information easy to find. This includes an Assessment Information section, Assessment Submission folder and a folder or link to Examples of Previous Assessment. If you have the Learn Foundations structure applied to your course then the content area and items will be pre-populated, however you may need to edit the information.

2.1 Assessment Information

2.1.1 Important assessment datesMaking important dates available allows students to plan their workloads, so assignment deadlines and exam dates should be added here.

2.1.2 Where to find feedback and gradesThere can be confusion over whether grades that appear in Learn are final grades. Final grades will only be displayed in EUCLID; interim and partial grades may be posted in Learn.

Good practice: To encourage students to view feedback they can be guided to access the grade via the same assignment drop-box that they submitted to. The placement text should be edited to reflect the method by which students should access their feedback and grades.

2.1.3 Marking schemesThis contains links to the University Common Marking Scheme and Assessment Regulations. Where an alternative marking scheme is used it should be added to this area.

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How to set up an Assessment content area The assessment area has been designed to contain all the resources and information relating to assessment and feedback.

1. Click on the + arrow in the top left of the menu, and select Content Area

2. In the Name field add Assessment3. Check the box Available to Users4. Click on Submit

How to add Assessment Information Key information that should be added is important assessment dates such as deadlines, where to submit assignments, where to find feedback and grades, information about the marking schemes that are used.

1. Click on Build Content, select Item2. In the Name field add Assessment Information 3. In the Text field add the text below that is Bold:

Important dates – (This should have Due Dates, deadlines)

Where to find feedback and grades- (add information. Good practice: To encourage students to view feedback they can be guided to access the grade via the same assignment drop-box that they submitted to.)

Please note that all grades are provisional until ratified by the exam board.

Marking schemeUniversity's Common Marking Scheme (See notes below on making this a hyperlink)Assessment regulations (See notes below on making this a hyperlink)

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How to make the University's Common Marking Scheme into a hyperlink Hyperlinks should be embedded using descriptive text which describes the target of the link. Assistive technology can easily pull up all the links on a page which can help users quickly find what they are looking for.

1. Highlight University’s Common Marking Scheme and click on the Insert/Edit Link icon

2. Enter the URL into the Link Path fieldhttps://edin.ac/common-marking-scheme

3. Target set this to Open in New Window4. Click on Insert

5. Now make the Assessment regulations a hyperlink to:https://www.ed.ac.uk/academic-services/policies-regulations/regulations/assessment

6. Click on Submit

2.2 Assignment SubmissionIn order to enhance the student assignment submission experience, all assignments should be located within the ‘Assignment Submission’ folder within this page. This makes it easier for student to locate their assignments during revision and other times. Information on assignment and assessment criteria should be added. Guidance on how and where to access feedback and grades should also be added here.

A folder for each assignment should be added within the Assignment Submission folder. Each assignment should have a meaningful title, assessment criteria and assignment submission details added for clarity. When setting up each folder it is advised that ‘Track number of views’ is enabled as it can be helpful in diagnosing any disputes on submission issues.

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How to add a folder for Assignment Submissions 1. Click on Build Content, select Content Folder2. In the Name field add Assignment Submission3. In the Text field add:

Assignment Submission and Assessment Criteria

If you are looking to find your feedback and grades for any assignments submitted via Learn, these can be located by visiting the original submission drop box where you submitted the assignment.

4. Under Standard Options, check Track number of Views5. Click on Submit

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How to add a Learn assignment folder

1. Click on the Assignment Submission folder2. Click on Build Content, select Content Folder3. In the Name field add Assignment 1- Title (e.g. Data analysis)4. In the text pane add:

Assessment Criteria Assignment Submission

5. Under Standard Options check Yes for Track Number of Views6. Click on Submit

How to set up Learn assignment drop boxes

1. Go to the Assignment Submission folder where the assignment is to be created2. Select the Assessments menu from the top tab 3. Select Assignment to open the create assignments page in Learn

Name You must give the assignment a meaningful titleInstructions any specific instructions for the assignment Assignment files Browse and attach any files Due Dates Assignments with due dates show in the course calendar and the To

Do module. Submissions can be made after this date but are marked late.

Grading Points PossibleAssociated Rubrics: add or create a rubric here

Submission Details Make selections for individual or group submissions, single, multiple or unlimited attempts. When you select Group Submission, a new window will appear to allow you to choose the groups.

Grading Options Anonymous marking and delegated marking can be enable here.Display of Grades Options on how grades are displayed to students.Availability Not setting a display until date on a drop box will allow students to

go back in to the drop box to view their feedback and grade.4. Select Submit.

2.3 Examples of previous assessmentA link to the Exam Papers Online has been added here.

If examples of previous assessments or coursework are available, then they should be added to a folder in this section. If you are looking to use examples of previous assessments, please ensure you have the relevant authority to use these prior to uploading onto the Learn course. It might also be useful to provide examples of previous coursework or practice quiz questions if appropriate.

2.4 Group assignments in LearnBefore you create a group assignment you need to know:

A course group must exist before you create group assignments for it. Students who are enrolled in more than one group that receives the same assignment will

be able to submit more than one attempt for this assignment. You may need to provide these students with an overall grade for the assignment.

Students who aren’t enrolled at the time that a group assignment has been submitted don’t have access to that submission. These students only see that the submission occurred.

Students who you remove from a group can’t see the group assignments. They can access their submissions from My Grades.

If you edit the assignment between creation and the due date, the entire group may lose any work already in progress.

If you delete a group from the assignment after students have started an attempt but before submission, they’ll lose access to the assignment and lose their work.

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How to add Examples of Previous Assessment

1. Click on Build Content, select Item2. In the Name field add Examples of Previous Assessment3. In the Text field add

4. Examples of Previous assessment can be located via the Exam Papers online link.5. Highlight the Exam Papers online text and use the link tool to add the hyperlink to

https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/students/exam-papers 6. Click on Submit

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How to import or create a Learn rubric (this is NOT for Turnitin)

Import a rubric1. Rubrics can be imported to a course then added to a tool during set-up.2. Go to the left menu and under Course Management > Course Tools > select Rubric

this will open the Rubrics window, click Import Rubric3. Browse to locate the rubric then click on Submit to import it

Create a rubric1. Go to the left menu and under Course Management > Course Tools > select Rubric

this will open the Rubrics window. Click Create Rubric.2. On the Create Rubric page, enter a Name and optional Description3. In the Rubric Detail section choose a Rubric Type from the drop down menu

4. Click Add Row to add a new criterion to the bottom of the grid5. Click Add Column to add a new level of achievement to the grid6. To change a row or column’s title, click the drop down arrow to access the menu and

select Edit. Then type the new title in to the box and click Save7. Type a point or percentage value for each row and column as necessary8. Type a description for the criteria and the associated level of achievement. Each cell has

a 1,000-character limit9. Click Submit

Add or create a rubric during tool or assignment set-up

1. During tool set-up scroll down to the Marking section in the options of a Learn tool, select Add Rubric, select and create rubric options are available

2. Added rubrics will show under Associated Rubrics during the tool set-up

3. Hovering over the Show Rubrics to Students column will show the options available

3.Assignment submissionStaff have the option of two different assignment tools through Learn that can be used for submission, marking and returning grades. The Learn assignment tools and the Turnitin Suite are similar but not identical in their functionality.

3.1 Assignment key features comparison gridLearn Assignment Turnitin Assignment

Similarity Report (text )

Draft submission

Accept any file type

Single and Multiple Submissions

Peer reviewed assessment

Rubrics grading

Instructor-created extensions for submission

Download and grade offline *

Can be graded offline via iPad App

Inline grading

Add and customise quick feedback *

Text Feedback

Voice feedback

Post grades on a specified date

Delegated grading

Anonymous Grading

Multiple Anonymous grading

Multiple marker

Moderated marking

Integration with Learn Grade centre

Show cohort grade average and median

Accepts multiple file types

“No submission” grade and feedback

* Not integrated part of tool but can be managed

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3.2 File types Learn Assignments can be used to submit text directly, or students can upload a file. Learn accepts most common file types such as MS Word, PDF, MS PowerPoint, and many image formats.

Turnitin will accept MS Word, PDF, Corel WordPerfect, HTML, Adobe PostScript, Plain text, Rich Text Format, OpenOffice. Unsupported files are image files, image only PDFs, files over 40MB and text files larger than 2MB.

3.3 Similarity check If an assignment requires similarity reports, we advise staff to use the Turnitin Suite as this is the only tool that has this functionality.

3.4 Rubrics gradingRubrics can be used to evaluate student work based on defined criteria and scales. You can create multiple rubrics in your course. Rubrics consist of rows and columns. The rows correspond to the criteria and the columns correspond to the level of achievement that describes each criterion. Rubrics can be exported and given to other users. In Learn you can apply a rubric to the following tools where students can submit work:

Assignments Essay, Short Answer, and File Response test questions Discussion Board Blogs Journals Wikis

There are five Rubric Types in Learn:

No Points: Provide feedback only. Points: Each level of achievement has a single point value. Point Range: Each level of achievement has a range of values. Percent: Each item’s possible points determines the percentage. Percent Range: Each level of achievement has a range of values. When you grade, you select

the appropriate percentage level for a particular level of achievement. The system calculates the points earned by multiplying the weight x achievement percentage x item points.

Show Rubric to Students has four options for rubric visibility:

No: Students can’t view the rubric. Note: with this option students won’t see feedback entered into the rubric until this is changed.

Yes (With Rubric Scores): Students can view the rubric when you make the item available, including possible point or percentage values.

Yes (Without Rubric Scores): Students can view the rubric when you make the item available, but they can’t see the possible point or percentage values.

After Grading: Students can view the rubric only after you’ve finished grading their submissions. Note: students will be able to see this as soon as you mark it even if it is before the due date. They will also be able to show it to students who have not yet submitted.

Good practice: We recommend that you allow students to view the rubrics so they understand how assessments will be graded.

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How to set up Turnitin assignment drop boxes

1. Select the Assessments menu, select Turnitin Assignment.2. The Turnitin assignment creation page will open within the Learn interface.

Assignment title* You must give the assignment a meaningful titlePoint value (optional)

Setting a point value for the assignment allows the grade to be set by rubrics (if used) and be sent to the grade centre.

Start date The date students can start submitting to the assignment.Due date Students cannot submit after this date unless late

submissions are enabled.Post date In Learn, the post-date relates to the availability of

GradeMark papers. It has no bearing on when grades are posted to the Learn Grade centre.

3. Optional settings are available by expanding the drop down option.4. Select Submit.

3.5 Optional settings for a Turnitin assignmentTo view the advanced assignment options, click on the Optional settings link at the bottom of the assignment creation or the assignment update page.

Enter special instructions Any specific instructions for the assignment

Allow submissions after the due date?

If set to no then students will be blocked from submitting assignments after the due date – so no late submissions will be accepted (the default is No).

Similarity Report

Generate Similarity Reports for submissions?

Set to no if you don’t want to generate Similarity reports (the default is Yes).

Generate Similarity Reports for student submissions

Immediately first report is final: report will be fed back to students immediately but students can’t resubmit assignment.

Immediately (can overwrite reports until due date): report fed back immediately and students can resubmit until due date. Note that reports for resubmissions take up to 24 hours to avoid students playing the system. (default)

On due date: all reports fed back on due date. This allows the system to check against other submissions to the same assignment.

Exclude bibliographic materials from Similarity Index for all papers in this assignment?

Excludes text in bibliography, works cited or references sections of the submitted paper. This can be overridden in the individual report interface. (the default is No)

Exclude quoted materials from Similarity Index for all papers in this assignment?

Excludes test in quotation marks. This can be overridden in the individual report interface. (the default is No)

Exclude small sources? Excludes short matches (length set by instructor). This can be overridden in the individual report interface. (the default is No)

Allow students to see Similarity Reports?

The default is No.

Reveal grades to students only on post date?

The Grade Center column in Learn will be hidden from students until the post date. The default is No.

Enable anonymous marking? Student names will remain anonymous until the post date.

Submit papers to: Standard paper repository (default): the paper will be added to the Turnitin repository so other papers will be checked against it.

no repository: the file will be matched but a copy will not be stored

Search options: Student paper repository (default Yes)

Current and archived internet (default Yes)

Periodicals, journals, & publications (default Yes)

Online Grading Attach a rubric to this assignment: Select from previously

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Enter special instructions Any specific instructions for the assignment

created or imported rubrics.

3.6 Using the Own Work Declaration Form in LearnSchools will have their own policies and procedures for online hand-in of assignments and use of Own Work Declaration Forms. The standard University Own Work Declaration (OWD) is stored in the Content Collection for the Institution. A review then release method can be set up with the OWD form to track that students check that they have accepted the declaration before they can submit an assignment. The student must read the content of the file and then select the Mark Reviewed button as this will unlock the assignment.

Important: Enabling Review Status Criteria in content items is still no guarantee that the student will read the OWD form. Provide clear instructions on how to use Mark as Reviewed to your students, especially if you are using this tool to release drop boxes and content.

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How to add the Own Work Declaration form to a course

1. Make sure Edit mode is ON.2. Navigate to the course content area where you want the declaration form and

assignment to be. 3. Select Build content > File > Browse content collection. A pop-up window appears.

4. Navigate to Institution content then select Own Work Declaration2019-20.pdf. 5. Submit and the pop-up window closes. 6. Rename the form “Own work Declaration - open and read. By selecting 'Mark

reviewed' you agree this is your own work” Leave the filename ending as .pdf. 7. Select Submit.

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How to set up an assignment with an Own Work Declaration form

Add the assignment in the same content area (folder) as the declaration form. It does not matter whether it is a Learn assignment drop box or a Turnitin assignment drop box.

1. Select the action arrow next to the assignment name.2. Select Adaptive Release from the drop-down menu.3. Scroll down to Review Status and Select Browse. A pop-up window appears with the

folder structure for your course.4. Select the Own Work Declaration Form in the correct folder and submit. The pop-up

window closes.5. Select Submit and you return to the course content page.6. Switch to Student View and you can check that the assignment is not visible until you

have selected Mark Reviewed.