carol wrycraft - midkent college

Carol WrycraftMidKent College

11/04/23 1Carol Wrycraft

IntroductionWe have used Moodle Assignments for 18 months nowThis has been combined with the use of other Moodle

features such as Forums, Wikis, Glossaries and Quizzes to create a Web 2.0 feel to course assessment

We have continually modified our methods to suit our learners and ourselves

Over the past year we have disseminated information to other teaching departments (and other learning providers via JISC webinars) many of whom are now using Moodle and assignments in their own courses.

11/04/23 Carol Wrycraft 2

Typical assignment marking before MoodleLearners’ assignments are submitted on paperWe mark the work by handWe return the assignment with feedback for

improvementThe learners resubmit improved workWe mark and grade the assignment by handWe keep a record of grades for both ourselves and the

learners


Some problems with this methodStudents consider it to be a cumbersome, “old fashioned” way

of workingA lot of paper is usedArrangements need to be made for submitting workLearners have to fit in with our hand-in timesManual tracking needs to be kept to ensure students meet

deadlinesLearners lose original workLearners lose marked work so the audit trail is lostHand written marking can be difficult to readPhysical storage space is needed for assignmentsGrades are stored in several different places and are not

always easily accessible to learners and personal tutors.


What we didAs learners already use Moodle as a primary source of

information it made sense to extend this to include assignment submission

Moodle has an assignment activity ready madeThe “Advanced uploading of files” feature allows learners to

submit both a wide range of electronic files and to receive feedback and grades from these

Marking can be completed electronically using review tools in Microsoft Office or by the insertion of sound files etc

Learners can receive automatic emails when assignments are marked and can view suggested improvements and grades either from college, home or their workplace.


Benefits so farLearners feel more in control, this has improved rates of

submission by deadline and student satisfaction (confirmed in end of year course review meetings)

Learners are now working independently outside of the classroom environment

Assignments can be more imaginatively written as the submission of a podcast, video or movie is just as easy as a PowerPoint presentation or a Word document.


Benefits so far cont.Savings in paper and toner costsLess carrying and storage requiredBetter submission rate as learners can upload their

assignments from home in the evening (we set deadlines to 11:55pm) as many learners seem happiest working late in the day

Improvements are more accurately made as the marking is very precise

A good audit trail is keptThe IV process can take place online, so no waiting for work to

be sent.


The figures…..We have not yet been able to make a formal study into the

use of Moodle, but early findings show:1.60% of students submit assignments outside of college

hours2.33% of students submit work between 6pm and 11:55pm3. Improved meeting of first submission deadlines from 50%

to 96%4.First markings done electronically take about the same

time as by hand, second markings take about 50% of the time that they did by hand.


Some possible negativesThe technology can let you down (network or internet issues)Electronic marking does not suit everyone, typing or reading

screens for long periods of time can be difficultRechecking of improved assignments requires a methodology

that suits (learners not deleting comments etc)The process of saving and marking work is long-windedThe Moodle grade book needs adjustment to be clear for staff

and learnersNot all EVs are happy with electronic forms of assignments.


Plans for the future

The Moodle grade book needs adjustment to be clear for staff and learners (currently looking at ULCC assessment module)

The process for saving and marking work and re-uploading it to Moodle needs automating (is the Word plugin going to be of help?)

Techniques for personalisation need to be explored, although we are looking at eILPs and Moodle 2.0 conditional viewing to help us get started.


LinksAssignment example:

http://s-moodle.midkent.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=671


Create a new assignment for a topic with editing turned on in your course:


Set an assignment name, text, grading scale and due date:


You can choose whether you want to block late entries or not:


Set the number of files that can be uploaded, whether learners can delete files and whether a submit button will be provided:


Individual groups can be set in a course so that only particular learners will be able to see the assignment:


You view assignments using the Activities block in your course:


By clicking on Assignments you can then see the different assignments that you have created and choose to view submitted work:


You can then choose to grade individual assignments:


Assignments can be saved to the assessor’s PC and marked using tools such as the Review comments:


After marking you can upload annotated work and assignment feedback sheets for the learner to access:


You can also give a general comment on the work and automatically email the learner to say that they can access grades and make improvements:


The Grade book in Moodle allows you to see learners’ results:


A learner’s view when submitting assignment tasks:


A learner’s view when an assignment has been marked (learners are only able to see their own assignments and grades):


carol wrycraft - midkent college

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