Effective Ways to Use Assignments

Instructors can be very creative when selecting and assigning work to their students. You may not necessarily like evaluating performance with a test only. The Assignment module is designed to support you in setting any type of work, and Moodle lists it in a number of places such as the calendar, grade book, and Activities block on the front page. You can give feedback and add grades to the posted assignments. The Assignment module allows learners to do the following:

• Upload content for grading: This content can include essays, presentations, Web pages, audio or small video clips, spreadsheets, and photograph portfolios that students have completed and saved to their hard drives.
• Complete work online: Students can write essays and reports and answer questions online.
• Take part in case studies: Case studies usually have a more entailed process and are completed over time. They usually have several distinct parts, are like puzzles to solve, and are an excellent learning tool that you can use with the Assignment module. A case study usually comprises basic information that defines the problem, a method to resolve the issue, and data that supports the results/conclusion. For disciplines like math, statistics, and engineering, this format may differ and have more distinct parts than medical, law, or business case studies. For example, I set up a case study for my graduate school learners; it involved setting up a scenario of students taking a course online, giving the graduate learners some information about the makeup of the class (student demographics), and asking them to look at different learning styles and how they can be supported in an online environment. Next, I asked them to set up a demo course online and then test it with a few students. Finally, I asked my learners to report their findings and write a summary.
• Participate in project work: For example, when I teach Moodle courses, I assign mini projects requiring learners to set up various Moodle activities. These are set and listed as assignments, and I mark them offline, and then give a grade and feedback to the learners in Moodle online, and the grades are published to the grade book along with the feedback.

The Moodle Assignment module is set up with four assignment types that give you flexibility to set work, review and mark the work, and then later add feedback to the assignments. The four types are

• Upload Single File: Learners can upload a file in any format, including a Zip file.
• Offline Activity: This can be any activity performed outside of class that cannot be viewed or assessed by Moodle. An offline activity may be, for instance, a presentation, debate, play, or a physical creation (such as a model of something a learner had designed).
• Online Text: Learners add text online; for example, writing an essay. You can view it online, grade it, and add inline comments. Clearly outline your objectives in the syllabus and instructions online, and then guide your learners to meet the requirements. For instance, if a student is expected to write an essay online, either instruct her to prepare in advance and to not leave the Moodle session for more than half an hour or inform her about Moodle timing. If learners need to leave the session, they can add a note, submit the assignment as-is, and then return later to finish. Online text assignments are often used for reflective work, with or without instructor feedback, and can be a useful learning activity. They tend not to be used for exams. (The essay question in the Quiz module is better suited for this type of assessment because you can control the timing and security settings.)
• Advanced Uploading of Files: This type of assignment permits learners and instructors to enter notes and upload new versions. For example, a learner can upload a draft with comments and questions, the instructor can comment on the draft, and then the student can access the feedback and upload a final version. The instructor then enters the assignment grade and adds feedback.