Using Moodle, 2nd Edition

Chapter 7. Assignments

This chapter covers the following MTC skills: 5.1 Assignments

After the complex and powerful quiz module, assignments are a refreshingly simple method for collecting student work. They are a simple and flexible catch-all for things you want to grade that don’t fall into any of the other tool types.

The assignment module gives you an easy way to allow students to upload digital content for grading. You can ask them to submit essays, spreadsheets, presentations, web pages, photographs, or small audio or video clips. Anything they can store on their hard drives can be submitted in response to an assignment.

Assignments don’t necessarily have to consist of file uploads. You can create offline assignments to remind students of real-world assignments they need to complete. Alternatively, you can ask students to input their answer directly into the assignment itself.

Assignments are a useful tool you can use in creative ways to collect more authentic responses from your students than is possible with the quiz engine.

Assignment Types

There are four assignment types:

Upload a Single File

This allows each student to upload a single file in any format, including a ZIP file.

Offline Activity

This is useful when the assignment is performed outside of Moodle. It could be something face-to-face or on paper. Students can see a description of the assignment, but they can’t upload any files.

Online Text

This allows students to input text online. You can grade the assignment online and, ...