Assignments

The following video provides step-by-step instructions to create an assignment submission folder:

To create an assignment:

1. On the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
2. On the Assignments page, click New Assignment. 
   To save your progress at any point, click Save.
3. Enter a Name for the assignment.
4. Enter a Score Out of. The grade item is automatically added to your gradebook.
5. Set a Due Date.
   Note: The default Due Date time is set to 11:59 pm.
6. Enter assignment instructions.
7. Add any attachments, audio, or video notes.
8. Expand Availability Dates & Conditions.
9. Set a Start Date and an End Date. When you collapse Expand Availability Dates & Conditions, the summary text displays the selected start and end date information.
   Note: The default time for an assignment Start Date is set to 12:00 am. The default End Date time is set to 11:59 pm.
10. Expand Submission & Completion.
11. For the Assignment Type, specify if this is an Individual Assignment or Group Assignment.
    Note: You must have groups set up in your course to set an assignment as a group assignment.
12. Select a Submission Type:
    • For File submissions, set the number of Files Allowed Per Submission and the Submissions rules.
    • For Text submissions, set the Submission rules.
    • For On paper submissions, set Marked as completed to one of the available options: Manually by learners, Automatically on evaluation, or Automatically on the due date.
    • For Observed in person assignments, set Marked as completed to one of the available options: Manually by learners, Automatically on evaluation, or Automatically on the due date.

Note: When you collapse Submission & Completion, the summary text displays your selection.

13. To receive email notifications when an assignment is submitted, under Notification Email, enter an email address or multiple email addresses separated by a comma.
    Note: This field is only available when the assignment Submission Type is set to File submissions or Text submissions.
14. Expand Evaluation & Feedback.
15. Click Add rubric and either create and attach a new rubric or add an existing one.
    Note: If you are attaching multiple rubrics, from the Default Scoring Rubric drop-down list, select the rubric to be used by default when scoring.
16. To display annotation tools in the document viewer, under Annotation Tools, select the Make annotation tools available for assessment check box.
17. To enable anonymous marking, under Anonymous Marking, select the Hide student names during the assessment check box.
18. Under Turnitin Integration, click Manage Turnitin.
19. Enable the Turnitin integration and click Save.
20. Associate a learning objective.
    • Click Manage Learning Objectives.
    • Click Associate Learning Objectives.
    • Select the learning objective you want to add and then click Add Selected.
       
21. If required, associate an assessment with the learning objective.
    • On the context menu of the associated learning objective, select Add Assessment.
    • Select an existing rubric or create a new rubric.
    • Select the rubric criteria and specify if the assessment activity is required to complete the learning objective.
    • Click Save.
    • Click Close.
       
22. Click Save and Close.

Created through the Groups Tool

The following video provides step-by-step instructions to create a Group Assignment Submission Folder:

Note: The recommended method is to create the restricted Assignment submission folders through the Groups tool. The assignment will be shared among group members.
Groups are contained in Categories. You must create a Category to create groups.

1. On the navigation bar, select Groups from the Communications tab.
2. Select the blue New Category button. You will be redirected to the New Category Page.
3. Enter the Category Name and Description.
4. Set the desired Enrolment Type (view enrolment types document).
5. Enter the Number of Groups or the Number of Users depending on the Enrollment Type.
6. Enter a Group Prefix if required.
7. Under Additional Options check the Set up assignment submission folders box.
8. Select the Save button to create groups.

You will now be taken to the Create Assignment Submission Folders page.

1. Enter the folder Name.
2. Enter assignment Instructions.
3. Assignment Type provides you with information about the folder type and the group category assigned to it.
4. Submission Type provides you with information on the type of submission students will make.
5. Files Allowed Per Submission select if students can submit Unlimited or One file.
6. Submissions select if All submissions are kept, Only the most recent submission is kept, or Only one submission is allowed.
7. Add a Notification Email if you wanted to be alerted as each student submits. (not recommended)
8. To associate the assignment submission folder with a category, select a Category or click New Category.
9. To assign a score, enter a value in the Out Of field. If there's also an associated grade item, maintain consistency by matching the value of the Out Of field to the grade item's Max. Points value.
10. To associate the assignment submission folder with a grade item in your grade book, select a Grade Item, or click New Grade Item.
    Note: only numeric grade items can be associated with assignment submission folders.
11. To change the display settings for the folder's grade item, click the Learner View Preview context menu, then Edit Display Settings.
12. To associate a rubric to the folder, click Add Rubric, or Create Rubric in New Window.
    Or select an existing rubric and set it as the Default Scoring Rubric.
13. To use Anonymous Marking check Hide student names during assessment.
14. Click Create.

Four submission types are available to instructors when creating assignments to allow evaluation of many different tasks:

1. File submission
   Students upload and submit a file to the assignment.
   Word documents, PDF files, images, videos, and many other types of files are accepted.
2. Text submission
   Students post text, images, or a link to their work in a text box within the assignment.
3. On paper submission
   Students submit a physical copy of their assignment directly to their instructor. 
   No file upload is required to complete the assignment.
4. Observed in person
   Allows instructors to observe students as they perform tasks, such as in-class presentations, and evaluate them using Assignments. 
   No file upload is required to complete the assignment.

On paper submissions and Observed In Person submission types have 3 new completion options:

1. Manually by Learner
   It is the student's responsibility to mark the assignment as complete.
2. Automatically on the due date
   onQ automatically marks the assignment as complete on a due date set by the instructor.
3. Automatically on evaluation
   onQ automatically marks the assignment as complete when the instructor evaluates the assignment using any of the assessment methods in onQ.

As an instructor, if you notice that a student has not met the requirements for an assignment, then you can mark the assignment as incomplete for the student and follow up with them. 
Instructors select their completion option when creating assignments.

All assignment types can be assessed either using text/audio/video feedback or using an out of score or using a rubric or a grade.

The following video provides step-by-step instructions for how to add release conditions and other restrictions for an assignment: 

Release conditions allow you to associate an assignment with other items in onQ. For example, you can require that users meet some criteria, such as reading a set of lecture notes in Content, before they can submit their work to an assignment. You can also make the submission to an assignment a criterion for accessing another item, such as a quiz.

To set release conditions for an assignment using the new create and edit assignment experience:

1. On the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
2. On the Assignments page, from the context menu of the assignment you want to set release conditions for, click Edit Assignment.
3. Expand Availability Dates & Conditions.
4. From the Add Release Condition drop-down menu, do one of the following:
   • Click Create New. Select the Condition Type, select the Condition Details, and click Create.
   • Click Add Existing. From the View Conditions for drop-down list, select the tool in which you want to view existing release conditions, select the release condition you want to attach, and click Attach.
      
5. Click Save and Close.

The following video provides step-by-step instructions for how to add special access restrictions to an assignment folder to facilitate student accommodation:

Special access permissions allow you to set different availability dates and times for specific users. For example, you could extend the deadline for users who require remedial help or who are submitting work beyond the original scope of the assignment. You can also add special access after an assignment’s end date has passed for users who have a legitimate excuse for missing the deadline or for users you want to submit additional material, such as planning notes or a bibliography. The special access icon displays on the Assignment list page beside any assignment that includes special access settings.

To add special access to an assignment using the new assignment creation experience:

1. On the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
2. On the Assignments page, from the context menu of the assignment you want to set release conditions for, click Edit Assignment.
3. Expand Availability Dates & Conditions.
4. Click Manage Special Access and select one of the following options: 
   • Allow users with special access to submit outside the normal availability dates for this folder.
   • Allow only users with special access to see this folder.
      
5. Click Add Users to Special Access.
6. To give learners that have special access a different assignment due date, select the Has Due Date check box and set the due date for the assignment.
7. Under Availability, select the Has Start Date and Has End Date check boxes and set the date availability for when you want users to have special access to the assignment.
8. In the Users area, select the users you want to give special access to.
9. Click Save and Close. The special access icon, the number of users with special access, and the condition appear under Special Access.

Note: If you delete a category that contains assignment submission folders, the assignment submissions folders will appear in the No Category section of the Folder List. 

1. On the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
2. You will be redirected to a page listing each of your Assignment folders where you can do one of the following:
   • To reorder categories and folders, from the More Actions button, click Reorder. Use the Sort Order drop-down lists to change the order in which your categories and folders display. Click Save.
   • To edit a category, click its Edit icon next to the category name. Make your changes and click Save.
   • To edit a folder, in the drop-down arrow next to the item you wish to edit, click Edit Submission Folder. Make your changes and click Save and Close.
   • To delete a category, click its Delete icon next to the category name. Click Delete.
   • To delete a folder, in the drop-down arrow next to the item you wish you delete, click Delete Folder. Click Delete

Organize your assignment submission folders into categories to make it easier for users to navigate to the appropriate folder. For example, you can create separate categories for course modules, projects, bonus assignments, and individual submissions. Your new category will appear on the Assignment Submission Folders page only if there are assignment submission folders associated with it.

1. On the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
2. On the Assignment Submission Folders page, click New Submission Folder.
3. In the Folder Properties area, click the New Category link.
4. Enter a name for your category.
5. Click Save.

Note: If your assignment submission folder has availability dates associated with it, when you restore the folder, you also restore its dates in the Calendar tool.

1. On the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
2. On the Assignment Submission Folders page, from the More Actions button, click Event Log.
3. For every folder you want to restore, click the Restore button.

Note: The Grade Item score will no longer update with the grades from the topic if the association is removed.

1. On the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
2. Select the drop down arrow beside the folder title and choose the Edit Submission Folder option.
3. You will be redirected to the Edit Submission Folder page.
4. Click the drop down arrow under In Grade Book and select Not in Grade Book.
5. Select Save and Close to confirm changes.

There are several ways you can assess assignment submissions:

• Evaluate submissions in onQ and leave feedback directly on the Evaluate Submission page.
• Download user submissions and leave feedback within the files, then upload them back into the appropriate assignment submission folders so they appear as attachments to each user's submission evaluation.
• Evaluate external submissions and leave feedback in an assignment submission folder.
• If you enable Turnitin OriginalityCheck, you can use the GradeMark functionality to add comments, insert inline text, and highlight sections in file submissions directly in Assignments.

The following video provides step-by-step instructions for grading assignment submissions:

Note: Assignment submissions can also be downloaded directly from the Folder Submissions page.

1. On the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
2. Select the Assignment containing the submissions you wish to view.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page to view a list of submissions.
4. To evaluate an individual user, click the Evaluate link for their submission.
5. The Evaluate Submission page will now open
   Review the submission on the left side of the page, on the right side of the page is the evaluation panel where you can:
   • add evaluations using an attached rubric, click the Rubric Name or the The Assess All Rubrics icon.
   • add a Grade for the submission.
   • add any additional Feedback, including text, audio, or video files.
      
6. Click Publish to reveal the feedback to students, or Save Draft to save but not release.
7. To continue to the next submission, Click Next Student on the top right corner of the page.

The following video provides step-by-step instructions to grade assignments offline:

To download selected file submissions: 

1. On the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
2. Click on the Assignment Submission folder containing the submissions you wish to download.
3. Check the box to the left of each participant you would like to download submissions from. If you'd like to download all submissions, check the box at either the top or the bottom of the list of participants. 
4. Click the Download icon located at either the top or the bottom of the participants list. 
5. Click the newly created .zip folder on your screen, and save the file to your computer. 
6. By extracting the files from the folder, you can view the submissions.

The following video provides step-by-step instructions to upload/attach feedback from downloaded submission files:

Note: If you are uploading a compressed zip file that contains Assignment folder submissions you've previously downloaded to add feedback, your compressed zip file structure must be identical to the bulk submission download, and file names should remain unchanged. This ensures the automatic distribution process runs smoothly.

1. On the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
2. Select the Assignment containing the submissions you wish to upload feedback for. 
3. Click Add Feedback Files at the top of the page. 
4. Click Upload to select the feedback files.
5. By default, the system overwrites any duplicate upload files. Uncheck the Overwrite duplicate files checkbox if you want to keep duplicates.
6. Click Add.
7. Note: feedback files that do not automatically distribute display in the Distribute Feedback dialog.
8. The message "[number] Feedback file(s) was attached successfully" will display.

Note: If you select students who already received published feedback, bulk publishing will update their feedback to the latest feedback. You cannot revert bulk publishing, but you can retract feedback for students individually on the Evaluate Submission page.

1. On the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
2. Click the Assignment Submission folder containing the submissions you wish to publish feedback for. 
3. Check the checkbox beside the students(s) you want to published feedback for.
4. Click Publish feedback icon at the top of the submissions list. 
5. Click Yes in the confirmation window.

Note: To avoid having to retract feedback/grade scores, draft all assessments and publish once completed.

1. On the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
2. Click the Assignment Submission folder containing the submissions you wish to view.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page to view a list of submissions.
4. Click on the file with the feedback/grade score and you will be redirected to the Evaluate submission Page.
5. Select the Retract button at the bottom right of the page.
6. Click Yes to confirm and the feedback/grade score will be retracted to Draft.

Note: Rubrics and Competencies must both be enabled in your course to implement rubrics.

1. On the navbar, select Edit Course.
2. Under Administration, Select Tools.
3. Ensure that both Rubrics and Competencies are enabled.
4. In the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
5. Select the drop-down arrow beside the Assignment you wish to assess and select Edit Folder.
6. Below Rubrics select the Add Rubric button.
7. Select the Arts and Science Letter Grade Input Scheme and click Add Selected.
8. Select Save and Close to confirm changes.
9. Select the Assignment folder with the applied the rubric.
10. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select the submission you wish to assess.
11. In the panel on the right, click Arts and Science Letter Grade Input Scheme below Rubrics.
12. In the pop-up window, select the appropriate letter grade and click Save and Record to confirm.
13. Click Save Draft or Publish to complete assessment.

1. On the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
2. Select the More Actions button at the top left.
3. Select the Event Log.
4. Select the Restore button beside the desired submission to restore.

The File Submissions area of Assignments has a log that can be filtered to determine if and when a learner submitted a file, and whether the learner or instructor deleted the submission. 

1. On the navbar, select Assignments under the Assessments tab.
2. To access the log, do one of the following:
   • In the Assignments Folders page, select the drop-down arrow next to the folder you would like to view, click Submissions Log.
   • Click on the Assignment Folder you would like to view. On the Folder Submissions page, click Submissions Log.
3. Filter the log as applicable, by Submitted (shows all submissions), Deleted, Restored, or Started.
4. Sort by date.

The following video provides step-by-step instructions for how to hide assignment grades from students:

To hide an Assignment grade from students until you are ready to release all grades, you must:

1. Hide the Grade Item in the Grade Book
   This will hide the grade in the grade book, and will also stop students from receiving an email notification of the grade they have received.

AND

2. Hide the Grade Item in Assignments
   This will hide the grade from view in Assignments by overriding the Student View display options for the Assignment Submission Folder.

Hide a Grade item

1. On the navbar, select Grades under the Assessments tab and click Manage Grades near the top.
2. On the Manage Grades page, select the drop down arrow beside the grade item you wish to hide and select Hide from Users.

Note: You can also edit a grade item, access the Restrictions tab, and select the Hide from Users checkbox.

Make  a hidden Grade items visible

1. On the navbar, select Grades under the Assessments tab and click Manage Grades near the top.
2. On the Manage Grades page, select the drop down arrow beside the grade item you wish to make visible and select Make Visible to Users.

Note: You can also edit a grade item, access the Restrictions tab, and deselect the Hide from Users checkbox.

Bulk hide or display Grade items

1. On the navbar, select Grades under the Assessments tab and click Manage Grades near the top.
2. On the Manage Grades page, select the checkbox for any item you want to change the visibility of.
3. Click More Actions, and select Make Visible to Users or Hide from Users.

To hide the Grades in Assignments

1. On the navbar, select Grades under the Assessments tab and click Manage Grades near the top.
2. Select the drop down arrow beside the grade item you wish to hide and select Edit Grade Item.
3. Scroll down the page until you see Display Options.
4. Under Student View check the box Override display options for this item.
5. Override display options for this item
6. Now uncheck all the boxes: Points grade, Weighted grade, Grade scheme symbol, Grade scheme colour.
7. Click Save and Close.

The following video is an overview and step-by-step guide to using the annotations tool within onQ:

As an instructor or TA, you can mark up student submissions directly from the Evaluate Submission page under Assignments using the Annotations tool.

Use the icons in the document viewer toolbar to select between Pen, Note, Text, and Line. Highlighting, freehand drawing, shapes, and associated commenting.

Each tool has additional options to change colour, font size, font, and many other customizable items.

Once you publish the feedback, learners can view their submission with the annotations visible, providing additional context on their instructor's notes.

You can provide feedback directly in submitted assignments using annotation tools.

1. Click Assessments then Assignments from the navbar.

2. From the course Assignments page, tap the assignment you want to evaluate.

3. Inside the assignment, tap a submission to open it.

4. The banner above the submission is the annotation banner. The tools to the right are annotation tools.

5. Click the appropriate tool icon.

6. Select a tool and click the document in the location you would like to annotate.

If you click on the document where there is no text you will have the following options:

• Tap Note. Enter your text. Tap Save.
• Tap Drawing. Draw with your finger. With the drawing selected, tap Style to change the properties of the pencil.
• Tap Eraser to erase existing annotations.

If you click on text in the document you will have the following options:

• Tap Copy to copy the text to your clipboard.
• Tap Highlight. With the annotated text selected, select any of the corresponding options to attach a note, change the style, copy to clipboard, change the type of annotation or delete.
• Tap Strikeout. With the annotated text selected, select any of the corresponding options to attach a note, change the style, copy to clipboard, change the type of annotation or delete.
• Tap Underline. With the annotated text selected, select any of the corresponding options to attach a note, change the style, copy to clipboard, change the type of annotation or delete.

In image documents, the only annotation actions available are Note, Drawing, and Eraser.

7. To save your annotations, you MUST click Save Draft. Annotations not saved before leaving the page or reloading it will not be kept and will be deleted.
8. When you are ready for the student to see your feedback, click Publish.

The following file types are supported by the Annotations tool in Assignments:

* once converted to PDF, only the first frame of the .gif displays