How do I Submit Assignments?

You may be given a variety of assignments in your course that require you to do many different kinds of work. For example, you may be given a reading assignment, or a term paper to write, or a worksheet to fill out. Your instructor may direct you to submit your work different ways as well...via email, via your student folder or as a simple submission.

This lesson only concerns itself with the two distinct types of assignments that the course management system integrates into its grading system: external assignments and worksheets. Each of these two assignment instruments requires a different method for submitting your work. How do you tell the difference between the two?

Scroll down to the bottom of the assignment you are working on and view the submission method. If it has a [browse] button and a Submit for grading checkbox, you know you are in an external assignment where you need to browse for a file and submit it to your folder.



If it has questions similar to a test or places for you to input answers directly into a form, and the submission has a DO NOT GRADE option, then you are in a worksheet. This has a simple submit button and no uploading of files is necessary.


External Assignments

Let's talk first about the external assignment. It's called an external assignment because it requires you to use an external application such as a word processor, spreadsheet program or graphics program to create a file, which them must be uploaded to the course. For example, to complete a term paper, you might use a word processor; to complete an accounting assignment, you might use an Excel spreadsheet. You can easily recognize an external assignment by the integrated 'browse' button for uploading files. It is important to submit your work correctly so that it is identified with the correct assignment and grade point value.

The image here is an example of an assignment form. It consists of

  • a TITLE,
  • DETAILS for completing the work,
  • the NUMBER of times you may submit your work which may be anything from 1 time to unlimited times
  • and a mechanism for UPLOADING files.

    In addition, if you have not finished your work, you may submit it without requesting a grade so that you can come back to finish it later. Only when the 'submit for grading' box is checked will your upload count as a formal submission.



    Summary

    After completing your work and saving the file on your computer:
    • go back to the original assignment directions (example shown above).
    • click on the [BROWSE] button in the middle of the screen.
    • locate the saved file on your computer and click on it to highlight the file name.
    • click [open] to place that file name in the browse box.
    • The distance education department strongly recommends that you do not enter comments in the comments section. Not all instructors check for comments. Instead, the distance education department recommends you email your instructor with any questions or comments.
    • If this assignment is complete and you'd like your instructor to grade it, check the submit for grading box located just above the buttons at the bottom of the form.
    • If you are not finished, but wish to save it as a draft, simply submit without checking the submit for grading option. Then at a later time, you can upload a finished copy of the file, this time checking the 'submit for grading' checkbox.


    After you have submitted your assignment, you will see a screen showing that the assignment was submitted.



    If you see the file in your folder, then your instructor can see it too. In addition, if you submit for grading, a notation will appear in the instructor grading workload. The example above shows one file submitted for grading and one submitted, but NOT for grading.

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