Step 1: In the menu bar of your site click [Site Info].

Step 2: Click [Edit Tools].

Step 3: Click the checkbox next to the Assignments tool.

Step 4: Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click [Continue], then [Finish].

Step 1: In the menu bar of your site, click [Assignment].

Step 2: Click [Add] to create an assignment.

Step 3: Fill in the information.

NOTE: The information marked by a red asterisk is required information.

Title: This is the title of the assignment.

Open date: This is the date and time that the assignment will be available to students.

Due date: This is the date and time that the assignment is due.

Accept until: This is the date and time at which the assignment will not be visible to students.

Student submissions: These are the ways students will be able to submit their assignment:

Inline only: Students access the assignment and enter text into an available text box, or they can copy and paste their work into the text box.

Attachments only: The student submits work by adding a file as an attachment.

Inline and Attachments: The student will have both options available.

Non-Electronic: Allows the instructor to add the assignment to TRACS but the student hands in a hard copy of the assignment instead of submitting it electronically. The instructor still grades the assignment in the assignment tool.

Step 4: Choose if you would like to allow the site participant the ability to resubmit their work. You may also allow a resubmit of work when you are grading the assignment, but this option allows the participant to resubmit their work in case they chose the wrong file to attach or other such cases.

If you would like to allow a resubmission or multiple submissions for the entire site:
*Please note that resubmissions are NOT allowed for assignments using Turnitin.

Place a check in the box next to Allow Resubmission.

Choose the number of resubmissions you will allow. Remember that the participant will always be allowed the original submission PLUS however many you choose. For example, if you allow 2 resubmissions the participant will be able to submit their assignment 3 times (1 original and 2 resubmissions) .

Step 5:  Choose if you would like to use the Turnitin Service or not.  Student submissions will automatically be scanned by Turnitin for possible plagiarism.  If you choose to use the service students will NOT be allowed to resubmit their work and the assignment must be set to accept submissions using the "Single  Uploaded File only option. These settings will be chosen for you by default when you choose to use the Turnitin option. Turnitin options include:

 Submit papers to the following repository: choose the standard repository to submit a copy of the submission to Turnitin so they may keep it in their databases for future reference.

Generate Originality reports:  choose when you want to have Turnitin scan the submission, either immediately or upon the assignment's due date.

Allow student to view report:  choose if you would like your students to view the report Turnitin generates.

Check originality against:  These options allow you to define the sources you wish to have Turnitin use.  It is recommended to choose all three options.

Step 6: Select a grade scale from the drop-down menu. Choices are:

Ungraded: No grade will be issued for posted assignment.

Letter grade: Allows a posted assignment to be graded from a scale of A-F.

Points: Allows posted assignment to be graded based on desired amount of points.  If you select Points, enter the maximum number of points the assignment is worth.  Points are the only grades that will report to the gradebook.  All other grades will be reported in the assignments tool itself.

Pass/Fail: Allows the posted assignment to be graded on a Pass/Fail basis.

Checkmark: Allows the posted assignment to be graded with a checkmark.

Step 7: Enter assignment instructions in the text editor.

Step 8: (Optional) You may enter other options after you have entered the assignment instructions. These options are:

Add due date to Calendar: This option creates a calendar entry for the assignment’s due date, which the student will see in their My Workspace Calendar.  You will only see this option if the Calendar tool has been added to your site.

Add open date to Announcements: An announcement is generated about the assignment which the student will see by going to their My Workspace Announcements tool.  You will only see this option if the Announcements tool has been added to your site.

Add honor pledge: Requests student to pledge that they have not given or received aid on the assignment. The student must agree to the pledge before their work will be accepted.

Access Options: You may choose to release the assignment to the entire site or to a specific group/section, if they have already been created.

Step 9: Choose your grading options:

Add to Gradebook: The assignment is entered into the Gradebook 2 tool.  Once the assignment is graded the Gradebook 2 will display the grade.

Associate with an existing Gradebook 2 entry: This option allows you to associate the assignment with a Gradebook entry you have already created. Doing so will allow you the option to enter grades for the assignment in the Gradebook 2 tool itself, or within the Assignments tool.

Step 10: Choose your Submission Notification Email Options.

Step 11: (Optional) You may add documents as attachments to your assignment. This is useful if your assignment refers to a document.

To do so, click the [Add Attachments] button. You can upload files from your computer, or you can select a document from the Resources tool from any site you maintain.

Step 12: (Optional) You may add additional information to your assignment, such as:

Model Answer: This option allows the creator of the assignment to provide a model answer to site participants. You may also choose when to display the model answer. Either choose Before student begins assignment, After student submits, After graded and returned, or After the accept-until date.

Instructor / Private Note: This option allows the assignment creator to pin a private note to an assignment that can only be displayed to them or other instructors of the site (if applicable).

Supplemental Information: This option allows the assignment creator to add any additional information, or other materials, relevant to the assignment.This  may include additional attachments, instructions, or notes on the assignment. Supplemental information can be displayed for a certain period of time using the Show/Hide dates feature, and can also be shown to entire class or an individual participant.

Step 13: Click [Post] to post your assignment, making it available to site participants on the Open Date you chose.

Step 1: In the menu barof your site, click [Assignments].

Step 2: To duplicate an assignment, click [Duplicate] beneath the assignment's title. You will see the duplicate assignment in the assignment list with the word "Copy" added to the title.

Step 3: The duplicate assignment is a draft. Click [Edit] to make any necessary changes, including changing the assignment title.

Step 4: Click [Post] to post the duplicate when you are finished.

Step 1: In the menu bar of the site, click [Assignments].

Step 2: Underneath the assignment you wish to grade, click [Grade].

Step 3: You will see a list of student names and a “Status” column to the right of the names. If a student has submitted the assignment, the Status column will say “Ungraded.” Students who have not yet submitted their assignments will have “No Submission” in the Status column. Click the [Grade] button underneath the student's name to begin grading their submission.

Step 4: You will see the submitted work of the student either in a text box or as an attachment. In the Instructor Comments text box, make comments as necessary. You can also type comments into the student’s submitted text.

Step 5: (Optional) You may add an attachment, such as a Word document, to return with the grade.

Step 6: Assign the student a grade according to the grade scale you selected.

Step 7: (Optional) Select the checkbox to allow the student to resubmit the work if changes are required. You will have the option to add an Accept Until Date for the re-submitted work. You are able to allow multiple assignment submissions for the entire site when you create the assignment.  This option grants the ability to resubmit an assignment on a student-by-student case.

Step 8: Click [Save and Release to Student] to send the grade and comments to the student.

Click [Save and Don't Release to Student] to save your changes without releasing to the student.

Click [Preview] to view the grade and comments you made without the student seeing them.

Click [Cancel Changes] to exit the area without saving.

You may wish to enter the grades for the assignment via the Gradebook 2 tool instead of using the Assignments tool to enter the grades for an assignment. If you wish to associate an assignment with an already existing Gradebook 2 entry, follow these steps.

NOTE: You must already have the gradebook entry created before you try to associate the assignment with Gradebook 2.

Step 1: In the menu bar of your site click [Assignments].

Step 2: Add an assignment by following instructions listed in Steps 1-6 of the section above titled "Adding an Assignment."

Step 3: Underneath the grading options, select [Associate with existing Gradebook Entry]. A drop-down box will appear. Select the Gradebook 2 entry with which you wish to associate the assignment.

Step 4: Click [Post] to post the assignment and make it available to students.

In the assignment overview screen, click [Grade] next to the assignment you wish to grades.  You will then be taken to the grading screen where you will see a list of site participants.  Click the participant's name and assign a grade.  Click [Save] to save the grade you just entered.

Assignment resubmissions can be allowed on a site-wide basis or on a case-by-case basis.  If you would like your site participants to have the ability to resubmit their assignment without having to contact you if, for example, they attached to wrong file, then allowing a global resubmission would be the best option for you. 

You may also allow resubmissions on a case-by-case basis once the participant has contacted you and given their reasons for a resubmission.

Allow a Site-Wide Resubmit:

This is done when an assignment is created.  Please take a look at the instructions for adding an assignment in the "Adding an Assignment" section, paying particular attention to Step 4.

Allow a Resubmision on a case-by-case basis:

This is done when grading an assignment.

Step 1:  Click [Grade] underneath the assignment you wish to allow a resubmission for.

Step 2:  Click [Grade] underneath the student's name whom you wish to allow a resubmission.

Step 3:  Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and place a checkmark in the Allow Resubmission box.

Step 4: Enter the number of resubmissions you wish to allow the user.

Step 5:  Enter a date and time you will accept resubmissions until. 

NOTE:  Please make sure that the Accept Until date for the resubmission is NOT after the Accept Until date for the assignment as a whole.  If it is, you will need to edit the Accept Until date on the assignment itself, save your changes, then repeat Steps 1-5.

Step 6:  Click [Save and Release to Student] to allow the student to resubmit their work.

Step 1: Click [Grade] under the assignment name to see the list of students who have submitted assignments and their grades.

Step 2: Click [Release Grades] in the upper left-hand side of the screen to release the grades and any associated comments to site participants.

You can view a list of your students and see whether the student has submitted the assignment, the assignment status, and the grade, if one has been given.

Step 1: In the menu bar of your site, click [Assignments].

Step 2: From the View drop-down list, select Assignment List by Student.

Step 3: Click the triangular arrow next to a student's name to view the status of his or her assignment submissions. Click the arrow again to hide the student's information.

Step 1: In the menu bar of your site, click [Assignments].

Step 2: Underneath the assignment you wish to download, click [Grade].

Step 3: To download all submitted assignments, click [Download All]. The downloaded file will be in a compressed “.zip” format.

Step 4: Once the downloaded file is uncompressed and opened, a folder will appear on your computer’s hard drive. This folder will contain additional folders for all students that have submitted. Each student folder will contain the submitted files for the assignment.

Step 1: In the menu bar of your site, click [Assignments].

Step 2: Click [Grade Report] to see a list view of all submitted assignments.

Step 3: To download all submitted/graded assignments, click [Download Spreadsheet]. The downloaded spreadsheet file will be in Microsoft Excel format.

You may wish to assign the same grade to all participants who did not turn in an assignment. To assign the same grade to all participants without a grade:

Step 1: In the menu bar of your site, click [Assignments].

Step 2: Click [Grade] to see a list view of all submitted assignments.

Step 3: Enter the grade you'd like to assign all participants without a grade in the textbox provided. Click [Apply] to save your changes.

You can view how an assignment you created will look to participants who access it. You can go through the entire process - from submitting as a student to grading the assignment as an instructor (grade will not go to Gradebook 2 on instructor submissions). To see your assignment in "Student View" before or after it's been posted, follow these steps:

Step 1. In the menubar of your site, click [Assignments].

Step 2. Click [Student View]. This will show you the assignment list as it appears to students or other site participants.

Step 3. If you want to work through an assignment and submit it as a student would, click [Submit as Student] beneath the assignment.

Step 4. To leave student view and return to the assignment list, click [Assignment List].

You can also use the View Site As feature in TRACS, located at the top of the screen, to view the entire site as a particular role.  When finished, make sure to change this role back to what it was.

Step 1. In the menubar of your site, click [Assignments].

Step 2. Click [Reorder].

Step 3. Arrange the assignments by either using the green up or down arrows or by using the drop-down number selection box.

Step 4. Click [Save].

Assignment Troubleshooting

The Assignments tool is able to verify student submissions through the Turnitin anti-plagiarism service. Follow these steps to use Turnitin with your assignment.

Please note:

• Resubmissions are not allowed.  Students will only have one chance to submit their assignment per assignment. 
• Turnitin will only check papers that have been submitted as an attachment
• Word documents, PDF, HTML, RTF, and plain text files are the only file types that are accepted
• It is not necessary to have an account created with Turnitin before creating your assignment.  Students will also not need to create an account to access their originality reports via TRACS.

Step 1: Click [Add] in the Assignments tool.

Step 2:  Enter a title, open date, due date, and accept until date for the assignment.

Step 3:  Select "Signle Uploaded File" from the Student Submissions drop-down menu.

Step 4:  Enter a grade scale, if desired.

Step 5:  Enter assignment instructions.

Step 6. Select if you would like to add the assignment's due date to your calendar or your announcements tool and if you would like to use the honor pledge.

Step 7:  Check the box next to "Use Turnitin".

Step 8: Choose which repository to submit papers to.  Submitting the paper to the Standard Paper Repository places a copy of the student's submission in the Turnitin database for use in further reports.  This way each paper submitted adds to the resources Turnitin has available to them.  It is recommended to submit papers to the standard repository.

Step 9: Choose when to generate originality reports.  If immediately is chosen the report will be available in about 20 minutes.  If the "on due date" option is chosen the report will be generated on the assignment's due date.

Step 10:  Choose to allow the students to view their report or not.  It is recommended to allow students to view their report as this is a valuable teaching tool.

Step 11:  Choose which databases you wish to verify the submission against.

Step 12:  Choose your grading options.

Step 13:  Choose the access options you wish to set for the assignment.

Step 14:  Choose your submission notification options.

Step 15: Choose your released grade notification (to students) option.

Step 16:  Add any attachments to the assignment that are necessary.

Step 17: Add any additional information if you'd like.

Step 18:  Click [Post] to post your assignment.

Step 1: In the menu bar of the site, click [Assignments].

Step 2: Underneath the assignment you wish to grade, click [Grade].

Step 3: You will see a color-coded report icon in the Turnitin column in the grading screen if the report has been processed for a student's submission.

Step 4: Click on the icon to view the report.