Create Moodle Assignment guide

This page provides an overview of how to create a timed Moodle assignment, where each student is given a set period of time to produce and submit their coursework individually. This is a new feature in Moodle 4. In this overview:

• Anonymous submissions are not enabled.
• Turnitin is not enabled so no Similarity Report is produced.

Quickstart

If you are familiar with Moodle assignment set up, you will only need to review: 

• Activity Description which will be visible to students on the module page, before they click in to begin their timed assignment.
  • Instructions you would like to share with students before they begin their assignment must be pasted into this box with the 'Always show description box' ticked. 
• Activity Instructions which will only be visible to students after they have clicked into the assignment to begin it and the timer has started counting down.
  • When writing your Activity Instructions, include the text 'Instructions' prior to the instruction text so it is obvious to users where the Description ends and the Instructions begin. 

• Availability setting which will allow you to set a time limit for students to complete the assignment once it is begun. 
  • Ensure that enough time is built in for students to read your instructions as well as to complete the assignment.

Screencast: Create a Timed Assignment in Moodle 4

This screencast demonstrates how to create a timed assignment in Moodle 4.

1. Turn Edit Mode on.
2. Open the relevant section. Select Add an activity or resource. Select Assignment from the Activities tab.
3. In the General settings, write a meaningful Assignment name. This is the name that will be displayed on the module page and also in the gradebook.
4. In Description, provide clear instructions to your students about the assignment. Consider adding a link to the student educational technology guidance. Click to Display description on course page.
5. In Activity instructions, add instructions you wish only to be shown when students have clicked into the assignment to begin it. Include the heading 'Instructions' prior to the instruction text so it is obvious to students where the Description ends and the Instructions begin once they have started the assignment. 
6. Decide whether to enable Display Description on course page. If enabled, the Description will be displayed on the module page underneath the assignment. If unchecked, the Description is only displayed when to the assignment is selected.
7. If required, in Additional files, upload any files you would like to attach to this assignment (e.g. assignment cover sheet or example submissions). Download links for the files will be displayed on the assignment page under the Description.

1. In the Availability section, set the Allow submissions from date to indicate from when students will be able to submit their coursework. This is enabled by default. 
2. Set the Due date to match the assignment deadline. This date displays on the module page it is added to the Moodle Calendar and the students' Timeline block.
3. Check the box next to Enable to set a Cut-off date. This is the final date and time when coursework can be submitted. Any submissions added after the Due date will be marked as late. Once the Cut-off date has passed, the submit button will not display on the assignment.
4. Disable or update the Remind me to grade by date. This appears in Timeline and Upcoming events block for staff enrolled on a module to remind them of grading deadlines.
5. Set a Time Limit for the timed assignment. Ensure that enough time is built in for students to read your instructions as well as to complete the assignment. 

1. In Submission types, select the box to indicate if the submission will be online text or whether students will upload one or more files. 
2. If Online text submissions are enabled, students type rich text directly into an editor field for their submission. Markers can comment on, and edit students' text directly. Tick the Enable box to set a word limit. Set the maximum number of words that each student will be allowed to submit.
3. Set the Maximum number of uploaded files as required by the assignment. Advise students how many files they should submit in the assignment instructions.
   • Note: This is also the maximum number of feedback files that you can attach to each individual student when providing feedback. For example, if you want a student to submit one file but want to upload two feedback files then select three files.
4. The maximum submission size defaults to the maximum upload limit for Moodle of 400MB. This default can be decreased if required. Please note: If you have Turnitin enabled on Moodle assignments that Turnitin's upload limit is 100MB.
5. Accepted file types
   • The lecturer can specify the types of file the students may upload to the assignment. The file types may be added with their file extension, such as .png and mp3, or else as image/png and audio/mp3.
   • Accepted file types can be restricted by entering a semicolon-separated list of mimetypes, for example: 'video/mp4; audio/mp3; image/png; image/jpeg'. You may also limit to extensions by including the dot, for example '.png; .jpg'.
   • If the file types have been restricted, then when students attempt to submit the assignment, they will see a message telling them which files are accepted.
   • Leaving the field blank will allow all file types.

Feedback types controls how you can provide feedback. In most cases, you will not need to change these settings unless you have an online text submission.

• Set Comment inline to Yes for online text submissions.

Submission settings provide additional requirements for students to confirm prior to submitting their coursework.

• We recommend that Require students to click the submit button stays at the default No to facilitate students re-submitting up to the Due date.
• The setting Require that students accept the submission statement will be enabled by default on assignments. Do not change this setting as it is important that students understand what is required of them in regards to academic integrity prior to submitting an assignment.

• In the Group assignment settings, leave Students submit in groups set to No for individual assignments. 

In most cases, you will not need to change the Notifications settings.

• If you want all Lecturers and Programme Administrators on a module to be notified via email of late submissions change Notify graders about late submissions to Yes.
• The Default setting for Notify students is Yes. Do not change this setting as it controls the generation of an email to students on release of grades and feedback.

• In the Grade settings, select the type of grade and the grading method. The most common settings are point and simple direct grading.
• For advanced grading methods - Rubrics and Marking records - select the links below.
• You can choose to Hide grader identity from students. This option might be required if Programme administrators are uploading feedback received from lecturers.
• Use Marking workflow is an optional workflow that requires grades to go through a series of stages before they're released to students. 

1. From the Common module settings, you can set Availability to Show or Hide on course page.
2. You do not need to change the Group mode.
3. Select Save and return to module.

You can use the Restrict access settings to control the availability of content and activities based on one or more conditions, including date and group. 

Activity completion allows you to set completion criteria for a specific activity or resource.

Activities or resources with a completion criteria display a circle next to them in the Module index. The circle turns green (and is filled in) when the student meet the criteria. On the main module page, a tick and the word "done" appears against the item when the student meets the criteria. This helps students manage their progress on a module and staff can easily review student engagement and progress against key activities.

You can combine Restrict access and Activity completion to provide structured pathways through your module.

Apply the settings

1. Open the activity or resource.
2. Select Settings from the contextual navigation menu above the module name. This opens the activity settings.
3. Change the settings required.
4. Select Save and return to module to save any changes made.

Related guidance

Timed assignments have a fixed assessment window, with the indicative length being timed from the point at which the assignment is started. If a student submits the assignment prior to the due date, but exceeds the time limit set, you will only be able to review this when you select the Grade button to provide grades and feedback to students.

1. Open the Assignment activity.
2. Select View all submissions.
3. Select Grade alongside a student to provide grades and feedback.
4. There is a notification on the student's submission if the assignment was submitted after the time limit.