Assignment Module

Assignment Module

by Paul Raper -
Number of replies: 14

I am looking for an opinion here. We were looking at setting up a test for our students to do and thought that the best solution was to make use of the assignment module since it offered us with the option to have students confirm they were ready to submit the work, check that the work was the correct submission, and then check the box that asks them to confirm that the work is their own.

The only problem that I see at the end is that after they have done all this, they can still open the file, theoretically save it locally, and pass it on to other students doing the assignment later on. We do not want them to be able to do this.

Now ok, I hear you say use the quiz module along with the written text option, but that doesn't allow them to confirm that the work is their own.

It just seems to me to be a little odd that if you have asked students to go through the hoops of stating that the work is their own, why not lock the work and prevent any further access to it? There are plenty of other options that you could set that allow students to look at their work again in less critical situations, but in this one I would like to be able to declare the work finished, no longer changeable etc.

As I say, does anyone else have a take on this?

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In reply to Paul Raper

Re: Assignment Module

by Visvanath Ratnaweera -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Translators
How about turning it around, asking the proper question in the quiz iteselt that they confirm the work is their own? If that is odd, you can add a pre-activity to settle all the administrative matters. Make it a condition to open the test (quiz). I thought, I saw a longer post somewhere, can't find it.
In reply to Paul Raper

Re: Assignment Module

by Joost Elshoff -
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Hi Paul,

How about if you add a Restrict access rule to the Assignment activity of the following type:
- Activity is only accessible if it hasn't been completed yet

With activity completion turned on (student must have submitted, must have received a grade), this would prevent students from accessing the activity once it has been marked as completed. Teachers will still be able to access it, but students will see that they don't have access anymore.

I think that should work.

You could consider plag-checking the work with additional plugins to prevent people from copying stuff, but that's another story.

Joost
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In reply to Joost Elshoff

Re: Assignment Module

by Nikolaas Dries -
Should 'must receive a grade' be a condition in this case?

If you leave it until the teacher has graded, there is still time in which it is open.
In reply to Nikolaas Dries

Re: Assignment Module

by Paul Raper -
Nikolaas,

I'll let you know when I have completed testing.
In reply to Joost Elshoff

Re: Assignment Module

by Paul Raper -
Hi Joost,

That is indeed an interesting idea which I shall explore further. In the meantime we set up a quiz, but, we hit the additional issue that you cannot download the finished work for off-line grading as you can do with the assignment module.

I'll keep you posted on this one.
In reply to Paul Raper

Re: Assignment Module

by Visvanath Ratnaweera -
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I see. Your exam is not MC rather essay type questions only which students answer in a word-processing program and upload the file(s).

Yes, that is not the main application of the quiz activity. There is a plug-in Download essay submissions though, which I haven't tested yet.
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In reply to Visvanath Ratnaweera

Re: Assignment Module

by Paul Raper -
Great tool, worked a treat.
In reply to Paul Raper

Re: Assignment Module

by Visvanath Ratnaweera -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Translators
Glad that it worked.

After reading that the student computers run Lernstick for the exam, I don't see where Moodle comes to the picture. I know the desktop version of Lernstick. It is used in all the public schools in the city of Winterthur. I understood you take the examinations version of it, running SEB? Is it the coupling of SEB and Moodle plus you have all the candidates already registered in Moodle, makes you to take Moodle. As I see it, what you need is just a secure file download/upload mechanism. About the binding statement that they haven't cheated, why don't you add the legalese on the cover page of the exam and make the students accept it by signing a (paper) attendance sheet?
In reply to Joost Elshoff

Re: Assignment Module

by Paul Raper -
Ok, so looking at this I see a couple of points:

1. It doesn't seem to allow me to set a restriction based on a condition applying to itself. So the notion that the activity itself must have some condition fulfilled that applies to itself, doesn't seem to work.
2. There is still the possibility therefore for the students therefore to access the activity after it has been completed.

sad
In reply to Paul Raper

Re: Assignment Module

by Joost Elshoff -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Testers
Hi Paul,
If you would apply the restriction to the section the activity is in, that should work. Only downside is that you'd have to move other stuff out of that section.
In reply to Paul Raper

Re: Assignment Module

by Ralf Hilgenstock -
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Hi Paul,

if a student creates a document on the local device, uploads it to Moodle and confirms the submission. The original files still is existing on the local device and can be shared with others. Students don't need to download the confirmed submission.
Its a little bit different with submissions given in the editor. But each student can mark all content with Strg+A and copy with Sttrg+C.

Ralf
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In reply to Ralf Hilgenstock

Re: Assignment Module

by Paul Raper -
Well actually not in this instance. Our university has developed what is called the "Learnstick". This is a USB drive which runs Linux Debian. The PC boots up to the stick and then everything runs over the stick. They cannot save anything at all to their local storage. Once the exam is finished, the PC's are shut down and then the sticks collected.
Average of ratings: Useful (1)