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Blackboard Assignment Tool

Nick Bunyan, Dan Robinson, Alex Spiers & Tunde Varga Atkins

An introduction to e-submissionNick Bunyan, Dan Roberts, Alex Spiers & Tunde Varga-Atkins

Centre for Lifelong Learning

We are here in the eLearning Unit to support your use of

different technologies for learning and teaching.

This support includes:

• VITAL workshops, Winter and Summer Schools; • online resources;• email and phone help, and one-to-one support;• tailored workshops on request;• consultancy.

Introductions...

First things...

Sign-in sheetplease complete – mailing list option.

Feedback survey onlinelet us know what was good, bad, useful or useless!

Housekeeping – 1.16

Lavatories 1.16 > turn left out of room, through fire doors ahead of you, then doors on the left.

Fire alarmsnone scheduled for today – don’t use lifts -follow Fire Exit signs – muster point is: Outside NatWest Bank under canopy.

Click to edit Master title styleFocus & nature of the workshop

• Non-technical – focused on issues associated with developing e-submission & e-marking.

• Exploratory – discuss your issues.

• Work still ongoing centrally on some key issues!

Click to edit Master title styleWorkshop topics

In this one and a half hour session we will look at:

1. Policy context – your issues & requirements.2. Benefits to staff & students.3. Pedagogical opportunities. 4. Overview to the submission & marking processes.5. Software selection - differences between

Blackboard and Turnitin tools.6. Other issues for consideration.7. Planning implementation. 8. Follow up guidance & support.

Click to edit Master title styleContext to this initiative

The University is moving to online submission for coursework assignments (see this blog post for more detail on policy).

• Driver for the policy initially has come from the Guild – student printing costs.

• Draft coursework submission policy developed in 2014.

• March 2016 decision to go for adoption of the policy & to implement e-submission (not e-marking) for 2016/17 academic year.

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Coursework submission Policy

A few policy highlights:

3.1 Requires e-submission - 3.7 Encourages e-marking currently.

3.2 All coursework unless file format or design of exercise does not permit.

– Non-written assessments

– Assessments containing visual, graphical or mathematical elements

– Impossible to administer

3.4 Students should be provided with guidance on processes of e-submission including for declaration of specific learning difficulty.

Coursework submission Policy

A few policy highlights:

3.5 When Uni systems temporarily down… (section 3.5).

4.1 Anonymity should be maintained for all internal marking and moderation.

Discussion

• What are you doing now?

• What are you planning?

• What is your school/department doing now?

• What is your school/department planning?

• What do you want to find out today?

Students and electronic submission

Benefits to students can include:• Students can submit their work without having to travel to the University. • Reduced printing costs. • Meeting student expectations - seen by many students as normal practice in a digital age. • Electronic reminders about marking turnaround times can be communicated through VITAL module

announcements etc.

Potential draw backs for students can include:• For some large cohort programmes moving to e-submission can further reduce the physical contact

students have with a school or department. • Service disruptions mean that students may not be able to submit on time.

Benefits for staff can include: • Monitor student submissions and remind students about forthcoming submissions.• Locate assessment support information alongside the submission tool.

Potential drawbacks for staff can include: • Subtle variations in the features and facilities of using Blackboard or Turnitin e-marking tools

requires programme teams or module leaders to carefully think through their appropriate application of technology and marking processes to meet their assessment requirements.

Students and electronic feedback

• Students access electronic feedback when they are emotionally 'ready.‘

• Evidence that they referred back to feedback more often in an electronic form (within a VLE etc.)

• Grades in a single place mean they can monitor their own progress more easily.

• Typed feedback more legible.• Benefits of separating feedback from grades - engaged

more with feedback if they received this first.• Benefits of linking feedback to assessment criteria -

something you can do using Turnitin GradeMark!

Taken from Technology, Feedback, Action!: The impact of learning technology upon students' engagement with their feedback Sheffield Hallam University investigated what students think of receiving feedback in an electronic form, how they use it etc.

Workflow overview

Click to edit Master title styleBlackboard and Turnitin - Decisions

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Blackboard vs Turnitin software selection

Issue/ facility Blackboard Assignment Turnitin Assignment

Single or multiple file submission. Multiple. Single only.

Group submission supported Yes. No.

File type restrictions 1. Mode 1 - None – Grade, criteria marking

and overall feedback comment for any

submission also possible here.

2. Mode 2 - To also use the Inline Grading

facility file types are restricted in this mode.

1. Mode 1 – For Originality Checking

(plagiarism) and GradeMark – file types

restricted.

2. Mode 2 – Mode 1 files plus some image

file types which can be annotated with

GradeMark.

3. Mode 3 – Any file can be submitted - no

Originality-Checking and restricted use of

GradeMark.

4. No submission - restricted use of

GradeMark (for presentations for example).

File size limits. No - currently no file size limit but:

Students may find very large files may

not upload with timeout issues.

CSD to explore limits to submitted file

sizes.

Video files should not be uploaded

(use Stream media server instead and

submit the link.)

Yes - maximum 40 Mb file size.

Anonymous submissions Yes – flexible. Yes – strict.

Electronic text matching to support

plagiarism & collusion detection.

No. Yes.

Ability for students to re-submit their work

after the due date.

Yes, students can re-submit their work after

the due date with specific settings. Copies of

all submissions are retained – late

submissions are indicated.

No.

Blackboard vs Turnitin software selection

Other issues for consideration

E-submission:

• Financial suspension.

• Academic integrity self-declaration, mitigating circumstances.

• Accessibility issues (not fully tested yet).

• Service disruption (protocol being developed).

• Departmental printing costs.

Other issues for consideration

E-marking:

• Moderation – differences in how the software enables moderation.

• External examiner access.

An opportunity?

Review the consistency and effectiveness of marking –quality of comments, marking sheets (rubrics), can students learn form feedback comments etc.

Are there opportunities to review the pedagogic processes (feedback cycle), especially in the year 1 –student transition to higher education?

Planning your implementation

• Review existing experiences.

• Network with similar departments.

• Select appropriate pilots (e-marking) –involving admin staff & students.

• Develop a resourced training & support plan for staff.

• Develop clear practical workflows (document).

School of the Arts example

• Process flowchart diagram – see VITAL site

• Handbook for academic and professional staff – clear definition of roles

• Philosophy – paperless - Training for staff –online guides for students

Click to edit Master title styleTake away messages

• Careful planning and testing of the whole lifecycle – where current processes may need to be changed, involving all stakeholders

• Consistency of approach in school, marking teams etc

• Awareness of ongoing development of electronic tools

• Further support

Workshop resources

Everything from the session:

eLearning Unit Workshop Resources:

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NEED SUPPORT?Contact the eLearning Unit http://www.liverpool.ac.uk/elearning

Internal: 44567 (CSD Service desk)

elearning@liverpool.ac.uk

elearningatliverpool.wordpress.com/

@elearninglpool

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Workshop feedback

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