Creating and Editing Assignments

​Digication assignments are made up of “steps.” A simple assignment might have only two steps—a student submitting a section of their portfolio as an “Evidence” step and an instructor providing feedback through a “Teacher Reflection” step. More complex assignments might include steps like a self-evaluation rubric or a revised submission. The order of these steps is completely flexible, but an evidence step should always be first.

Note: When a student submits a section of their portfolio to an evidence step, it creates an archive of that section. This means that if a student makes changes to that page after submitting, the changes are not reflected in the archived section. This can be used to document portfolio progress, build in checkpoints for long-term projects, or simply ensure students adhere to deadlines. Submissions can be used for department based assessment, even if this occurs at a later date.

Create an Assignment

1. From the Digication Home page, select the course [A].
2. (Optional) Use the dropdown menu to filter by current, archived, or future courses [B].

   

3. On the course management page, select the Assignments tab [A].

   

4. Select the Add Assignment button.
5. Enter a name for the assignment in the "Name" field, and an optional description.

   Note: An assignment can be copied from another course by selecting Browse Assignments and then using the dropdown menus to locate and select the assignment.

6. Select Save.
7. The “Edit Assignment Workflow Steps” page will open. Follow the steps below to add steps to the assignment.

Note: All assignments must have at least one step.

Add Steps to an Assignment

1. From the “Edit Assignment Workflow Steps” page, select Add Step [A].

   

Note: This page can always be accessed by selecting the Assignments tab, then selecting the name of the assignment, and then Edit Assignment.

2. Select a type of step. The first step in an assignment should be Evidence. Evidence is an actual student submission. This can be a link to a student’s portfolio, a section of the portfolio, or a file that the student uploads. An assignment with multiple drafts or multiple components might contain multiple evidence steps.

Note: The use of Peer Rubric and Peer Reflection steps is discouraged right now, because Digication sends a classwide email notification whenever a student submits, which can overwhelm students.

3. (Optional) Enter a title and description for the step. If not changed, the title will be "My Evidence."
4. Alter the options for the step. Options include adding a start date, adding a due date, and choosing if students can make changes to a portfolio or section after it has been submitted.
5. Select Save.
6. (Optional) After adding the Evidence step, select Add Step again to add any of the following:
   • Reflections: These allow general text comments to be entered on a piece of evidence by the student or the instructor. A Teacher Reflection is the primary way to provide feedback on an assignment.
   • Rubrics: These are an assessment tool that can be filled out by the student or the instructor.
   • Standards: These allow instructors to link the assignment to a departmentally- or institutionally-created learning standard.
7. Adjust the options for the new step:
   • If the step is a reflection, rubric, or standard, select the evidence step that it assesses using the “This step assesses:” drop-down menu.
   • If this step is a standard, select the standard the department or institution has set up from the “This step applies to” drop-down menu.
   • If this step is a rubric, select or create a rubric. See the Digication Rubrics Supplement for more information on creating a rubric.
   • Adjust the “Step Options” to determine when the step will be available to students.
8. Select Save.
9. Repeat this process to add more steps as needed.

Edit an Assignment

1. Select the name of the course on the Digication Home page.
2. Select the Assignments tab.
3. Select the pencil icon for the assignment [A].

   

4. Edit the assignment as needed:
   • Select Edit in the top section to edit the assignment name or description.
   • To edit a step, select Edit in the frame for the step.
5. Select Save after making changes.
   
6. To reorder steps, select and hold the number of a step and drag it up or down in the step order.

NEXT STEPS

Once an assignment and steps are created, students can submit work to be reviewed.  View Creating ePortfolio Templates or Assessing Submissions to learn more about working with student ePortfolios.