Why use it?
Moodle has various ways of marking and providing feedback online. This method is the most straightforward for providing individual grades and feedback. It allows markers to view the submitted work as the same screen that they provide feedback comments which should reduce errors and make the marking process easier.
Step 1: Add an assignment
See our Assignment set-up guide (individual and group) for the settings.
As per the assignment settings it is possible to restrict the file types that students can submit. For example you may want to specify that students have to submit a pdf file if you want the work to show up on the marking page. You can do this in the edit settings under Submission types, Accepted file types. See our Assignment set-up guide (individual and group) for more information.
Step 2: Students submit
Note that students do not need to have submitted anything for marks and feedback to be entered.
Step 3: View the submissions table
Once the deadline for students to submit has passed click on the assignment this will bring up the Grading summary which will show the number of participants and submissions. Click on View all submissions to view the submissions table.
The marking/submissions table lists all students and their submissions. If blind marking is enabled submissions are identified by number unique to this assignment. N.B. Those with a Manager role can view student identities even when blind marking is enabled.
The table has a variety of filters and columns - see more details on the submissions table guide.
Click on the red Grade button to mark an individual piece of work. It is also possible to enter marks and feedback directly into the submissions table for more information see our quick grade guide.
Step 4: Grade an individual assignment
Clicking on Grade will bring up a marking screen with grading options on the right hand side. If the student submitted a PDF file the individual piece of work in a window on the left hand side. If the student submitted a word document or did not submit anything this window will be blank. PDF files can be annotated using the tools at the top of the page, for more details see our feedback using pdf annotation guide.
Grade
Depending on your assignment settings you can enter a grade out of 100 or a scale.
Marking workflow state
Marking workflow is enabled by default. The marking workflow can be updated by selecting the correct option from the drop down list. E.g from Not marked to Marking completed, or In review.
Note: In review is a useful way to flag up any submissions that require moderation from a second marker.
Feedback comments
Text comments can be entered into the text box.
Feedback files
Files can be uploaded and attached for each student. For more details on bulk upload of feedback files see our guide.
Audio feedback
Audio feedback can be recorded and attached. For more details see our guide to audio feedback.
Save the marks and feedback
Once all marks and feedback are entered. Click Save changes or Save and show next to move onto the next submission.
Notify students
This box is ticked by default, however if you are using marking workflow (default setting) students will not be notified until all marks and feedback are released. See our guide on using marking workflow for assignments for more information.
Step 5: Release marks
Marking workflow state
Marking workflow is enabled by default. To release the marks using marking workflow see below
When you are ready to release marks to students, select the submissions for which you want to use marking workflow using the Select box to left of each submission – to select all submissions, click the Select all box under Select. Scroll to the bottom of the page and from the drop-down menu With selected… select Set marking workflow state and Go. You will be asked to confirm, click ok.
Select Released from the drop down options and then save changes. At this stage (and earlier stages) you can choose to Notify students by selecting Yes to generate an email.
Students will then be able to review their grades and feedback.
Note: If blind marking is in use with marking workflow, the grades are released regardless of whether student identities have been revealed. However, you and other markers are likely to want to reveal identities at some point. If you cannot find the option Reveal student identities in the Grading action drop-down menu at the top of the submissions table, you will need to ask someone with Teacher (Editor) or higher access to do it.