Assignments

Google Assignments can be added to the AMBS LMS (Moodle, at the time this page was last updated). It allows students to submit Microsoft Office or Google Docs documents, and to do some automatic plagiarism detection on those documents before they are submitted to an instructor for grading. Teaching faculty at AMBS are strongly encouraged to afford students the opportunity to check their work for unintended plagiarism by having students submit their work using Google Assignments.

Like all things Google, there are some ... er ... unique features of Google Assignments that can make for an unpleasant surprise if you don't prepare.

Limitations

• In order to run originality reports (i.e., plagiarism detection) on student work, the work must be submitted in either Microsoft Office (.docx) or Google formats. Student work in other formats (like PDF or Pages) cannot be automatically checked for originality.

• Originality reports can be enabled for only five assignments per course.

• Instructional design staff can create Google Assignments in your Moodle courses, but they cannot add templ;ates for student use. Instructors will need to add those later. (And instructors will need to be aware of permissions in Shared Drives before adding those templates.)

Expected Behaviors (that Can Be Unexpected)

There will be duplicate files. There will be things you own that you didn't plan to own.

Ownership

Whomever creates the first Google Assignment in a course becomes the "owner" for all subsequent assignments created in that course. So be careful when asking your tech people to create Google Assignments on your behalf! (This doesn't cause a problem functionally, except that file owners are considered instructors and thus receive notification whenever an assignment is submitted.)

Duplicates

By making copies of files at each stage of the process, Google leaves both students and instructors with a trail of changes. This can be disconcerting when a student or an instructor views files directly in Google Drive instead of through the LMS.

Google's published workflow explains what happens at each stage of the assignment process.

Suppose an instructor creates a Google Assignments activity in Moodle. The process and corresponding results are as follows:

1. Student submits a Microsoft Office document (e.g., .docx)

   • • Google Drive creates a copy of the document in Google Docs format

     • In the instructor's Google Drive:

       • • A new folder is craeted in My Drive > Assignments > <Course Name> > <Assignment Name>

         • The student's original Microsoft document and a Google version of the document are added to that folder.

     • In the student's Google Drive:

       • • Copies of the orginal Microsoft document and the Google version are added to My Drive > Assignments > <Course Name> > <Assignment Name>

         • A shortcut is created to the original Microsoft document that is now in the instructor's folder.

2. Instructor grades document through the LMS interface

   • • Inline comments are added to the Google version of the document in the instructor's drive only. (Student does not see changes.)

3. Instructor returns documents to student through LMS interface

   • • In the instructor's Google Drive:

       • • A second copy of the original is saved.

         • A copy of the commented Google Doc is saved.

     • In the student's Google Drive:

       • • Shortcuts to the graded and returned documents are placed in My Drive (note: the shortcuts do not appear in the relevant Assignments subfolder!)

End results:

• Student view in Google Drive:

  • • Copies of original work in My Drive > Assignments > <Course Name> > <Assignment Name>

    • Shortcuts to graded work in My Drive
      
      Two files and two shortcuts total. The files are copies of the original work. The shortcuts point to the instructor-owned marked up Google version and a second copy of the Microsoft version.

• Instructor view in Google Drive:

  • • Original submission in My Drive > Assignments > <Course Name> > <Assignment Name>

    • Copies of submission in My Drive > Assignments > <Course Name> > <Assignment Name>
      
      Four files total, two Microsoft format and two Google format. The Google copy of the original submission contains instructor comments and suggestions.

Bonus Workflow (possible, but not recommended)

Due to the way duplication works when a document is returned to the student, an instructor may wonder whether they can offer comments and suggestions directly on the Microsoft version of the document (i.e., by opening that document directly instead of using the LMS). They can, but they should not. Doing so does not reduce any duplication, but does add several additional confounding elements to the process that will make life even more miserable for all involved.