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What to do

Appropriate assignments depend on a range of factors, including the subject matter, content complexity, course level and the number of students enrolled. There are many options to consider, such as short response papers, quizzes, adjusted field work and problem solving assignments. The same goes for assessment formats. Typically, they include essays, reports, presentations, skills tests, open-ended or multiple choice exams. We recommend that you review our Assessments Documentation to learn more about the digital varieties for each of the assignment and assessment options, and then determine what is most appropriate for your course. Here, you can also find information on when to run changes by your exam committee and how/when to get your ICTO support team involved. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

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Tools to use

UvA Assessment Documentation - Online support for UvA lecturers on taking assignments and assessments online.
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Find out more here.
Canvas Assignments - Online tool for submission and online grading of assignments.
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Here are the instructions to set up an assignment in Canvas.
Canvas Rubrics - Online grading grid used with a Canvas Assignment. Helps to grade faster and more consistently.
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Here are the instructions on how to set up a rubric up and how to use rubrics for grading submissions.
SpeedGrader in Canvas - Online tool in Canvas to provide feedback in an efficient and effective manner.
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This built-in tool allows you to highlight elements in the text, provide inline written comments, write overall comments and you can even leave a voice or video recording. Find out more here.
Feedback Fruits - Online peer-feedback tool.
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First, check with your ICTO team if your department uses Feedback Fruits. Here are the instructions to use the peer-feedback functionality.
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Why do this

Clear assignments with useful feedback during a course are one of the most effective educational tools you have to teach your students. In both online and offline settings, assignments with feedback 1) provide an opportunity for …

Clear assignments with useful feedback during a course are one of the most effective educational tools you have to teach your students. In both online and offline settings, assignments with feedback 1) provide an opportunity for your students to practice and to process the subject matter (students’ learning), 2) help your students to determine whether they are on track or should adjust what and how they are studying (students’ self-regulation), and 3) provide you with necessary information on your students’ understanding, progress and content related difficulties (teaching regulation). Assignments with feedback may even be more important in an online educational setting as students often miss out on informal meet-ups with peers and you to discuss difficulties or track their progress. The same goes for you. It may be difficult to keep track or stay connected to your students from a distance and determine what they need and when they need it. Assignments with feedback may help you to be the conductor of an orchestra from a distance.

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Tips

  • If you have more students working on the same individual assignments, consider adding peer-feedback with Feedback Fruits. Peer-feedback increases the amount of feedback for students. Sidenote, it often doesn’t save the lecturer time as he/she has a different role to fulfill; providing feedback on the peer-feedback. If you leave out this part, students often tend to underestimate the value of peerfeedback and perceive it as ineffective additional work. A plenary Zoom session or pre-recorded video to discuss the best feedback and your general view on the products (main mistakes, issues, things to attend), helps to overcome these issues.
  • Use the SpeedGrader audio feedback tool in Canvas. For each student, you can record an audio message with the main feedback point. This is a fast way and provides a personal touch to your feedback.
  • Consider adding a rubric to your assignment to make grading more consistent between different graders, to speed up grading, and to give students insight into how their grades came into being. Setting up a new rubric is a time-investment, but in the long run it can save you a lot of time.