Dropbox tool (Assignments)

What is Possible with ICON’s Dropbox Tool?

• Collect student assignments and give grades and feedback online.
• Have ICON automatically enter assignment grade in the gradebook (not the default--you must enter this setting).
• Use ICON's built-in html editor to include a QuickLink to a document, quiz, discussion, chat, or other item in your ICON course.
• Restrict submissions to specified dates/times
• Add submission dates to the Events Calendar.
• Restrict release of the assignment to a selected group or to students who have fulfilled an online requirement  (viewing a document, posting a discussion message, etc.).

Note: High-Level TA's and TA/Designers can retrieve and grade completed assignments.

July 16, 2007

Adding an Assignment

Adding an Assignment Folder

For each assignment, you must create a folder to hold student submissions.

1. Click Drop box in the NavBar.
2. Click Admin.
3. Click Add Folder.
4. Type in the folder name (i.e., the assignment name).
5. If are organizing your assignments by category, select an existing category or click add dropbox category.
6. Enter the assignment instructions.
7. Click Save or include one or more of the following folder options.

Creating an Item in the Gradelist

To create a column in your gradelist and have ICON automatically enter the assignment score:

1. If you are not yet in the assignment folder, click Dropbox in the NavBar, click the Admin button (left; partway down), and then click the Edit icon for that folder.
2. From within the assignment folder, click add grade item. 
3. In the New Grade Item popup window, enter the gradebook item name (e.g., Assignment 1) and, optionally, a short name.
4. If your gradelist items are organized into categories, select the parent category (e.g., Assignments).
5. Indicate whether this grade should be visible to students.
6. Select what statistics, if any, will be visible to students.
7. Enter the maximum score, the item's relative weight in the grade cataegory (applies only if you are weighting grades), and whether this is a bonus item. 
8. Click Save to return to the Edit Folder screen.
9. On the Edit Folder screen, click Save if you are finished creating the assignment folder.
10. To return to the Dropbox Administration screen, click Go Back.

Adding a Link to a Content File, ICON Tool, or External Website

To give students quick access to a related document or tool in your ICON course or to an external url:

1. If you are not yet in the assignment folder, click Dropbox in the NavBar, click the Admin button (left; partway down), and then click the Edit icon for that folder.
2. From within the assignment folder, click  the  HTML Editor icon above the Custom Instructions textbox.
3. In the HTML Editor popup window, click the  Quicklink icon.
4. Select the ICON course area you want to link to, or click URL Link for an external url.
5. In the Link Caption box, type the words students will click on
6. Indicate whether to the display the item in a whole frame, the same (current) frame, or a new window.
7. Click Insert.
8. On the Edit Folder screen, click Save if you are finished creating the assignment folder.
9. To return to the Dropbox Administration screen, click Go Back.

Restricting Submission Dates & Adding Dates to Calendar

To specify the earliest and/or latest dates submissions will be accepted:

1. If you are not yet in the assignment folder, click Dropbox in the NavBar, click the Admin button (left; partway down), and then click the Edit icon for that folder.
2. From within the assignment folder, click the checkbox for Restrict submissions to this date or later and/or Restrict submissions to this date or before.
3. Make your date/time selections from the dropdown list(s).
4. To add the selected submissions date(s) to the course Calendar, click the checkbox for Add Event to Schedule.
5. Click Save if you are finished creating the assignment folder.
6. To return to the Dropbox Administration screen, click Go Back.

Setting Up Special Release Conditions

You can restrict access to members of a certain group or to individuals who have fulfilled a certain online requirement:

If you plan to base assignment access on group membership but haven’t yet created the group, do so now, before you set up your release conditions.  (See Creating Groups.)  Then you can Edit your assignment folder and set up the release conditions.

1. Create the assignment folder (the folder must be saved before you can specify release conditions).
2. If you are not yet in the assignment folder, click Dropbox in the NavBar, click the Admin button (left; partway down), and then click the Edit icon for that folder. 
3. Under Additional Release Conditions, click Create and Attach.
4. Select a Condition Type and specific item or group from the dropdown lists and click Save.

Note: When applying conditional release, ICON uses the condition AND rather than OR. Therefore, if you enter multiple conditions, students must satisfy all of those conditions, not just one, in order to access that Dropbox folder.

5. If you are finished creating the assignment folder, click Save.
6. To return to the Dropbox Administration screen, click Go Back.

16 July 2007

Downloading Student Submissions

1. Click Dropbox in the NavBar.
2. Click the folder name for the assignment.
3. You’ll see a listing of submissions. Files you have not yet downloaded are marked . Downloaded files are marked  .
4. Download the file(s):
• To download all files in a folder, click the checkbox at top left or bottom left and click Download. ICON will download files of students whose names are displayed. Since ICON can display a maximum of 200 students at once time, instructors with very large classes may need to repeat the download function.
• To download selected files only, click the checkboxes next to the filenames and click Download.

Problems downloading a student file?

If the filename includes one or more of the following characters, or if there is a space before the filename, the student can upload it but you will not be able to download it:

“ ” * / : < > ? \ | ’

Ask your student to rename the file and re-submit it. (For other downloading problems and fixes, see Content - Acceptable File Types.)

Two notes: (1) High-Level TA's and TA/Designers can download student submissions. (2) It's possible to download files submitted during a previous semester. To do this, go to the My Home page and select the course name under the relevant semester heading. In order for students to view online feedback, the course must be active (click Edit Course and make sure the Active box is checked).

18 April 2007

Entering Grades and/or Other Feedback

1. Click Dropbox in the NavBar.
2. Click the folder name.
3. If the assignment is associated with a grade, click Leave Feedback/Grade next to the student’s name (this option allows you to enter a score as well a feedback).  If the assignment is not associated with a grade, click Leave Feedback.
4. Enter a grade and/or other feedback. Feedback you enter in the Grade Comment box will display in the student's Grades tool. Feedback you enter in the Dropbox Feedback box will display in the student's Dropbox tool.
5. To attach a file (optional), click Add a File.
6. Click Save.

The date you enter the feedback and the date the student views it will both display at top right.

Notes:

• High-Level TA's and TA/Designers can enter grades and feedback.
• If you should wish to modify or delete a grade, feedback, or attachment, you can return to the same screen and make your changes.

16 July 2007

Known issues with the ICON Dropbox

1. When applying conditional release, ICON uses the condition AND rather than OR. Therefore, if you enter multiple conditions, students must satisfy all of the conditions, not just one. For example, suppose you have divided you class into four different groups, and you wish to make Assignment 1 available to students in Groups A and C. A student would need to belong to both groups in order to access the folder.

16 February 2006