What assignment platform should I use?

I am not very familiar with testing in WebAssign or WebWork, but if your course already uses those platforms, those may make the most sense for you. Our experts are Jenn Burt for WebAssign and Alina Duca for WebWork.

 

Moodle quizzes: (sample)

  • Great for homework or tests that can allow for multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, matching, short answer (free response). Having students upload files is also totally possible, though unrealistic for large-enrollment courses.
  • High security options, including time limits, randomization of questions and question order, etc.
  • Can write test banks and have Moodle randomly pull questions from the test bank (if interested, start writing these early...)
  • Many questions can be automatically graded by Moodle.
  • Other questions (short answer, essay) are manually graded. Not too bad for courses < 20 students.
  • (I also have students submit all of their supporting work into an "essay" question, like a drop box.)

 

Moodle assignments: (sample of the grading screen)

  • Great for written homework, not ideal for tests.
  • Students upload a file to Moodle.
  • You manually grade it (can mark on their paper in Moodle, fill out a problem-by-problem rubric, download their submissions, etc.)
  • If your plan is to email students an exam or homework assignment and have them email it back, this is a step up from that and will clean up your email.
  • Main drawback: no time limit once they begin.

 

Gradescope assignments: (sample of the creation screen)

  • Great for written homework and tests.
  • Two main methods: Students upload their work and then indicate where problems are ("Homework/Problem Set"), or students just upload a picture of each problem ("Online Assignment (beta)").
  • You grade it in Gradescope. It's easier to grade the Homework/Problem Set if the students uploaded their work correctly, as you can mark directly on the papers. In Online Assignment (beta), students are more likely to upload correctly BUT you can only provide written comments on the side, which can be very limiting.
  • Tip: Personally, I would use Homework/Problem Set, but then make correctly uploading it worth 5-10 points (if they don't do it correctly, then it can be frustrating to work with).
  • If your plan is to email students an exam or homework assignment and have them email it back, this is a step up from that and will clean up your email.
  • Main advantage to Moodle assigments: can set time limits ("Exam is open from noon to 6pm, once you begin you have 75 minutes.")
  • Main drawback: external program to Moodle, so it needs some set up.