[ARCHIVED] Graded Sub-Assignments Towards One Larger Assignment For One Final Grade

[KevinMullin]

How's the best way to handle an assignment where students turn in partial sub assignments towards completing one larger assignment, which would allow me to provide grades for the sub assignments along the way and still allows students be able to tell what grade they got on the overall larger assignment?

• One option I've tried is to make separate smaller graded assignments rather than one big one, but students have difficulty figuring out what grade they got on the overall assignment.
• Another option I've tried is just one total points assignment, and several smaller zero points sub-assignments, later using a rubric to add points for each sub-assignment after everything is turned in but that makes it harder to give feedback and grades along the way during the beginning planning stages for the main assignment.

I know there are grouped assignments, but those seem to apply to broader assignment group breakdowns. (homework, quizzes, essays, etc).

Here's an example a 100 pt assignment

• Idea pitch assignment 10 pts
• Planning assignment 20 pts
• Main Assignment 60 pts
• Post main assignment self evaluation 10 pts

[clarkleblanc]

Very good opinion. The scale given is also quite reasonable. I have the same idea as you but I still can't recommend my exact same as yours.

lolbeans

[nwilson7 · Accepted solution]

@KevinMullin The option I see most commonly used is the rubric option similar to your second bullet.  You could make the assignments worth actual points but then check the box that "Do not count this assignment towards final grade".  In this scenario, you would have the main assignment worth the full 100 points and the other stuff could be worth their respective amount but just not count towards the final grade.  This way, students would see how they earned their points and you could provide feedback.  Just a thought though...

Nick

[KevinMullin]

@nwilson7 I didn't think of that. I hadn't used the "This assignment does not count toward the final grade" function before. That just may work!

So I could create a planning assignment worth 10 points, grade it, provide feedback, and then enter those 10 points in the rubric of the main 100 point assignment later. That seems like a pretty reasonable way to do it. Thank you.