Add to assignment submisson types?

[melani_guinn]

In assignments, I need an option under "submission type" that is different from those in the drop-down menu.  All my assignments are presented live in class (on Zoom right now) in the form of oral presentations or debates.  I am forced to select a submission type and if I select "no submission" or any of the others in the menu, my students get confused and often don't do anything. 

How do I add a new option (e.g., "in-class presentation") to the drop-down menu?  Or, if there is no way to do that, how do I bypass this selection yet still grade it with points?

[James · Accepted solution]

 @melani_guinn  

You don't get to add alternative submission types, so you'll need to pick the one that does the best job.

For example, if the students had a link to a Zoom conference that they needed to share, then you could use an Online Submission with a Website URL option.

The submission type is independent of how you assign points. You can use no submission, on paper, or online and still have points attached to it. I normally use no submission for things like Kahoots! On paper doesn't mean it has to be on paper, but if you're looking for something that makes it sound like they need to turn something in, then it can work.

I have never had an issue with "no submission" assignments over any other type. The biggest issue I have had was with 0 point assignments and even that hasn't really been an issue for most students.

The problems I've experienced since going online because of the coronavirus are mostly with students not doing anything other than what is in the To Do list and even some students ignore those. There are students who have checked out or who are doing something every now but not really engaged in the course. I suspect it's something other than it saying "no submission" but I don't know your students. I do know that my students are complaining they don't understand anything but that they're not watching the videos that explain how to do it (they're not even opening the page that contains the videos).

If you truly suspect your students are not turning in anything because it says "No Submission" (rather than just making excuses) then you can either attempt to do a better job conveying that information to them. You can also start giving them 0's. Getting a 0 is a really good motivator for getting students attention when they're not reading the stuff or watching your videos. Even that is no guarantee they'll read -- I had a bonus opportunity the other day for those who responded quickly to a discussion (most students wait until it's due). I gave 0 bonus points to those who didn't meet the criteria but had one student email why she got a 0, she hadn't even seen the assignment. If she would have clicked on the assignment, she would have seen what it was about.

You can also use a classroom announcement or better yet, send a message through their inbox. That doesn't always work because some students aren't prepared for online learning. They didn't sign up for online classes and haven't adjusted.

I had one student who I tried to reach to no avail. I sent at least 7 different assignment comments, multiple messages through the inbox, creating discussions about the class, his success coach even tried calling him and he got a disconnected number message. Nothing worked. What finally got the job done was creating a module that had requirements that had to be completed in order. I put the exam they had to take at the end of the module. For that one student, I put in a differentiated assignment (so only he got it) worth 1000 points (to catch his attention) but I made it in an assignment group worth 0% of the grade and he had to leave a comment to me before he could go on.