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Accessing The Dropbox
To access the Dropbox, select the Evaluation link group from the default course navigation menu and then select Dropbox.
The Dropbox is a tool that will allow you to create folders to hold students assignments and submissions. The Instructor of the course is then able to view the submitted files and provide grades and feedback to the student all from within the Dropbox tool. To use the Dropbox you will first need to create Dropbox folders. Then, you can set up the various restrictions and conditions for each folder.
To begin creating a Dropbox folder, click the New Folder button on the Folder List page.
Dropbox Properties
- Enter a Name for the folder
- Under Folder Type, select Individual or Group Submission.
- The Individual option is used with you are not utilizing the Groups feature within your course.
- The Group option is used with you are utilizing the Groups feature within your course. Note that all students in a group are able to see their group members' submissions.
- Select a Category for the Dropbox Folder or you may choose [New Category] to create one.
- Categories are a great way to organize your Dropbox Folders but is not required.
- Select a Grade Item if you wish to link this Dropbox Folder to the Gradebook or you may choose [New Grade Item] to create one. More information on this in the Grading section below.
- In the Out Of box enter the total number of points that the assignment will be worth.
- The Student View Preview allows for you to configure how you want to the student to view his/her grade.
- Choose a grading rubric by clicking Add Rubric or you may choose [Create Rubric in New Window] to create one.
- In the Instructions box you can enter any instructions you may have for the students. Instructions entered
here will appear to the students when submitting their assignments.
- You can upload an Attachment if it will be part of the assignment.
- Set Submission Options such as how many attempts are allowed and how to keep files.
- Files allowed per submission - This option controls the number of files a student is able to upload at one time.
- Submissions - This option controls which file(s) D2L keeps for grading purposes.
- When making a dropbox ensure you make it visible to your students. This option is
under the Restrictions tab. The dropbox defaults to hidden from users.
- Continue to the Restrictions tab or click Save to return to the dropbox folders list.
Dropbox Restrictions
You can set restrictions for a Dropbox folder either while creating a new folder or while editing an existing folder.
- Navigate to the Restrictions tab
- Set the Availability Start/Due/End dates and ensure the folder is visible to users.
- The Start Date determines when students are able to submit a file to the dropbox. If you check the Has Start Date checkbox and select a date, the student will be able to see the Dropbox but cannot submit files to it until the date and time specified. Leaving the Start Date blank will allow students to submit to the Dropbox until the end date has passed.
- Setting a Due Date will insert the assignment into the student's calendar. Also, setting a Due Date will automatically flag submissions that are late. The Due Date, however, has no impact on the availability of a folder.
- The End Date determines when the dropbox closes, no longer accepting students' submissions. Leaving
the End Date blank will not prohibit students from to the Dropbox.
- If you set a Due Date for a Dropbox folder, participants have until that date and time to submit their assignment normally. After that date and time, participants can continue to upload submissions to the Dropbox folder, but those submissions will be flagged as late, allowing you to assess a penalty if you choose.
- After the date and time selected for the End Date participants are no longer able to upload submissions to the Dropbox folder.
- Attach optional Release Conditions. Visit the Release Conditions page to learn more about creating and managing release conditions.
- You can choose to set Special Access for a particular Dropbox Folder. This feature is helpful if a student has permission
to submit an assignment early or late.
- The first option will allow only users with special access to submit during the altered times but all other students will still see the Dropbox Folder and be held to the regular restrictions.
- The second option will allow only those with special access to see the folder and make submissions to it.
- Be sure to Save when finished.
TurnItIn Originality Checking
Turning On TurnItIn
ETSU uses TurnItIn for Plagiarism Detection. Setting configured on this tab will allow instructors the ability to turn on the Turn It In integration within a particular assignment. See below for how to configure a D2L Dropbox to use TurnItIn Originality Checking.
- Navigate to the TurnItIn tab.
- Mark the Enable Turnitin for this folder option will turn on the originality detection integration.
- If you would like to configure additional TurnItIn options, click the More Options in TurnItIn button. See below for an explanation of those options.
- Mark the Display option to allow students to view their TurnItIn originality report.
- Frequency - Selecting Automatic originality checking on all submissions will send submissions to TurnItIn as soon as the student uploads the file(s). Selecting Identify individual submissions for originality checking will not automatically send files to TurnItIn. You must manually select and send the files to TurnItIn by clicking the box graphic on the Folder Submissions page.
More Options in TurnItIn
Clicking the More Options in TurnItIn button gives you access to a pop-up window containing several settings to help you as an instructor control how TurnItIn handles a student submission.
- Instructions - Enter any Assignment Instructions you would like to be visible in TurnItIn in this box. Note that these instructions are separate from your D2L Dropbox instructions. This field is optional and may be left blank.
- Allow submission of any file type - this option allows you to accept any file type to be analyzed by TurnItIn. Please note that TurnItIn's originality checking works best with .doc and .docx files. Some .pdf files can also be analyzed.
- Max Grade - This setting allows instructors to enter the dropbox assignment's maximum grade value.
- State, Due, and Feedback release dates - These dates control when you will allow students to submit assignments and retrieve feedback. Note that the Feedback release date controls when a student can access TII to retrieve any feedback left in the feedback studio.
Optional Settings Available in More Options Window
Clicking the Optional Settings link will give you access to additional TurnItIn Settings you can configure.
- Allow late submissions - checking this option will allow students to submit assignments after the Due Date.
- Compare Submitted papers against the following sources - Select the databases that you wish to compare to the student submission. Note that User Paper database is the database of student papers submitted to and indexed in TurnItIn.
- Originality Report generation and resubmissions - Select from one of the following options to control how and when TII generates
reports:
- Generate reports immediately (Resubmissions are not allowed).
- (Default) Generate reports immediately (Resubmissions are allowed until Due Date)
- Generate reports on Due Date (Resubmissions are allowed until Due Date).
- Exclusions: Instructors have the option to exclude the following:
- Bibliographic materials from the similarity index.
- Quoted materials from the similarity index.
- Exclude small matches.
- If you want to allow students to view Originality Reports, you must mark "Yes."
- Submissions to this assignment will be store in -- This option determines whether or not you want the student missions to be indexed. Indexing a student mission adds that submission to the user paper database so that future submissions will be checked against it.
- Peekmark - Select Yes to turn on PeerMark capabilities.
- Attach Rubric to this assignment - selecting of creating a rubric here will attach a TII rubric to the assignment.
- Note that the rubrics used here are NOT part of D2L.
- Enable grammar checking using ETS®e-rater® technology? - if you would like for the originality check to also include a simple grammar check, enable this option.
- Would you like to save these options as your defaults for future assignments? You may save the current changes as your default settings for future TII dropbox assignments by clicking yes here. That way, you may not have to touch this window again for your future assignments.
Clicking the folder name from the Folder List page will open a Dropbox Folder to view its submissions. Alternately you can select View Submissions from a folder's context menu. Either of these actions will direct you to the Folder Submissions Page.
Navigating the Folder Submissions Page
Folder Contents controls which submissions are available on the Folder Submission page.
- The View By options give you the ability to view submission by group or by section. By default, this View By option is set to Users, which will list all users who meet the selected Submissions criterion.
- By default the Folder Submissions page displays only those students who have submitted to the particular folder.
You will not automatically see students who have not submitted a file. If you change your view, you must then then the magnifying glass found within the Search For textbox. You can change your view by selecting a Submissions option:- Show everyone will display all users, regardless of submission.
- Show users with submissions will display only users who have submitted a file to the dropbox.
- Show users with preview submissions.
- Show users with graded unpublished submissions will display only users will feedback you have yet to publish.
- Only Show Users with unread Submissions will display only users with submissions marked as unread.
- Last Submission After will display users to submitted after a date you specify.
- Last Submission Before will display users to submitted before a date you specify.
- Late Submissions will display submissions attached after the Due Date you sat on the Restrictions tab of the Edit Folder page.
- By Feedback - Will display only users who meet the following feedback conditions:
- Show everyone
- Users with Feedback
- Users without Feedback
- The Submissions Table contains the students' files as well as action buttons that float along the top and
bottom of the table. To use the action buttons, select a file or files by marking
the checkbox(es) to the left of a student's submission and then select the action
button.
- Download - Clicking the download button will download all selected student files to your computer in a Zip(compressed) file format.
- Email - Clicking the email button will open a blank email with the students you selected in the BCC field.
- Display Read - Clicking the Display Read will mark all of the student submissions as read on the instructor Folder Submissions page.
- Display Unread - Clicking the Display Unread will mark all of the student submissions as unread on the instructor Folder Submissions page.
- Delete - Clicking the Delete button will delete all selected student files.
- Publish Feedback - Clicking Publish Feedback will publish all scores and feedback for the selected students. If the dropbox is associated with a grade item in the gradebook, the score will also export to the gradebook.
- The Submissions Table also allows for an at-a-glance illustration of students with published feedback,
with feedback still in the draft mode, and students who you have yet to evaluate.
- A Published report signifies that an instructor has graded and/or provided feedback to the student and that grade and feedback is available to the student and, if applicable in the gradebook.
- A Draft Saved report signifies that an instructor has graded and/or provided feedback to the student but that grade and feedback is not available to the student and, if applicable in the gradebook.
- An Evaluate report signifies that an instructor has yet to leave any grade(s) or feedback.
Navigating the Evaluate Submission Interface
The Evaluate Submission interface is broken into two frames. The frame on the left displays the student's submission information. The frame on the right contains the Evaluation section, which allows for an instructor to use a grading rubric, enter a student's score, provide feedback, and attach feedback files.
Clicking on a student file's filename will automatically display the file within the Evaluate Submission Interface. Clicking on a student's report link will display information about the student's file, but not the actual file itself.
The File Panel
The File Panel is located on the right-side of the Evaluate Submission Interface and has two different viewing options:
- The File Panel can display an image of the student's file.
- The File Panel can display information regarding a student's file.
- Clicking Folder Submission History will display a historical account of all files submitted by the selected student
to the dropbox tool. Use the Folder Dropdown to toggle between multiple dropbox folders.
- Clicking the filename will display an image of the student's file.
- Clicking the icon found within the Originality Report section will initiate the TurnItIn interface.
- Clicking the Download All Files button will download the student's file(s).
- Clicking Folder Submission History will display a historical account of all files submitted by the selected student
to the dropbox tool. Use the Folder Dropdown to toggle between multiple dropbox folders.
The Evaluation Panel
- Show Folder Information - Click the Show Folder Information hyperlink to expand the options for editing the current dropbox folder properties and the ability to Preview the current dropbox as a student.
- Show Dropbox Folder Dates - Click the Show Dropbox Folder Dates hyperlink to expand the options for editing the current dropbox folder restrictions and special access settings.
- Evaluation
- Rubrics - If, in the setup of the dropbox, you associated a rubric with this dropbox folder,
click the rubric name to open the grading mechanism in a popup window. Alternately,
click the [Associate Rubric] to associate a preexisting rubric to this dropbox. Or, click [Create Rubric] to display a popup window where you can create a rubric on the fly.
- Score - Enter a numeric score in the Score textbox. If the current dropbox is associated with a grade item in the gradebook,
the name of that grade item will appear under the Score textbox with a bar graph icon.
Clicking on the bar graph icon will open the grade item statistics.
- Student View Preview - This area gives an example of how the student's score will be presented in the student view. To change the Student View, click the dropdown arrow.
- Feedback - Enter any feedback into the Feedback textbox, noting that you have the ability to embed videos, hyperlinks, and other
HTML content into this area. Note that, if applicable, any additional feedback entered
on an associated rubric will automatically populate in this textbox.
- Add a File - If applicable, you may attach a feedback file(s) that only the selected student
will see. You may attach multiple files. To remove an attached file, click the red (X) icon to the right of the attached file's name. If you follow the bulk download/upload
bulk feedback workflow demonstrated in the following section, the feedback files will
attach in this area.
- Saving Options - Select a saving option by clicking the appropriate button.
- Publish - Saves all scores and feedback, publishing the scores to the student and, if applicable, to the gradebook.
- Save as Draft - Saves all scores and feedback but does not publish the scores to the student or the gradebook.
- Update - Saves any new changes to published scores and feedback.
- Rubrics - If, in the setup of the dropbox, you associated a rubric with this dropbox folder,
click the rubric name to open the grading mechanism in a popup window. Alternately,
click the [Associate Rubric] to associate a preexisting rubric to this dropbox. Or, click [Create Rubric] to display a popup window where you can create a rubric on the fly.
Downloading Submissions and Uploading Feedback in Bulk
If you are unfamiliar with ZIP (Compressed) files, visit the Microsoft Zipped Files website for more information on how to create and extract zip files.
- From the Folder Submissions page, click the Select All Checkbox
- Click the Download action button
- A popup window will display when your zip (compressed) file is ready to download.
Click the filename hyperlink to download the file and then select the option to Save the zip (compressed) file to to your computer.
- Depending on your browser settings, this workflow may vary.
- Retrieve the zip(compressed) file from your computer and extract the zip file to show the multiple documents within it.
- Open the files in a word processing software of your choice. Typically, instructor use Microsoft Word and the built-in Track Changes feature. Make the appropriate editing marks and comments.
- Save the changes to each individual file without renaming the individual filenames.
- Note that the prefix attached to each individual document file is actually a unique identifier used later in this workflow. Altering the individual filenames whatsoever will alter the workflow.
- Compress the individual documents into a new zip(compressed) file.
- Navigate back to the Folder Submission page of the particular Dropbox folder.
- Click the Add Feedback Files button.
- Browse to locate the new zip file, select the file, and then add the file by clicking the Add button. Alternately, you may add the individual feedback files in bulk by dragging and dropping the files into the upload box. Note that the individual feedback files must contain the numeric prefix in order
for the bulk attach process to work properly.
- D2L will extract the files and then attach those files to the appropriate student as a feedback file and update a student's report to Draft Saved.
- D2L will extract the files and then attach those files to the appropriate student as a feedback file and update a student's report to Draft Saved.
- Click on a particular student's report link to view the drafted feedback file, enter any additional comments and/or score, and then complete the workflow by clicking publish.
- Repeat Step 11 for each student on the classlist.
An instructor or grader can enter numeric scores and feedback for all students on the classlist, regardless of electronic submission. An instructor or grader can enter numeric scores and feedback regardless of a dropbox folder's association to the gradebook. If you would prefer that dropbox scores automatically export to the gradebook, consult the Creating Dropbox Folders - Folder Properties, Step 5 for more information.
Leaving Feedback on an Ungraded Dropbox Folder
- From the Dropbox Folders List page, click the name of the Folder to view its submissions.
- Click the Evaluate link to the right of the student's name.
- The Evaluate Submission page will be displayed where you can view the file name, comments left by the student, and the date and time the file was submitted.
- Rubrics - If, in the setup of the dropbox, you associated a rubric with this dropbox folder,
click the rubric name to open the grading mechanism in a popup window. Alternately,
click the [Associate Rubric] to associate a preexisting rubric to this dropbox. Or, click [Create Rubric] to display a popup window where you can create a rubric on the fly.
- Score - Enter a numeric score in the Score textbox. If the current dropbox is associated with a grade item in the gradebook,
the name of that grade item will appear under the Score textbox with a bar graph icon.
Clicking on the bar graph icon will open the grade item statistics.
- Student View Preview - This area gives an example of how the student's score will be presented in the student view. To change the Student View, click the dropdown arrow.
- Feedback - Enter any feedback into the Feedback textbox, noting that you have the ability to embed videos, hyperlinks, and other
HTML content into this area. Note that, if applicable, any additional feedback entered
on an associated rubric will automatically populate in this textbox.
- Add a File - If applicable, you may attach a feedback file(s) that only the selected student
will see. You may attach multiple files. To remove an attached file, click the red (X) icon to the right of the attached file's name. If you follow the bulk download/upload
bulk feedback workflow demonstrated in the following section, the feedback files will
attach in this area.
- Saving Options - Select a saving option by clicking the appropriate button.
- Publish - Saves all scores and feedback, publishing the scores to the student and, if applicable, to the gradebook.
- Save as Draft - Saves all scores and feedback but does not publish the scores to the student or the gradebook.
- Update - Saves any new changes to published scores and feedback.
Leaving Feedback on a Graded Dropbox Folder
- From the Dropbox Folders List page, click the name of the Folder to view its submissions.
- Click the Evaluate link to the right of the student's name.
- The Evaluate Submission page will be displayed where you can view the file name, comments left by the student, and the date and time the file was submitted.
- Rubrics - If, in the setup of the dropbox, you associated a rubric with this dropbox folder,
click the rubric name to open the grading mechanism in a popup window. Alternately,
click the [Associate Rubric] to associate a preexisting rubric to this dropbox. Or, click [Create Rubric] to display a popup window where you can create a rubric on the fly.
- Score - Enter a numeric score in the Score textbox. If the current dropbox is associated with a grade item in the gradebook,
the name of that grade item will appear under the Score textbox with a bar graph icon.
Clicking on the bar graph icon will open the grade item statistics.
- Student View Preview - This area gives an example of how the student's score will be presented in the student view. To change the Student View, click the dropdown arrow.
- Feedback - Enter any feedback into the Feedback textbox, noting that you have the ability to embed videos, hyperlinks, and other
HTML content into this area. Note that, if applicable, any additional feedback entered
on an associated rubric will automatically populate in this textbox.
- Add a File - If applicable, you may attach a feedback file(s) that only the selected student
will see. You may attach multiple files. To remove an attached file, click the red (X) icon to the right of the attached file's name. If you follow the bulk download/upload
bulk feedback workflow demonstrated in the following section, the feedback files will
attach in this area.
- Saving Options - Select a saving option by clicking the appropriate button.
-
- Publish - Saves all scores and feedback, publishing the scores to the student and, if applicable, to the gradebook.
- Save as Draft - Saves all scores and feedback but does not publish the scores to the student or the gradebook.
- Update - Saves any new changes to published scores and feedback.
Leaving Feedback For a Student Without a Submission
- From the Dropbox Folders List page, click the name of the Folder to view its submissions.
- Change the Submission Dropdown menu to Users without Submissions or Show Everyone and then click the magnifyingglass located in the Search For textbox.
- Click the Evaluate report link to the right of the student's name.
- The Evaluate Submission page will be displayed where you can view the file name, comments left by the student, and the date and time the file was submitted.
- Rubrics - If, in the setup of the dropbox, you associated a rubric with this dropbox folder,
click the rubric name to open the grading mechanism in a popup window. Alternately,
click the [Associate Rubric] to associate a preexisting rubric to this dropbox. Or, click [Create Rubric] to display a popup window where you can create a rubric on the fly.
- Score - Enter a numeric score in the Score textbox. If the current dropbox is associated with a grade item in the gradebook,
the name of that grade item will appear under the Score textbox with a bar graph icon.
Clicking on the bar graph icon will open the grade item statistics.
- Student View Preview - This area gives an example of how the student's score will be presented in the student view. To change the Student View, click the dropdown arrow.
- Feedback - Enter any feedback into the Feedback textbox, noting that you have the ability to embed videos, hyperlinks, and other
HTML content into this area. Note that, if applicable, any additional feedback entered
on an associated rubric will automatically populate in this textbox.
- Add a File - If applicable, you may attach a feedback file(s) that only the selected student
will see. You may attach multiple files. To remove an attached file, click the red (X) icon to the right of the attached file's name. If you follow the bulk download/upload
bulk feedback workflow demonstrated in the following section, the feedback files will
attach in this area.
- Saving Options - Select a saving option by clicking the appropriate button.
- Publish - Saves all scores and feedback, publishing the scores to the student and, if applicable, to the gradebook.
- Save as Draft - Saves all scores and feedback but does not publish the scores to the student or the gradebook.
- Update - Saves any new changes to published scores and feedback.
Grade Using a Rubric
- From the Dropbox Folders List page, click the name of the Folder to view its submissions.
- Click the Evaluate link to the right of the student's name.
- The Evaluate Submission page will be displayed where you can view the file name, comments left by the student, and the date and time the file was submitted.
- Rubrics - Click the rubric name to open the rubric in a popup window. Visit the Rubrics page for expanded rubric setup information.
- Select a level of achievement for each criteria listed.
- Click the pencil icon to edit the default level points or to enter any additional feedback
- Click the eraser icon to discard any changes made to a criteria row.
- Select a Saving Option:
- Save & Record - Saves all changes made to the rubric, calculates the student's score, and transfers the rubric score automatically to the Score textbox on the Evaluation panel.
- Save - Saves all changes made to the rubric, calculates the student's score, but does not transfer the rubric score automatically to the Score textbox on the Evaluation panel.
- Cancel - Discards all changes made to the rubric.
- Select a level of achievement for each criteria listed.
- Close the Rubric popup window to return to the Evaluation Panel.
- Score - The rubric's calculated score will populate in the Score Textbox.
- Student View Preview - This area gives an example of how the student's score will be presented in the student view. To change the Student View, click the dropdown arrow.
- Feedback - Any feedback entered on the associated rubric will automatically populate in this
textbox. Enter any additional feedback into the Feedback textbox, noting that you have the ability to embed videos, hyperlinks, and other
HTML content into this area.
- Add a File - If applicable, you may attach a feedback file(s) that only the selected student
will see. You may attach multiple files. To remove an attached file, click the red (X) icon to the right of the attached file's name.
- Saving Options - Select a saving option by clicking the appropriate button.
- Publish - Saves all scores and feedback, publishing the scores to the student and, if applicable, to the gradebook.
- Save as Draft - Saves all scores and feedback but does not publish the scores to the student or the gradebook.
- Update - Saves any new changes to published scores and feedback.
Publishing Grades and Feedback
- From the Dropbox Folders List page, click the name of the Folder to view its submissions.
- In the Submissions table, identify the student's with feedback saved that you would like to publish and place a checkmark in the selectcheckbox to the left of the student's name.
- Click the Publish Feedback action button.
Reorder Dropbox Folders
Control the order your dropbox folders appear with the Reorder option.
- From the Folder List page, click the More Actions button and select Reorder from the dropdown menu.
- Select a number in the in the Sort Order dropdown. Note that the sort order will dynamically update with each sort order number
you select or change.
- Click Save to return to the Folder List page.
Delete Dropbox Folders
Delete a dropbox folder by using the Delete feature.
- From the Folder List page, click the More Actions button and select Delete from the dropdown menu.
- Mark the checkbox of the folder or folders you would like to delete.
- Click the Delete Selected button.
- Click Cancel to return to the Folder List page.
Restore Deleted Dropbox Folders
If you have inadvertently deleted a dropbox folder, use the restore action to reverse the deletion.
- From the Folder List page, click the More Actions button and select Event Log from the dropdown menu.
- Locate the Dropbox folder you would like to restore, noting that you may have to navigate through multiple pages of deleted folders.
- Click the Restore button.
- Look for the confirmation popup to appear at the bottom of your browser window.
- Navigate back to your Folder List page by using the breadcrumb trail.
