How to Set Up and Grade Real-World Activities in Moodle: A Step-by-Step Guide
When creating assignments that require students to participate in external activities, it’s essential to ensure the process is simple, transparent, and accurate. In this post, we’ll walk through the process of setting up an assignment in Moodle where the assessment is done by an instructor, not automatically by the system. This guide is perfect for those looking to grade real-world participation, such as attending a workshop or event.
Step 1: Enable Editing Mode
To begin, you need to ensure that editing mode is turned on in Moodle. Once you’re in your course, click the “Turn editing on” button to unlock the ability to add and modify assignments.
Step 2: Add an Assignment
Next, select Add an Activity or Resource and choose Assignment. In this case, we’ll be creating “Task Number 5” as our new assignment.
Step 3: Set Assignment Details
- Assignment Name: Give your assignment a clear name, such as “Illustrator for Design Learning and Education Session Attendance.”
- Description: In this case, the activity is simple—students are required to attend a specific session, so there’s no need for lengthy descriptions.
Now, it’s time to set the grading details:
- Grade: Instead of using numerical points, this assignment will use a Competency Scale.
- Competency Scale: Set the scale to Competent/Not Competent. The default scale consists of three levels:
- 0: Not Attempted
- 1: Not Competent
- 2: Competent
- The passing grade for this assignment is 2 (Competent). So, students will pass if they are marked as competent by the instructor.
Step 4: Submission Settings
Because this assignment is not submitting any files or text, we can leave submission options blank. The submissions field is unnecessary, as the activity is marked by the instructor rather than requiring the student to submit anything.
Here’s what we recommend for the submission settings:
- Require students to click submit: No
- Allow multiple attempts: Never
- Leave Group settings as is.
- Notifications: Set to notify the student when the grade is entered.
Step 5: Activity Completion
Now, let’s configure the Activity Completion settings:
- Since students don’t need to view the activity or submit anything, set the completion criteria to:
- Require a grade to complete the activity
- Require a passing grade to complete the activity
This ensures the student must receive a passing grade (Competent) to consider the assignment complete.
Step 6: Save the Assignment
Once you’ve set up the activity, click Save and Display to finalize your assignment setup. Now Task Number 5 is ready to be assigned to students.
Step 7: Grading the Assignment
When it’s time for grading, the instructor will access the assignment and can view the submissions. In this case, since there are no submissions (as the students simply attend the session), the instructor will manually assign a grade.
To grade:
- Go to View All Submissions.
- Select the student’s name, and in the grade section, choose between:
- Competent (2)
- Not Yet Competent (1)
- After selecting the grade, click Save Changes.
Step 8: Student View
Once graded, the student can view their result. If they are marked as Competent, they’ll see the grade as green and a 100% for that activity, indicating they’ve successfully completed the required task.
Why Use a Competency Scale?
This grading method is ideal for tasks that require participation but are difficult to assess with traditional submission-based methods. It offers a clear, pass/fail system that lets instructors easily track student participation in real-world events or activities.
Setting up assignments for real-world activities in Moodle is straightforward, even when the grading process involves manual input from an instructor. By using a competency scale, students can be easily evaluated based on their participation, without the need for file submissions or online texts. This ensures both the instructor and the student know exactly what is expected for success.
