An Evaluation of on-Line Assignment Submission, Marking, and Return

Abstract

Technology has made a significant impact on assessment, including its use to automate assignment submission. On-line assignment submission, marking, and return were introduced into a fourth-year engineering management unit for the first time, and a formal evaluation was undertaken to assess student perceptions of this new development. Nearly all respondents understood how to submit their assignments on-line. More than 80% of respondents understood how to retrieve their assignment marks on-line, but only just over half that proportion understood how to get their assignment comments/ feedback. More than 80% of respondents felt that their assignments were returned faster on-line. Respondents rated the ease of use of the on-line assignment submission system highly. Speed, timeliness, and convenience of operation were reported as positive aspects. The most commonly reported negative aspects related to an arbitrary assignment submission file size limitation that forced some students to reconsider their use of large graphic images.