Category: Technologies

Evaluation and Reflection, Technologies

Accepting Multiple Assignment Attempts

Riaz Toorabally

KEATS (Moodle) allows assignment submissions in many ways – this is a record of how a simple question became an extended investigation.

Academic Staff Requirements

Can I check what my students have previously uploaded?”

An academic colleague had used Blackboard (another Virtual Learning Environment) before coming to the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences (NMES) at King’s. He asked if KEATS, our Moodle instance, could behave like Blackboard and allow students to submit multiple attempts to a programming assignment any time they want.

After a follow-up call with the academic colleague, it became clear that the aim was to be able to access anything students had uploaded prior to their final submission, as the latter might contain a wrong or broken file, and grade with reference to a previous submission (programme code or essay draft).

He had the following requirements:

  • Notification emails to both staff and students when a file is uploaded successfully
  • Students to be able to submit as often as they want
  • Marker to be able to review all uploaded attempts to:
    • be able to award marks if an earlier submitted programme code worked fine but a later submission introduced bugs breaking the programme, and
    • monitor the programming code development and make comments, compare changes, and to prevent collusion

This investigation looks at practical solutions to administering programming assignments as well as non-programming ones such as essays.

Background: Assessments on Blackboard (VLE)

In a Blackboard  assignment, students are required to click a Submit button for the markers to access their work. If multiple attempts are allowed, students can submit other attempts at any time, which will be stored as Attempt 1, Attempt 2 and so on and are available for the markers to view. This way, staff can review previous submissions, however, they cannot access drafts.

Screenshot of a Blackboard assignment allows multiple attempts
Blackboard assignment allows multiple attempts

KEATS: Moodle Assignment

The first step was to investigate the options and settings in Moodle Assignment, which is the tool that was already used by most colleagues for similar assignments.

With our current default settings, students can make changes to their uploaded files as much as they want, and submission is finalised only at the assignment deadline. Although instructors can see the latest uploaded files (draft)  even before the deadline, files removed/replaced by students will no longer be accessible to staff. This means, only one version is accessible to markers.

Multiple submissions can be enabled with the use of the “Require student to click the Submit button” setting for staff to review previous attempts, as on Blackboard. Feedback can be left on each attempt. However, students cannot freely submit new attempts because staff need to be involved to manually grant additional attempts to each student. Submissions are time-stamped and can be reviewed by students and markers, but students can only get notification emails after grading whereas markers can get notifications for submissions. Our problem was not resolved yet.

Screenshot of a marker accessing unsubmitted drafts and leaving feedback
Marker accessing unsubmitted drafts and leaving feedback
Screenshot of a student reviewing feedback for different attempts
Student reviewing feedback for different attempts.
Screenshot of a student reviewing feedback for different attempts (cropped version with highlight).
Student reviewing feedback for different attempts (cropped version with highlight).

KEATS: Moodle Quiz

We then considered Moodle Quiz, which some departments at King’s already use to collect scanned exam scripts: a Quiz containing an Essay-type question that allows file upload.

Screenshot of quiz attempt.

While exams usually only allow one single attempt, Moodle Quiz can be set to allow multiple attempts (Grade > Attempts allowed). The “Enforced delay between attempts” setting (from seconds to weeks) under “Extra restrictions on attempts” may be used to avoid spamming attempts. Student can submit new attempts as often as needed because no staff intervention is needed. The drawback is that there is no submission notification or emails, but the quiz summary screen should indicate to the student that the file is submitted. The Quiz attempts page for markers allows for easy review of previous attempts and feedback on each attempt. It is also possible to download all submissions as in Moodle Assignment. This was recommended to the academic colleague as an interim solution while we continued the investigation.

Possible Policy Concerns

Regarding unlimited re-submissions, Quality Assurance colleagues reminded us that students may challenge (i) a perceived inequality in opportunities to get feedback, or (ii) subconscious bias based on previous submissions. Good communication with students and a structured schedule or arrangements should improve expectations from both sides.

Turnitin Assignment and Other Assessment Options

Although the Moodle Quiz appeared to be a solution, we also considered other tools, some of which are readily integrated with KEATS at King’s:

Turnitin assignment allows multiple submissions as an option, but re-submissions will overwrite previously uploaded files. Alternatively, if it is set to a multi-part assignment, each part will be considered mandatory. However, the workflow for Turnitin assignment is not optimal for programming assignments.

Turnitin’s Gradescope offers Multi-Version Assignments for certain assignment types. It is available on KEATS for the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical, and Engineering Sciences (NMES). However, its programming assignment does not support assignment versioning yet.

Edit history is available for Moodle Wiki and OU Wiki; whereas Moodle Forum, Open Forum, Padlet and OU Blog allow continuous participation and interaction between students. These tools could be useful for group programming or other social collaborative learning projects, which is not a direct replacement for an individual programming assignment but an alternative mode of assessment.

Portfolios: Mahara has Timeline (version tracking) as an experimental feature. This may be suitable for essays but not for programming assignments.

Tracking Changes

Tracking changes is an important feature to show development in programming assignments or essays, and cloud platforms (OneDrive, Google Drive, GitHub) can host files and track changes. When used for assignments, student can submit a Share link to allow instructors to access and assess their work and how the work evolved over time. The disadvantage for this option is that the grading experience will be less integrated with Moodle. Some cloud platforms offer a File request feature where students can submit their files to a single location.

Programming Assignments

Industries such as software development use Git as a standard and all changes are tracked. GitHub offers GitHub Classroom, and it can be used with different VLEs including Moodle, but it is not readily integrated with KEATS and requires setup. There may be privacy concerns as students need to link their own accounts.

The Outcomes / Lessons learnt

  • This showcases how a simple question from academic colleague can lead to the exploration of various existing options and exploration of new tools and solutions.
  • Different options are available on KEATS with their pros and cons.
  • Existing tools, possible solutions, policies, and other considerations come into play.

Conclusion / Recommendations

KEATS Quiz matches the case requirements and was recommended to the academic colleague. It went smoothly and our colleague mentioned there were no complaints from students and they are happy with the recommended solution. It is relatively easy to setup and straightforward for students to submit. Clear step-by-step instructions  to staff and students should be enough, but trialling this with a formative assignment would also help.

Depending on the task or subject nature, other tools may work better for different kinds of tasks. TEL colleagues are always there to help!

Useful Links

Written by Antonio Cheung

Antonio is a Senior TEL Officer at the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences (NMES).

September 2023

News and Events, Pedagogy, Technologies

Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning (CTEL) CPD Training Sessions

Aaron Sangha

The Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning (CTEL) has a wide range of new development sessions available to all staff. These sessions range from how to record, edit and upload videos; creating interactive learning resources using Kaltura, our video and media service; as well as various workshops on using KEATS, our Virtual Learning Environment.

These sessions will be run by Microsoft Teams Meetings. Click the Skills Forge links below to find timings and book on available sessions. Please contact ctel@kcl.ac.uk for more information.

Introductory Session

KEATS

Content Creation and Video Editing

Delivering synchronous online teaching

Assessment

Internationalisation

Moodle 4, Pedagogy, Technologies

Introducing the New KEATS Education Templates

Aaron Sangha

The KEATS Education Templates (KET) are a set of standardised templates that have been designed to improve the digital learning experience for students at King’s College London. The templates adhere to UXD (user experience design) good practice, and are designed to be performant, scalable, and in line with accessibility standards.

The KET were developed in consultation with King’s students and academic and professional services staff. They were, and continue to be, steered and shaped by the needs of their users.

Three formats for the template are available for use.

Collapsed Topics

King's KEATS Education Template 23/24: Collapsed Topics (for importing) showing the categories of; course, settings, Participants, Grades, Reports and More. The Course highlights different tabs such as; Timetable, Module Overview, Assessment and Week 1/Topic

Grid

Screenshot showing the Module Home page featuring a Timetable, Module Overview, Assessment and Week 1/Topic tabs.

Topics

Screenshot of King's KEATS Education Template 23/24: Topics (for importing) showing the categories of; course, settings, Participants, Grades, Reports and More. The Course highlights different tabs such as; Timetable, Module Overview, Assessment and Week 1/Topic

Why use the KEATS Education Templates?

The benefits of using the KEATS Education Templates, include: 

User Experience: The templates are designed to be easy to use and navigate, making it easier for students to find the information they need. 

Scalability: The templates are designed to be scalable, so they can be used for courses of all sizes. 

Consistency: The templates help to create a consistent look and feel across all KEATS course pages, which can help to improve the overall user experience. 

How to use the KEATS Education Templates

You will find guidance on implementing the templates on the KEATS Education Template (KET) Guidance page.

The guidance includes step-by-step instructions for adding the template to your KEATS page and a checklist of tasks required to edit the page after applying the template.

The first page of the guidance (Overview) includes links to the importable templates, as well as example courses with the templates applied.

Written by Fariha Choi 

Fariha Choi is a Learning Technologist at the Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning and has been with CTEL since June 2021. She has a particular interest in educational multimedia and has worked as a Learning Technologist, eLearning Developer and Learning and Development Manager for the past 11 years. 

Technologies

Ever wondered how your students see your KEATS course? Create temporary users to find out…

Sue Harrison

King’s has recently released a new KEATS feature that allows staff who manage a module area to create a set of temporary user accounts. These accounts only last a few days, but can be used to log into KEATS and explore module spaces exactly as a student would.

Benefits of Temporary Users

By creating temporary users you can:

  • Test a student’s journey through your learning material
  • Investigate and understand how assessment tools work from a student perspective
  • Make sure that content displays how and when you expect it to

Guidance on Creating Temporary Users

Information on how to create temporary users is available in the KEATS Staff Documentation under Creating Temporary Users.

Screenshot of Temporary Users Creation options
Create Temporary Users in your KEATS Course

The “Temporary user creation” functionality is available for the Course Administration menu of your KEATS course and you can create up to 3 accounts at any one time, that will last a maximum of 14 days.

When you create the users they are automatically enrolled in the course created them in and the “Student” role. Once you have created a temporary user you can log in using the account details via keats.kcl.ac.uk/?redirect=0.

Tips:

  • Once a Temporary user is created you can enrol the users into any KEATS area you wish.
  • If your module space is still hidden give the temporary account the role “Student Tester” so they are able to access the material.
  • If you don’t see the Temporary user creation link in you Course Administration Menu then contact your local Digital Education team as they may need to enable the functionality for your part of KEATS.

 

Moodle 4, News and Events, Technologies

KEATS Upgrade: What to expect as a student

Sue Harrison

On 18 July 2023 KEATS (Moodle) will be upgraded, with KEATS being unavailable for all staff and students from 6am and for most of upgrade day.

As part of this upgrade KEATS is getting a makeover and as such will look different for students logging back in after 18 July. The resources and teaching materials available via KEATS will remain the same, but the look of your courses will be different as improvements to the user interface and navigation are introduced.

New look KEATS will include:

Improved Dashboard & Separate My Course Page

When you login to KEATS your Dashboard will allow easy access to courses you have recently accessed and provide you with a timeline highlighting activities which have tasks and deadlines upcoming. A separate ‘My Courses’ page is also available allowing you search, access and highlight important courses for you.

KEATS (Moodle Dashboard)
New look KEATS Dashboard highlighting recently accessed courses and a timeline of upcoming activities

Navigable Table of Contents within Courses

When accessing a KEATS course, an Index Drawer is provided on the left of screen to allow you easy access to different sections and resources within the course. This index is collapsible/expandable to allow individuals to focus better on the main content as needed.

Collapsible Blocks & Resources

Similar to the table of contents, a series of blocks and resources are available on the right of screen via a collapsible/expandable Block Drawer. These blocks provide you with access to key resources and information, but can be minimised to declutter the screen as needed.

Screenshot of new-look KEATS course, displaying content in a grid format
A KEATS course showing the collapsible/expandable Index Drawer on the left and the Block Drawer on the right.

Improved Design for Mobile Devices

Our new version of KEATS is responsive to mobile and tablet devices allowing your courses to be better displayed and navigated.

New look KEATS for desktop and mobile
New look KEATS is responsively designed for screens of different sizes

Please note, faculties and departments use KEATS in different ways and may have different templates and approaches for you to be aware of. If you are in the middle of teaching during this upgrade and are experiencing unexpected changes, please do contact your Programme Team in the first instance.

Moodle 4, News and Events, Technologies

Check-out what your KEATS course will look like in Moodle 4

Sue Harrison

KEATS is being upgraded on the 18 July 2023 and will be getting a make over (see our blog post New look KEATS coming in July 2023). As well as incorporating new, modern branding guidelines the interface aims to make doing the things you want to achieve in KEATS easier.  

To help you prepare for the upgrade, a read-only test environment is available to staff which has the new theme applied. You can jump straight from KEATS to the test environment from a course to see what the content looks like using the new theme. You can also log into the site directly at https://keatsuat4x.kcl.ac.uk/ (staff only).  

Linking to the test site is being enabled locally within faculties and departments, but one thing to look out for is a new block on your course page that allows you to make the jump directly to the equivalent course in the test site. This block (and the test site) is available to staff only.

Screenshot of block enabling access to upgraded Moodle for staff

You will see changes in the look-and-feel of KEATS over time as the branding is still being developed. Look out for the new primary menus that help you get to Participant lists, Grades and other Reports (your course settings will also be here, but aren’t visible in the test environment) and keep an eye out for our blog posts giving further details on the upcoming changes.  

Screenshot of new-look KEATS course, displaying content in a grid format
Disclaimer: This may look different in your faculty

Please note: course content in the test site is a snapshot from March 2023. Any course developments after this time won’t be available in the test site. You can also access your Dashboard and the new My Courses page to browse the site as usual. 

Moodle 4, News and Events, Pedagogy, Technologies

New look KEATS coming in July 2023

Sue Harrison

KEATS will be upgraded to Moodle 4 on 18 July 2023 (see KEATS Upgrade to Moodle 4 Blog post for further information).

As part of this upgrade the look-and-feel of KEATS will be updated to bring it in line with emerging King’s Digital Brand Guidelines, improving consistency for staff and students across our digital platforms.

The new theme for KEATS will be primarily available for layouts which display modules and courses in a Topics or Grid formats. All course pages will be presented with a left-hand navigation and a right hand-panel for module/programme specific information as required, both of which can be expanded/collapsed as required.

KEATS Course Grid Format

KEATS new-look grid format
KEATS New Look Grid Format

KEATS Course Topics Format

GIF of a new look KEATS Course Topics Format
New Look KEATS Topics Format

 

Screenshots

Click on the screenshots below to view larger images of the new look-and- feel for KEATS coming in July 2023.

Evaluation and Reflection, Technologies

Introducing CMALT programme at King’s College – Part 1

Sultan Wadud

In September 2021 King’s launched its first CMALT (Certified Membership of the Association for Learning Technology) programme cohort aimed at helping 15 colleagues put together an evidence-based portfolio in order to gain CMALT accreditation.

What is CMALT?
Certified Membership of the Association for Learning Technology (CMALT) is the learning technologist’s ‘kitemark.’ This professional certification (and membership) recognises your expertise and experience in your field. Benefits to candidates are in the form of reflection on their professional practice, mentoring from experienced colleagues and peer-to-peer support. CMALT also, increasingly, appears on TEL job specifications so gaining CMALT (and with it post-nominal letters which you are allowed then to use) provides both CPD and career-development opportunities. You join an established community or practice, are invited to ALT meetings and events; and can view and contribute to publications.

The CMALT Accreditation Framework provides pathways to peer-assessed accreditation for a cross-section of learning technology-focused professionals, educators and administrators in the UK and internationally. Accreditation is achieved by the successful submission of a reflective, online portfolio, which evidences skills and experience in learning technology across four core areas and a specialist area. There are three different pathways to choose from to best match an individual’s experience: Associate Certified Member, Certified Member and Senior Certified Member.

First steps:
•  Having joined King’s in 2018, I quickly realised I was one of only a few colleagues in the institution that held CMALT accreditation. Given the size of King’s and the number of TEL colleagues, I wanted to see if I could support colleagues in gaining CMALT recognition.
•  I originally attempted to launch a pilot programme in late February 2019 with a small group of colleagues from my team in CTEL, however, the Covid pandemic hit and efforts were instead prioritised elsewhere.
•  In early 2021, I along with three other colleagues (David Reid Matthews, Danielle Johnston and Fariha Choi) came together to resurrect the CMALT programme. We formed the CMALT planning team to create a year-long programme and agreed to become mentors to the colleagues taking part.
We successfully bid for funding from the Students and Education Directorate (SED) for up to 20 places on the new programme (see CMALT registration fees for more info).
•  We began sharing information about the new programme and asked interested parties to complete a show of interest form (Google Form).
In the summer of 2021, we invited all interested colleagues to an online (MS Teams) 1h CMALT Information Session to provide further details about the accreditation and what the programme entailed. Of 25 that attended the session 15 opted to sign up for the 2021/22 CMALT programme with the remaining either deferring to the following academic year or deciding to remove their interest from the programme.

Make up the first Cohort:

Pie Chart showing the distribution of the 15 members who attend the programme. With Faculty TEL having the highest with 8, Followed by CTEL with 5 and Other being 2.

The programme schedule
•  The programme would start in September 2021 with each month focusing on a section of the portfolio, delivered purely online via MS Teams. We provided two months (December and June) when no meetings took place to allow colleagues to catch up.

Here is the full schedule of our CMALT programme:

For more detail please refer to Part 2 of this blog:

https://blogs.kcl.ac.uk/digitaleducation/?p=1511&preview=true

 

Written by Sultan Wadud and David Reid Matthews

Wadud works as a Learning Technologist, Faculty Liaison at CTEL, working closely with Academic Faculties and Departments to support and drive the implementation of the King’s Technology Enhanced Learning ‘Transformation in Digital Learning’ strategy.
Wadud supports the management and delivery of multiple projects aimed at both the development of academics’ pedagogic understanding and the practice of technology enhanced learning.
Wadud is the product owner for Kaltura and one of the leads for the CMALT programme at King’s. In addition to this Wadud oversees the Digital Education Blog.

David is the TEL Manager for Arts & Humanities and joined King’s in 2018. He leads a team of learning technologists supporting a large and complex faculty, providing mainly 2nd line support, training and troubleshooting on our core, recognised and recommended TEL tools. David has worked in learning technology since 2011, having previously (and improbably) been a Lecturer in Theatre Studies. His particular interests are in legislation and policy around TEL, as well as IT Service Management and Delivery. David is one of the leads for the CMALT programme at King’s.

Evaluation and Reflection, Pedagogy, Technologies

Introducing CMALT programme at King’s College – part 2

Sultan Wadud

This is Part 2 of Introducing CMALT programme at King’s College (Read part 1)

Resources and interactions
• We created a Moodle site to host all the information relating to CMALT accreditation and provided resource links, session recordings and presentations for colleagues to be able to refer to or catch up on anything they have missed.

KEATS page for CMALT programme

• In addition to the Moodle area we set up a Microsoft Teams site to allow us to send general announcements, plan for meetings and private areas for mentor groups:


Example of Teams announcement to Cohort 1:

Mentor support
• Whilst each meeting had an opportunity for colleagues to have shared contact time with their mentors, additional mentor support was provided on an ad hoc and individual basis. In Cohort 1, some colleagues utilised this consistently throughout the programme whilst a few left it to the end to seek help.
• 93% of Cohort 1 either strongly agreed or agreed their mentors facilitated appropriate discussion and reflection throughout the programme:

• 12 out of the 15 colleagues took the opportunity and connected with their mentors outside of the monthly Teams meetings.

Cohort 1 completion
• Overall, we had 14 submissions to ALT with one colleague deciding to re-join the programme with Cohort 3.
• We received feedback from all colleagues who took part in the programme, with the majority offering positive feedback. Nearly all colleagues fed back that the frequency (monthly meetings) and length of sessions (1h) of the sessions were just right.
The majority utilised the Moodle areas during their time on the programme.
• “Being a part of a cohort was great and enabled me to work collaboratively/share ideas with others on this project. However, starting very early on in the process without the pressure of fixed deadlines meant I probably took it too easy, so having deadlines for (formative) feedback in the 6 months run-up to our submission date would have been helpful”
• We took this feedback on board to introduce two draft deadlines for sections 1-2 by January and 2-3 by late March. In addition to this, we encouraged colleagues not to leave it to the end to seek help and have regular contact with mentors.
• Moodle discussion board – except for two posts in the Moodle discussion board we noticed majority of interactions were taking place in our Teams areas. For Cohort 2 we decided to remove the Moodle discussion board and replace it with one in the Teams area.

Cohort 2 and beyond
• In 2022 we expanded the programme for Cohort 2 to include all three pathways of CMALT which resulted in 22 signups (x18 CMALT, x3 Associate CMALT and x1 Senior CMALT).
• If funding is provided for a third cohort, we will offer the senior CMALT pathway as for Cohort 2 Senior CMALT was only available to the mentors.
• King’s has recently applied to do CMALT in-house accreditation which we hope will allow us to provide quicker assessment and feedback turnout.
• ALT requires CMALT holders to refresh their portfolios after three years of obtaining accreditation. This is something the planning team is anticipating offering to the first cohort in 2026.
• The long-term aspiration of the CMALT programme at King’s is for it to become self-seeding after the first few years. We have already had one Cohort 1 candidate who has become a Cohort 2 mentor, and, in future, we expect CMALT holders to move up the CMALT pathways once they gain more experience as well as come back to mentor and support the next generation.

Written by Sultan Wadud and David Reid Matthews

Wadud works as a Learning Technologist, Faculty Liaison at CTEL, working closely with Academic Faculties and Departments to support and drive the implementation of the King’s Technology Enhanced Learning ‘Transformation in Digital Learning’ strategy.
Wadud supports the management and delivery of multiple projects aimed at both the development of academics’ pedagogic understanding and the practice of technology enhanced learning.
Wadud is the product owner for Kaltura and one of the leads for the CMALT programme at King’s. In addition to this Wadud oversees the Digital Education Blog.

David is the TEL Manager for Arts & Humanities and joined King’s in 2018. He leads a team of learning technologists supporting a large and complex faculty, providing mainly 2nd line support, training and troubleshooting on our core, recognised and recommended TEL tools. David has worked in learning technology since 2011, having previously (and improbably) been a Lecturer in Theatre Studies. His particular interests are in legislation and policy around TEL, as well as IT Service Management and Delivery. David is one of the leads for the CMALT programme at King’s.

Climate Protest Banners by Klara Miran Ipek, synthesising climate litigation cases, they aim to bring legal messages to climate protests and engage the public in discussions about the role of courts in the climate crisis.
Pedagogy, Technologies

Using Moodle Assignment for a Creative Assessment in Climate Law

Sultan Wadud

I run a postgraduate module entitled Global Law of Climate Change that introduces students to the role of law in the climate crisis. A few years ago, I decided to innovate by introducing a new form of summative assessment. It initially consisted in writing a research essay, to which I added a new component – the creation of a digital artefact. I wanted students to be able to translate their arguments and findings into communications which could be understood by an external audience without specific knowledge of climate law. The format that this artefact can take is decided by the student: so far, artefacts have included videos, poems, drawings, posters, Twitter threads and TikTok posts. I see several pedagogical advantages to this assessment: it invites students to engage with different ways of using law, it gives them the possibility to develop their own voice and it helps them build a portfolio of work that they can share with employers and the wider community.

Twitter thread on transnational climate litigation by Tristan Gabriel Bohn
Twitter thread on transnational climate litigation by Tristan Gabriel Bohn

From a technological perspective, this assessment gives rise to two main challenges. First, the creation of a digital artefact requires that students have some minimal technological skills, in terms of, for instance, creating a poster by using PowerPoint or recording and potentially editing a video. This has so far not created a significant obstacles, primarily because students are free to choose a format with which they are familiar. In addition, students are reassured that they did not need to use or buy specific software and that their technical abilities are not assessed. I signpost them to links within KEATS and beyond where they can find technical guidance and training, if necessary.

Drawing: 'Breathing In Or Out' by Camila Vidal McDonald, a visual representation of carbon sinks and the risks that they might turn into carbon sources at any moment.
Drawing: ‘Breathing In Or Out’ by Camila Vidal McDonald, a visual representation of carbon sinks and the risks that they might turn into carbon sources at any moment.

Second, the dual submission of a Word-processed essay and a file which is sometimes large in size presents some difficulties when it comes to their submission. As an assessor I need these to be in the same place so I can easily cross-reference and mark them together. Our School Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) team identified Moodle Assignment in KEATS as the best submission tool: it incorporates a Turnitin similarity check on the essay and allows large files to be submitted. Since students are used to submitted to Turnitin submission areas, the TEL team created tailored step by step guidance, explaining how to upload different file types to Moodle Assignment.

The creation and submission of the digital artefact generally goes smoothly, as long as students follow the guidance and do not leave their uploads to the last minute! While some students encounter some problems, these can normally easily be solved.

The most common difficulties are related to the following:

Process of uploading media files:

Media files are generally large and usually exceed the 500MB upload limit on KEATS. When this assessment was first implemented a few years ago, students were advised to compress their files before uploading directly to KEATS. Since 2021/22 the TEL team advised that this process should be changed as uploading large media files directly to KEATS can negatively impact the site’s performance. Instead, the TEL team recommended that such files are uploaded to Kaltura (King’s media service) and then embedded into the assignment tool using the online text box. Turnitin will provide a similarly report for media items can cause concern and queries from students, so it’s good to include this in the student guidance.

Student submission to Moodle Assignment with media upload to Kaltura
Student submission to Moodle Assignment with media upload to Kaltura

Student error:

Despite providing step by step instructions some students still tried to upload their media file directly to KEATS. When they do this, students may receive a message saying their file is too large. This can cause students concern and increase emails to the team.

Editing submissions:

Assignments can be resubmitted as often as students wish before the deadline, which is convenient as they can test the tool well ahead of time. However, this only works in ‘draft mode’, and once they click the ‘submit assignment’ button they are not able to make any more changes. When students misunderstand this process, the supporting Programme team has to manually reopen their submission to allow them to resubmit. There is also the risk that they forget to hit the ‘submit’ button once their submission is ready!

Failure to upload:

Students who wait until the last minute to submit sometimes face difficulties uploading and end up emailing their final submissions either to the module leader or to the Programme team. This creates additional work for staff and clogs inboxes with heavy files.

Children's Story: 'How the Ants of Darebin Started a Movement to Change the World' by Joshua B. Weiss, a short story written for children to convey the complexity of global climate negotiations.
Children’s Story: ‘How the Ants of Darebin Started a Movement to Change the World’ by Joshua B. Weiss, a short story written for children to convey the complexity of global climate negotiations.

The submission of a digital artefact does can present some difficulties but these should normally be minimal if clear and informative guidance is given to the students. The importance of following the guidance should be highlighted to students, and it is important that the supporting Programme team are aware of the upload process so they can offer assistance if needed. For future submission areas, the TEL team has recommended that the Programme team restrict the file types in the submission area. This will mean students cannot upload large mp4 files directly to KEATS and should reduce queries from students regarding file size. While this new type of assessment was initially tested with a group of fifteen students, the number of students taking the class has now tripled, which increases the complexity of the task. However, with guidance and support throughout the semester, it usually goes smoothly. And seeing the creativity of our students fulfilling this assessment is very inspiring.

Useful Links:

On the pedagogical aspects of this new type of assessment, see my blog post on King’s Academy Assessment for Learning: https://blogs.kcl.ac.uk/aflkings/2020/05/12/digital-artefacts-as-assessment-in-law/ 

The artefacts are currently being curated for a virtual exhibition, which is forthcoming: https://wordpress.er.kcl.ac.uk/climatelaw/

Guidance for students created by the TEL team: Using the Assignment Tool

Written by Dr Leslie-Anne Duvic-Paoli 

Dr Leslie-Anne Duvic-Paoli is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Law at The Dickson Poon School of Law and the Deputy Director of its Climate Law and Governance Centre. Her scholarship covers the ambiguous role played by environmental principles, the global legal implications of the clean energy transition and the role of citizens’ assemblies in the making of climate law and policy. With the Contribution of Clare Thompson, Technology-Enhanced Learning Officer, Dickson Poon School of Law.