Tasks and homework

A task is a piece of work you set for one or more students. It can carry instructions and files, ask for a written answer or an upload in return, and keeps the whole exchange — submission, feedback and questions — in one place.

Creating a task

Open Tasks and choose New task. A task needs a title and at least one recipient; everything else has a sensible default. You can attach up to three files of 10 MB each to the instructions.

  1. 01Go to Tasks and select New task.
  2. 02Give it a title, and instructions if the title is not self-explanatory.
  3. 03Attach any files the student needs — a worksheet, a reading, a recording.
  4. 04Set a due date if the work is time-bound. Overdue tasks are flagged for both of you.
  5. 05Choose what a response must contain, then pick the students it goes to.
  6. 06Publish it, or save it as a draft to finish later.

What a response can require

A task can accept a file upload, a written answer, or both — and each can be optional or required. A student cannot submit until the required parts are filled in, which saves you chasing half-finished work. Allow resubmission if you want them to be able to send a corrected version after you have looked at it. Submissions accept up to ten files totalling 30 MB.

Reviewing submissions

The task page lists every recipient with their status, so you can see at a glance who has answered. A feedback box appears once there is something to review.

  1. 01Open the task and find the student under Recipients.
  2. 02Read their written answer and open any files they attached.
  3. 03Write feedback — it is optional, and the student sees it on their copy of the task.
  4. 04Select Mark reviewed.

Questions and discussion

Every task carries threads: a group discussion all recipients can see, a private thread with each individual student, and — in an organization — a staff thread that students never see. Use the private thread for anything specific to one student, and the staff thread to leave context for whoever picks the work up next.

Creating tasks automatically

If you always set the same kind of work after a lesson, an upload rule can create the task for you. Rules live under Tasks, then Automation: give one a trigger word and a template — title, instructions, due date and response requirements — and it assigns the resulting task to that lesson's participants. A rule fires in one of two ways. Name the file with the trigger — matheia-a1b2c3d4__homework__fractions.pdf — which is what makes bulk uploads from the Events page automatic. Or simply choose the rule when you upload the file to a lesson. Either way the upload dialog names the task it is about to create before you confirm, and you can set it to none.

Common questions

Can I set a task without attaching anything?
Yes. Instructions alone are enough, and a task can equally ask for nothing back if you only want to pass a file along.
What happens when a task is overdue?
It stays open and the student can still submit. The task is marked overdue in both your list and theirs so it is easy to spot.
Can a student change an answer after submitting?
Only if you allowed resubmission when you created the task. Otherwise their submission is final once sent.
Do students see each other's answers?
No. Submissions and feedback are private to each student. Only the group discussion thread is shared.