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What is an Assignment?
An Assignment is a question or a set of questions
which is distance learners complete on work on &
send for teaching comments & grading or marking

ASSIGNMENTS IN DE: ACADEMIC

ASPECTS
Purpose
To teach at a distance, facilitate learning
To assess learners progress, provide feedback
To motivate learners (break isolation)

TYPE
Knowledge based; application/skill based
TMAs (text based; field based)
CMAs
Group assignments
To be seen in a continuum
SAQs
activities
term- end exam

assignment

projects

COMMUNICATION (TWO WAY)

Academic
Personal
Supplemental

Assignment
Teaching tool
Instrument for interaction and
communication between tutor and
distance learner)

Decide

Assignment? Essential or desirable

Conceptual level

essential

Institutional level

becoming desirable

Some institutions use

an assessment device
NOT
as teaching tool

GRADING/MARKING EXERCISE

Commenting

Grading

Commenting Academic Communication commenting

on the A-Rs help the learner

To sustain interest in learning

To get motivated in preparing the units

Active learning is possible

Facilitate learning

Assess his/her progress in the course

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KINDS OF A TUTOR-COMMENTS
Tutor Comments

Non-Teaching Type

Teaching Type
NE

HE

GE

PE
HL

NL
MG

CE

TUTOR COMMENTS

Margin Comments

Global comments

(Feedback on progress, break isolation, remedial

suggestions, improving study skills, clarify ambiguities,
link to audio-vide, etc.
a) Teaching comments
b) Non-teaching comments

TEACHING COMMENTS

Positive comments

Constructive comments

Global comments

Personal comments

NON-TEACHING COMMENTS

Harmful comments

Hollow comments

Misleading comments

Null comments

Negative comments

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HW

Hollow Comments
e.g Pl Read the block once again & re-co it

HL-

Harmful comments
Really bad, go through the unit again

MC

Misleading- Re-do the assignment again

?-??? x

Null Comments

Positive Comments- Your argument is quite appropriate &

rich
Constructive comments: Besides your discussion you
could have made your response more authentic by
disccing the following issues (i) (ii). (iii)
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GLOBAL COMMENTS

Grade

Accurate information 5 point scale

Comprehension
Logical (good/poor)
Conceptual analysis
Well planned
Concise
Clearly expressed

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GRADING/SCORING

Matching margin and global comments with grade/score

awared

Reliability of grade/score

Validity of grade/score

Weightage to continuous evaluation

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EVALUATION OF ASSIGNMENTS

Writing the marginal comments

Awarding marks to the ARs

Writing global comments

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STEPS

Going through the concerned text in the module/unit

Going through the assignment question and noting its

expectations

Formulating an ideal-response (Assessons Ideal

Response)

Checking the organisational aspects of the A-R

Order

Clarity

Correct language

Critical analysis

Presetnation

Argument

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DESIGNING MARKING SCHEMES (Phil Race)

Could anyone mark any assignment and agree its score

within a mark or two,

Does the scheme allow credit for alternative good

answers?

Distribute marks fairly, according to the relative

components of answers?

Could the marking scheme be issue to learners?

Does the marking scheme remove subjective marking?

Does the scheme make it easier and quicker to mark

assignments?

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LETTER GRADE

GRADE
POINT

GRADE RANGE

A
B
C
D
E

5
4
3
2
1

4.50 and above

3.50 to 4.49
2.50 to 3.49
1.50 to 2.49
0.50 to 1.49

Excellent
Very good
Good
Satisfactory
unsatisfactory

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