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Assignments in DeanDesk live inside each course and cover everything from written submissions to document uploads and multimedia quizzes. Instructors create and grade assignments from the course dashboard; students submit and track their work from the same interface. From any course, click the Assignments tab. You’ll see a list of all assignments for that course, sorted by due date. Click any assignment to open it. To see assignments across all your courses in one place, go to Assignments from the main navigation sidebar. This view shows every assignment across every course you teach or manage, filterable by course, due date, or status.

Creating an assignment

1

Open the Assignments tab

Navigate to the course and click the Assignments tab.
2

Click New Assignment

Select New Assignment from the top of the assignments list.
3

Fill in the assignment details

FieldDescription
TitleThe name students see in their assignment list
DescriptionInstructions, requirements, and context for the task
Due DateThe deadline for submissions
Supporting MaterialsFiles or links students need to complete the assignment
Assignment TypeHow students are expected to submit their work
4

Save the assignment

Click Save. The assignment appears in the course’s Assignments tab and on each enrolled student’s dashboard immediately.
Students receive a notification when a new assignment is created. They can see all their upcoming due dates from their personalized dashboard.

Assignment types

DeanDesk supports three assignment types. Choose the one that matches what you’re asking students to do.
TypeHow it works
Standard submissionStudents write a response or paste a link directly in the submission field
Document uploadStudents attach one or more files (PDFs, Word documents, images, etc.)
Quiz / AssessmentStudents answer questions built into DeanDesk, with support for multimedia question types

Quizzes and assessments

The quiz builder lets you create multimedia assessments that students complete directly in DeanDesk.
1

Choose Quiz / Assessment as the type

When creating an assignment, set the Assignment Type to Quiz / Assessment.
2

Add questions

Click Add Question and choose a question type:
Question typeDescription
Multiple choiceOne or more correct answers from a list of options
Short answerStudents type a text response
Long answerOpen-ended written response with a larger text field
File uploadStudents submit a document or image as their answer
MediaAttach an image, audio clip, or video to the question itself
3

Set point values

Assign a point value to each question. DeanDesk can calculate a total score automatically for multiple-choice questions.
4

Save and publish

Click Save. The quiz appears in the course assignments list and is accessible to enrolled students.
For assessments that require document uploads alongside quiz responses, set the type to Quiz / Assessment and include a File Upload question. This keeps the submission and the grading in one place.

How students submit assignments

Students access assignments from their course page or their personalized dashboard. The submission process depends on the assignment type:
  • Standard submission: Students type or paste their response into the submission field and click Submit.
  • Document upload: Students click Upload File, select their document, and click Submit.
  • Quiz: Students answer each question in sequence and click Submit Quiz when finished.
Once a student submits an assignment, they cannot edit their submission unless you reopen the assignment for them. To reopen a submission, open the student’s submission record and click Allow Resubmission.

Reviewing student submissions

1

Open the assignment

Go to the Assignments tab in the course and click the assignment you want to review.
2

View the submission list

You’ll see a list of all enrolled students and their submission status — Submitted, Not submitted, or Late.
3

Open a submission

Click a student’s name to view their submission. Document uploads open inline; quiz responses show each question and the student’s answer.

Giving grades and feedback

1

Open the student's submission

From the assignment’s submission list, click the student’s name.
2

Enter a grade

Type the grade in the Grade field. You can enter a number, a letter grade, or a custom value depending on your grading format.
3

Add written feedback

Use the Feedback field to leave comments. Feedback is private — only the individual student sees it.
4

Upload a marked-up document (optional)

If you annotated the student’s work or created a feedback document, attach it using Upload Feedback File.
5

Save the grade

Click Save Grade. The grade is recorded in the course Gradebook and the student is notified.
Grades you enter on individual submissions flow automatically into the course Gradebook. You don’t need to enter grades in two places.