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Frequently Asked Questions for Staff

  1. What do we mean by e-Submission?
  2. Where did the e-Submission Project originate?
  3. What are the targets for implementation for e-Submission?
  4. Why is the university moving towards e-Submission?
  5. Is e-Submission required for postgraduate submissions?
  6. Are there any exemptions for e-Submission??
  7. Who do I contact about health and safety considerations resulting from the move to e-Submission?
  8. How do I create a Turnitin Link for use with e-Submission?
  9. Is Turnitin for plagiarism checking affected by e-Submission?
  10. Is the Barcoded Front sheet still relevant?
  11. How do I mark using Turnitin GradeMark?
  12. How do I create common comments (QuickMark sets) in Turnitin GradeMark?
  13. How do I remove a QuickMark comment from a set?
  14. How do I create standard marking criteria (Rubrics) in Turnitin GradeMark?
  15. How do we Second mark in Turnitin GradeMark?
  16. How does External examining work in Turnitin GradeMark?
  17. How do we allow for late submissions and extenuation?
  18. How do I submit a Turnitin assignment on behalf of a student?
  19. What should I do if my student has disability or accessibility considerations which prevent them from using Turnitin?
  20. How do I get the grades into the Student Records System (DELTA)?
  21. How do we enable second opportunities using e-Submission?

1. What do we mean by e-Submission?

For the purpose of this project, ‘e-Submission’ refers to the electronic submission, electronic marking and electronic feedback of work. The e-Submission cycle is as follows:

  1. Students submit their coursework electronically via Turnitin
  2. Staff access the submitted work and provide feedback electronically using Turnitin GradeMark.
  3. Students access the same Turnitin link they submitted their work to and view / download the feedback provided.

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2. Where did the e-Submission Project originate?

The e-Submisson project originated as one of the outcomes of the Outstanding Student Experience Board and the resultant Outstanding Student Experience Plan.

"Action Ten: We will set up a project to bring in on-line submission of coursework (set up project May 2011. Target 20% of coursework on-line by Semester A 2011, 40% by Semester B 2012, at least 75% by Semester A 2012)."

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3. What are the targets for implementation for e-Submission?

The Outstanding Student Experience Plan sets institutional targets for the implementation of e-Submission. These targets are as follows:

  • 20% of coursework to be submitted electronically by Semester A 2011-12.
  • 40% of coursework to be submitted electronically by Semester B 2011-12.
  • At least 75% of coursework to be submitted electronically by Semester A 2012.

Academic Schools have created their own implementation plans for e-Submission, bringing levels, fields or programmes onboard with e-Submission in a way suitable for the individual school context.

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4. Why is the university moving towards e-Submission?

The main drivers of this project are to enhance our students’ experience with regards to submitting coursework and receiving and retaining feedback. Electronic submission, e-marking and e-feedback provide the following advantages:

  • Enabling off campus submission from any computer with an internet connection.
  • Removing the need to physically hand in work, with consequent reduction in Helpdesk queues, freeing helpdesk staff to respond to other student enquiries.
  • Increasing the time available for students prior to coursework submission (up to 23.59hrs on the day of submission) since this is not constrained by Helpdesk opening times.
  • Paper free, reducing environmental impact and printer queues.
  • More rapid availability of feedback, with online accessibility, from anywhere, further reducing unnecessary trips to campus and Helpdesk queuing.
  • Electronic feedback enables substantive and legible feedback for students.

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5. Is e-Submission required for postgraduate submissions?

Yes – the e-Submission targets are for all undergraduate submissions and the taught postgraduate coursework. The same exemptions apply for undergraduate submissions and postgraduate submissions and Dissertations with a 7000 word word-limit are exempt due to submission length.

Research Degrees are not subject to the e-Submission process described by this project. The Graduate School has a policy in place for the electronic submission of research degrees. See Section 9 of the Manual of General Regulations for further information.

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6. Are there any exemptions for e-Submission?

Submitting coursework electronically via Turnitin GradeMark (the preferred tool for e-Submission) will not be appropriate for a number of different coursework submissions. For example:

  • None text based submissions – If student submissions are not mainly text based (e.g. excel spreadsheets, image rich material, drawings, photography, architectural models, fashion garments)
  • Group Work – Turnitin does not appropriately support submissions and the equable return of feedback. Coursework requiring a group submission would not be required to be undertaken electronically at this stage.
  • Portfolios/e-Portfolios – Coursework submissions that require a variety of elements, through a variety of media e.g. presentations, graphs, hand written reflections etc are not required to be submitted electronically. Colleagues using portfolios may wish to consider the use of an e-Portfolio to support student submissions. For further information on e-Portfolios, contact the e-Learning team.
  • Dissertations – Due to the length of submission, dissertations are exempted from e-Submission. Any undergraduate submissions with a word limit of 5000 words and any postgraduate submissions with a word limit of 7000 words are exempted.

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7. Who do I contact about health and safety considerations resulting from the move to e-Submission?

If you have concerns about the Health and Safety implications of the move the e-Submission, contact the Occupational Health and Safety Unit to discuss the implications.

Follow the below links for UEL’s Display Screen Assessment guidance.

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8. How do I create a Turnitin Link for use with e-Submission?

Turnitin is being used in the same way as laid out in the Turnitin policy. Turnitin is a formative tool for students and students should be afforded the opportunity to submit their work as many times as required up until the deadline.

Log into UEL Plus and select the appropriate module site.

  • Ensure you are in the Build tab and select ‘Add Content Link > TurnitinUK Assignment > Create TurnitinUK Assignment’
  • Follow the instructions to create a Turnitin link, ensuring it is set to comply with the Turnitin Policy (allowing multiple submissions) and Assessment Policy (enabling anonymous submissions).

Detailed guidance on creating a Turnitin link is available from the Staff Support and How to Information section of the e-Submission guidance.

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9. Is Turnitin for plagiarism checking affected by e-Submission

No – the plagiarism and academic integrity side of Turnitin is unaffected by the implementation of e-Submission. When logging into the Turnitin Assignment Inbox, you have the opportunity to review the originality of the document (represented by the percentage similarity) and provide GradeMark comments (via the GradeMark tab) You can navigate between each tab with ease, saving time when identifying potential academic integrity issues.

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10. Is the Barcoded Front sheet still relevant?

The barcoded assignment front sheet is not relevant for electronic coursework submissions via Turnitin GradeMark. The information provided on the barcode is automatically available within Turnitin when the student submits. If you have a requirement for a specific front sheet to be used by students, a template of the front sheet will have to be made available within the UEL Plus site. Turnitin will only accept a single document submission and as such if you require the use of a front sheet, students will need to be informed to:

  • Download a word version of the front sheet from UEL Plus
  • Complete the front sheet with the appropriate information (e.g. student number, module code)
  • Copy and paste the front sheet onto their assignment, making it the first page.
  • Upload the entire document, including the pasted in front sheet into Turnitin.

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11. How do I mark using Turnitin GradeMark?

Turnitin GradeMark provides a number of features to enable you to provide feedback and mark student submissions. Turnitin enables feedback to be provided in the following ways:

  • Using predefined comments banks (QuickMark Sets), dragging and dropping them to appropriate points in the student work.
  • Typing individual comments on student work, using either a bubble comment or text comment.
  • Adding general comments and feedback for the entire paper. These comments are not added to the script but appear on the right of screen when the student accesses their feedback.
  • Using a standard marking criteria (rubric) to provide general feedback on a set of pre-defined marking criteria. Rubrics can be used to automatically calculate a grade if required.

Detailed guidance on creating QuickMark Sets, creating Rubrics and marking using GradeMark is available from the Staff Support and How to Information.

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12. How do I create common comments (QuickMark sets) in Turnitin GradeMark?

Turnitin GradeMark allows the creation of banks of common comments which can be used to quickly provide standard feedback throughout a student submission.

To create a QuickMark set:

  • Navigate to a Turnitin link and select Libraries > QuickMark Manager.
  • Click ‘+’ in Sets to create a QuickMark Set then click ‘+’ in Marks to create individual comments.
  • Add a Title and Description for each QuickMark and repeat for each required comment.

Detailed guidance on the creation and use of QuickMark sets is available from the ‘Creating QuickMark Sets’ section of the Staff Support and How to Information of the e-Submission Guidance.

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13. How do I remove a QuickMark comment from a set?

To delete a Quickmark from a set (provided it's not locked) - Go to QuickMark Manager > Select the Set > Select the (Quick)Mark > Actions > Other > Remove from Set.

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14. How do I create standard marking criteria (Rubrics) in Turnitin GradeMark?

Turnitin GradeMark allows you to create and provide feedback via standard marking criteria. The criteria can be weighted and used to automatically calculate the student grade.

To create a Rubric set:

  • Navigate to a Turnitin link and select Libraries > Rubric Manager.
  • From the Rubric Menu select ‘Create New Rubric’ and provide your rubric with a name.
  • Add in the appropriate assessment criteria and weightings (if used).
  • Add the scale points and any individual descriptions.

Detailed guidance on the creation and use of QuickMark sets is available from the ‘Creating QuickMark Sets’ section of the Staff Support and How to Information of the e-Submission Guidance.

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15. How do we Second mark in Turnitin GradeMark?

Second marking is undertaken in the same way as first marking. The second marker will require access to the Turnitin Link the student submitted their work to. The second marker will have access to all the submissions in the Turnitin inbox and can either be informed which specific scripts should be second marked or they can choose their sample from the grades displayed in the Turnitin inbox.

The UEL Assessment Policy states the preferred method of second marking is ‘second marking as sampling or moderation’ (section 3.4.1). In this method the second marker samples work already first marked, with annotations and marks attached, in order to check overall standards. Turnitin GradeMark can achieve this in the following ways:

  • Adding a second marking comments to the ‘General Comments’ section of Turnitin GradeMark
  • Adding a QuickMark containing second marking comments.
  • Adding individual comments throughout the script, prefixed by a 2M.

Detailed guidance is available from the ‘Second Marking and e-Submission’ guide within the ‘e-Submission Guidelines and Procedures’ section of the e-Submission Guidance.

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16. How does External examining work in Turnitin GradeMark?

The preferred approach for supporting External Examiners with their role within e-Submission is to provide an External Examiner direct access to the relevant UEL Plus Module Site(s), enabling moderation directly via Turnitin GradeMark.

In order to enable the External Examiner access to UEL Plus they will need to be provided with a username and password and access via UEL Direct in the same way UEL Staff do. An ‘Application to Obtain a UEL Network Sponsored Account’ will need to be completed by the External Examiner and the academic school to enable access to UEL Plus.

If direct access to Turnitin is not appropriate, marked submissions can be downloaded from the Turnitin link (as PDFs) and made available to the external via email.

Detailed guidance is available from the ‘Second Marking and e-Submission’ guide within the ‘e-Submission Guidelines and Procedures’ section of the e-Submission Guidance.

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17. How do we allow for late submissions and extenuation?

Late submission of Coursework (stated as up to ‘one calendar week after the scheduled date and time for the submission of the assessed work’) is allowed as part of the extenuation process. Students wishing to claim extenuation will be required to access Turnitin to submit their work within a week of the submission deadline (decisions regarding extenuation claims are made at a separate Extenuation Panel).

In order to ensure that extenuation is appropriately allowed for students, you are advised to create a separate Turnitin link for late submissions. This link can be set up to become available immediately after the deadline for submissions has passed.

Detailed guidance is available from the ‘Second Marking and e-Submission’ guide within the ‘e-Submission Guidelines and Procedures’ section of the e-Submission Guidance.

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18. How do I submit a Turnitin assignment on behalf of a student? (This may be necessary if a student has lost temporarily lost access amongst other reasons.)

Ask the student to email their submission, then access the Turnitin Assignment from Teach or Student view tab and select ‘Submit’.

To submit the paper on behalf of a student click the ‘Submit Paper’ button and then for ‘Author’, choose the appropriate student name from the drop-down list.

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19. What should I do if my student has disability or accessibility considerations which prevent them from using Turnitin?

If a student has disability or accessibility considerations which affects them submitting their work to Turnitin, you will need to liaise with the student and the Disability Dyslexia Access Centre (DDAC). Liaising with both the student and DDAC will ensure an appropriate reasonable adjustment is put in place for the student, removing any possible disadvantage for their submission.

If a student has been provided with a Dyslexia or other disability certificate from the DDAC, they should be asked to add this as the first page of their submission to Turnitin GradeMark allowing the marker to see the provided certificate.

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20. How do I get the grades into the Student Records System (DELTA)?

Turnitin GradeMark/UEL Plus does not automatically provide grades to the student records system (DELTA). Grades will need to be taken from Turnitin and transferred to DELTA via Web mark Entry or spreadsheet upload.

A spreadsheet of students and their grades can be exported from Turnitin (via the ‘Export’ option) or from UEL Plus (via the ‘Gradebook’ option in Instructor Tools). This spreadsheet will list the student name, number and any grade provided via Turnitin GradeMark. This grade can then be added to DELTA in the appropriate way.

Detailed guidance on exporting reports from Turnitin GradeMark is available from the ‘Turnitin Statistics and Reports’ section of the Staff Support and How to Information of the e-Submission Guidance.

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21. How do we enable second opportunities using e-Submission?

If a module requires students to submit a second opportunity, this can be undertaken in the same way as the first opportunity. For a second opportunity a new Turnitin link will need to be created, the student should not submit their work to the original Turnitin link as this would overwrite their original submission.

Detailed guidance on exporting reports from Turnitin GradeMark is available from the ‘Turnitin Statistics and Reports’ section of the Staff Support and How to Information of the e-Submission Guidance.

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