About creating assignments

There are three parts to creating a Web-CAT assignment:

• Entering general information about the assignment
• Specifying how and when students should submit their work
• Grading the assignment in a manner that Web-CAT can understand.

The instructions on this page will guide you through this process.

To create an assignment

1. Click on the Assignments tab.

2. Click on the New link on the Assignments menu bar.

3. Click on the circle next to the course you would like to create an assignment for. Then click Next.

   • Note: If your course isn't listed, contact the Web-CAT administrator.

4. Click the circle next to Create a new assignment. Then click Next.

5. Type the assignment name in the box next to Name. This name will be visible to all Web-CAT users.

6. Enter a Short Description so that students will be sure that they're submitting to the appropriate project.

7. Enter a URL that links to a Web page about the assignment, if desired. For example, you may have a Web page about the assignment's requirements, a program specification, or grading procedures.

   • Note: Remember to begin the URL with http://.

8. Enter Upload Instructions for this assignment. Students will see these instructions when they select this assignment in Web-CAT. For example, if your grading scripts expect files in a certain format, you would detail that format here.

   • Tip: You can format your text with standard HTML markup, such as <b> and <i> tags.

9. Click on the edit icon ( ) next to Submission Rules to begin creating new submission rules or editing existing ones. Web-CAT displays a new screen.

   • To create a new set of submission rules, click the circle next to Create a new submission rule profile. Then click Next >. See /Setting Submission Rules to learn about creating new submission rules.

   • To use an existing set of submission rules, click the circle next to the the submission rule profile you want to use. Then click Next >.

   • To edit an existing set of submission rules, click the circle next to the submission rule profile you want to edit, and then click the corresponding edit icon ( ). See /Setting Submission Rules to learn about editing submission rules.

     • Warning: You must click the circle next to the submission rule profile you want to edit before you click the edit icon. (This appears to be a bug?)

10. Enter the assignment's due date and time in the box next to This offering due. Use the following format:  MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM{A,P}M 

    • Example:  11/26/2004 11:59PM 

    • Example:  11/26/2004 9:37AM 

11. Decide if you want to make the assignment visible to students.

    • To hide the assignment from students while you're developing it, uncheck the checkbox next to Publish it. The assignment will only be visible to course staff.

    • To make the assignment visible to students, check the checkbox next to Publish it. Students will be able to view the assignment, but the times at which sumbissions are allowed are still restricted by the information you entered when /Setting Submission Rules.

12. Click the checkbox next to Suspend all grading if you need Web-CAT to stop processing submissions for this assignment. For example, this could be useful if you've discovered a bug in a grading script that you need to correct.

13. Click the Regrade Everyone button if you would like to regrade the last submission from each student. For example, this could be useful if you've corrected a bug in a grading script and need to go back and regrade earlier submissions.

14. Configure the Automated Grading process. See /Configuring Automated Grading to learn about grading scripts and the automated grading process.

15. Click Finish to create the assignment. If you published the assignment in step 11, students will be able to begin Submitting Assignments for Grading.

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