In-The-Moment Assignments.

Challenge

The Canvas LMS only allows assignments to be completed in autonomous assignment pages, often requiring an awkward break in learning sequences

Objective

Develop tech to provide in-the-moment assignment submission on a content page, thereby allowing multiple content-to-assignment engagement loops per page

Solution

Auburn Online leveraged the Microsoft Azure cloud and custom software development to build opportunities for multiple student text submissions within one page.

Details

For the Leading Green Schools course, Auburn Online and the Green Schools National Network aimed to have learners engage with content and create short text submissions throughout the course with their feedback and ideas. These text contributions are then compiled into documents or infographics.

As students come across content, they are given three unique ways of submitting a response:

  1. Reflection Journal: The Reflection Journal is an informal way for the learner to record their thoughts on each module’s topic. Responses are optional, but highly encouraged.
    Journal entries are logged in chronological order and are not editable – they are meant to be snapshots of the learner’s thoughts and thinking process at that moment in time. New entries can be added using the Reflection Journal Response Tool. At the end of the course, the learner is able to save all journal responses as a PDF for future reference.
  2. Green Pathways Action Plan: The Green Pathways Action Plan is a printable, public-facing document that captures the learner’s ideas and action steps for implementing whole school sustainability practices in their school/district.
    Learners submit their responses through the Green Pathways Response Tool. At the end of the course, the learners receive a formatted Microsoft Word document complete with all their responses and some additional background information for readers. The entire document is editable once it has been downloaded. The action plan is designed to be accessible for school leaders, educators, staff, and other stakeholders who are not familiar with green schools, sustainability, or the Leading Green Schools course.
  3. Vision Board - The Vision Board is an outward facing document that learners can post in their office as a reminder of the larger purpose of being a green school leader. At the end of the course, the learner receives a styled graphic that can be embedded in a document, presentation, website, etc.

The technical implementation is built using .NET C# programming and leverages Microsoft Azure cloud services.

Partners for Success

Office of Information Technology (Azure Cloud Services provisioning)