If a student claims that there was an issue completing or submitting an assessment, you can see a log of their submission activity. The log shows all the information Crowdmark has on the status of a student’s submission. Students can also see the log by following the instructions on the Verifying that an assignment was submitted page.

Viewing a student’s submission activity log

1. On your assessment page, click on Students in the sidebar.

   

2. You will see a list of students. Find the student you’re looking for and click on the three-dot menu that appears at the end of the row to access the student menu. Choose Activity log from the menu.

3. A panel will appear containing all the actions the student has taken within the assessment. To leave this view, simply click the close icon positioned in the top-left corner of your screen or click outside the panel.

What do the log entries mean?

Viewed assignment page

The student has accessed the assessment page where they can view assessment content and upload their responses. In a Timed assessment this action means a student viewed the gatekeeping page before starting their assessment, and has not viewed the assessment content yet.

Started Timed assessment

If this is a Timed assessment, the student has clicked through the gating page and viewed the assessment content. This is also the time that the assessment timer started to count down.

Student was added to a group/Student was removed from a group

If this is a group assessment, the student was added to or removed from this group’s assessment.

Uploaded x pages to question/Removed x pages from question

The student either added a response by uploading pages or removed previously uploaded pages. These responses are automatically saved in the student’s submission when added, but they’re not uploaded to Crowdmark’s grading system until the student clicks Submit.

Answered x question

The student typed an answer (Text response) or selected their answer (Multiple Choice). These responses are saved automatically in the student’s submission when they are added, but they are not uploaded to Crowdmark’s system for grading until the student clicks Submit.

Clicked submit button

The student pressed the Submit button to make their work available for grading.

Submission time logged

The Submit button click is registered by Crowdmark’s system. Crowdmark uses this time to calculate the student’s late penalty.

Submission processing complete

The student’s work is now uploaded, organized and ready for grading.

Upload failed

The student’s work failed to upload and an error message was shown.

Viewing file details

MD5 image hash

Crowdmark logs the MD5 hash (the file’s unique identifier) for each file that a student uploads to an assessment. What that means is if a student submits a file, then submits the same file again, the two hashes will be identical. The MD5 hash is built into the file when it is created on the student’s device or computer. If the student has altered the file by changing the format, editing the image, or even re-saving the same file, the hash will appear different from the original image hash.

If a student has an issue while submitting, or added files but never submitted their assessment prior to the due date, an instructor is able to upload and submit on their behalf. You can use the image hash to verify the image you are uploading is the same image the student uploaded prior to the assessment due date. There are 2 ways to verify the student file hashes:

1. Use a 3rd party MD5 hash verification site to check the hash on the file you have received from the student. Make sure the hashing method is set to MD5, and match the hash to the one in the student’s submission log.
2. Upload and submit the student’s file to Crowdmark, and verify the two hashes match in the Activity log. Keep in mind this action will overwrite the student’s previous submission.

Here’s an example of what MD5 hashes look like in a submission log. By default, the hashes won’t be visible. Click the Show file details button at the top of the log to show the hashes beside each file.

Troubleshooting a student’s submission attempt

Errors before submission (not recorded in Activity log):

• Incorrect file type: Crowdmark accepts PDF, JPG, and PNG files. The student must save or export their file in one of these formats.
• File size is too big: The limit is 12mb per image file (JPG, PNG) and 25mb per PDF file. The student should scan their work in lower quality.
• If the student tries to close the browser before submitting, they will see a popup alert asking them “Are you sure you want to leave this site? Changes you made may not be saved.”

Errors after clicking Submit (recorded in Activity log as upload failures):

• Sorry, your submission could not be uploaded: This is usually temporary and happens when something interfered with the upload. We recommend that you:

  • Try again later or use a different internet connection.
  • Disable extensions/add-ons in your browser or try a different browser.
  • Try a computer if you are submitting from a mobile device.

A student will know their assessment was not uploaded for grading if they do not see the “Thanks for your submission!” confirmation page. This troubleshooting is also covered in the documentation for students, linked from every submission page: Completing and submitting an assessment.

If these tips do not solve the problem, the student should contact Crowdmark Support and include the error message, the files they’re trying to submit, and the browser and operating system.

After the due date, students can’t edit or resubmit their work. Instructors and facilitators can edit and resubmit for students at any time (even after grades have been returned). To submit on behalf of a student or modify a submission, you can follow the instructions below to go to the student’s submission and enter responses or upload files as the student would.

Occasionally, a student may have completed a portion of their assessment, but encountered difficulty when attempting to submit (e.g., poor internet connectivity). If you navigate to their submission, you should see any text or multiple choice questions the student has completed successfully so far. If a student has uploaded files to PDF/image upload questions, you should be able to view the files in the student’s submission. However, if the student’s connection had issues with auto-saving, or if the student was working in multiple tabs or devices, some work might be missing. To resolve this issue, please ask the student to email or share with you any missing work. You can verify you have been sent the correct files using the MD5 hash present in the Submission log.

Any changes you make to the responses will be automatically saved and visible to the student if they view their submission. You must click the Submit button to make the student’s work available for grading.

If you submit past the due date, the student’s submission will still be considered late and any penalty you have set will be applied. You can adjust the student’s penalty by following the instructions on this page: Accommodation options for assigned assessments.

Note: If you only need to correct the rotation of uploaded pages, you do not need to resubmit the student’s work. You can do this while you are grading by following the instructions here: Rotating a page of student work

1. In your assessment, click on Students in the sidebar.

2. You will see a list of students. Find the student you’re looking for and click on the three-dot menu that appears at the end of the row to access the student menu. Choose Submission from the menu.

3. A full screen view of the student submission will appear. To leave this view, simply click the close icon positioned in the top-left corner of your screen or click outside of the panel.

4. Here, you can upload files, enter responses, or make changes to the submission if needed.

If the student has sent you files to upload on their behalf, drag and drop the student’s files to the upload areas under the questions or browse to locate them. You can drag pages between questions.

If you need to rotate a page, click the magnifying glass icon on the page, then click the Rotate page button. To remove a page, click the “x”.

5. When you’re ready, click Submit for evaluation.

Once the submission has completed, you will see a submission confirmation message.

Scroll through the submission below to ensure that the student’s work appears correctly.

A student may have lost, deleted, or not received the email containing the link to submit their assessment. You can see the status of your students’ emails anytime and resend them if needed.

Resending emails

1. In your assignment’s Dashboard, click on Students in the sidebar.

2. Find the student you’re looking for and click on the three-dot menu that appears at the end of the row to access the student menu. Choose Email history from the menu.

3. A panel will appear containing a list of all emails previously sent to the student. Here, you can review the email address used, the status of the last email sent, and troubleshoot any failures.

Click Resend email to attempt to send the same email again to a student. To leave this view, simply click the close icon positioned in the top-left corner of your screen or click outside the panel.

Understanding email statuses

Here are the most common statuses and what they mean:

• Sent: Email has been sent successfully.
• Opened: Email has been sent successfully and the student has opened the email.
• Failed: Something went wrong and the email failed to arrive. Try resending the email.
• Bounced: The email failed to arrive. Usually, this is because the email address doesn’t exist. It can also happen when a student’s school email account is attempting to forward to a personal email account but is incorrectly configured. Your institution’s IT department should be able to assist with this issue.

Why isn’t the “opened” status 100% accurate?

To detect when a student has opened an email, the student’s email client must be set to display images (some institutional email programs accept only plain text emails). If the status says the student has opened the email, the student has opened the email. However, if the status says the email is unopened, this could mean that the email was never opened or that the student’s email client simply isn’t displaying images.

Team members include co-instructors, TAs, graders, anyone who will help with printing, scanning or grading assessments in your course. A description of each role can be found here: What is the difference between team member roles?

Adding team members

From the Course team page, team members can be added with their email addresses. After you enter the email addresses you can select which role each team member should have.

To add team members:

1. In your course, click Course Team in the sidebar.
   

   

2. Click the Add by email button in the upper right corner. A modal window will appear.
   

   

3. Type or paste your team members’ email addresses in the field. Click the Continue button.
   

   

4. You will see a list of the team members you have entered. Under the Role column, select the role each team member should have. To remove a team member, click the x. For more information, see What is the difference between team member roles?
   

   

5. Click the Add team members button. Your team members will be added to the course and will each receive an invitation email.
   

    

What do team members see?

Course invitation email: 

After you add a team member, they will receive an email from Crowdmark. The Go to course button will take the grader directly to the course. If the team member is a new user, they will first be prompted to set up an account.

Assessment invitation email:

Depending on the team member’s role, they may have access to all assessments (Instructors, Facilitators) or they may only have access to assessments where they have been invited (Graders, Uploaders). In order for a Grader or Uploader to have access to an assessment, they must be included in that assessment’s grading team. You can see the grading team settings in the assessment by clicking Team, then Manage team from the side bar, or by selecting Customize under Team from the Roster panel on the Assessment setup page. This will open the assessment team roster. 

Clicking the checkboxes allows you to select specific team members to include/exclude or use the tabs include/exclude anyone with a specific role. You can also use the top left checkbox to include or exclude all team members in that tab, or use the search function to find a team member. Once you have made your selections, click Save.

Once added, team members will receive a similar notification email each time they are included in an assessment.

Removing team members from the course

From the Course Team page, a team member can be removed by clicking the x beside their name. This will remove their access to the course and its assessments but all of their past grading and data on Crowdmark will be preserved.

Updating a team member’s role

If you would like to update a team member’s role so they have different permissions, navigate to the Course Team page, search for the relevant team member and use the drop down arrow beside their current role to select a new one.

Crowdmark allows for a high degree of flexibility in timing when assessing students remotely. With students all around the world, you may often see students in multiple time zones writing a single test, exam or assignment. Using Crowdmark you’re able to choose the best set up for your students in every assessment.

How do time zones work in Crowdmark?

Time zones in Crowdmark are recorded in UTC and displayed in the locally set time zone on your machine. If you’re building an assessment in British Columbia and you set the due time for 12PM PST, it will show to students in Ontario as 3PM EST. This applies for time zones around the world.

Time zones in Crowdmark also adjust automatically for Daylight Savings, according to your machine’s setting. For example, Saskatoon and Winnipeg are both in Central Time, however Saskatchewan does not use Daylight Savings, whereas Manitoba does. That means in the summer, Central Standard Time and Central Daylight Time show up as two distinct time zones. When time changes happen in Spring and Fall, due times adjust automatically. For example, if you are working in EST and set a future due date after the time change, it will display as EDT on the assessment

Synchronous and asynchronous assessments

When you’re building your Crowdmark assessment, there are two distinct ways to set up the timing: synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous assessments are when all students write at the same time, and asynchronous assessments are when students write at different times, usually at a time of their choosing. Each of these options has a procedure for set up as well as pros and cons, which we will outline for you in the following.

Synchronous assessment

A synchronous assessment means all students are writing together. This most closely resembles an in-person testing scenario, where everyone starts and ends at the same time.

Here are the steps to set up a synchronous assessment:

1. Begin the workflow to create a new assessment or duplicate an existing assessment. Follow the steps to the Setup page.

2. Complete your assessment question setup in the Questions tab. Click Schedule your assessment.

3. Set the distribution time and due date of your assessment in the Schedule tab. The distribution time should be the time students will be starting their assessment. The due date is the time students will be handing in their work. Do not use the Time limit toggle. Click Schedule distribution.

Congratulations! You’ve now set a synchronous assessment, where there is one set start and end time for everyone. If you have students who require extra time, you can change due dates on an individual basis using the instructions here: Accommodation options for assigned assessments

To set up multiple synchronous assessments for students in different time zones, check out the instructions here: Managing sections or multiple versions of an assigned assessment

Asynchronous assessment

Asynchronous assessment means students write at different times, usually at a time of their choosing. This would be closest to a typical homework or lab assignment, or a take-home test. It is the most flexible option for students who have a large degree of variation in their individual timing requirements.

In Crowdmark, you have the option to use a Timed assessment to give students flexibility of choosing when they’re going to write, while still maintaining a limited window of time where they sit down to work. An example would be a 2 hour exam, within one week. You can also use this option to set up assessments where students don’t have a particular due date, but can take the timed test at any time over the course of an academic term. To set up a Timed assessment, follow the instructions here: Creating a timed assessment

You can also set up an asynchronous assessment where a student has a window of time to work on an assessment, but is able to access it and come back to it at any time before the due date passes. This would be closest to a typical homework assignment, and can be set up as a typical assessment with a standard due date, without using the Timed assessment function.

When using asynchronous assessments, the needs of students with academic accommodations are easily met. An instructor can change due dates (for someone who needs an extra day or two), time to complete (for someone who needs extra time on their Timed assessment window) and late penalties on an individual basis using the instructions here: Accommodation options for assigned assessments

Notification email

After you click Distribute or if distribution happens automatically by scheduling, an email will be sent to every student. It will look like this:

Even if a student does not receive the email, the assessment will be visible when the student signs in to their Crowdmark account.

Viewing the assessment

The Go to assignment button points to the student’s assessment submission page (the student will need to sign in if they are not already signed in). Here, the student will see:

• Assignment description
• Assignment questions (students will not see question versions, if applicable)
• Due date
• Lateness penalty (by clicking on the due date at the top)
• Countdown timer

When there are less than 15 minutes left to submit, students will see a warning message reminding them to upload their work as soon as possible.

Submitting the assessment

How students answer each question depends on the response type that you have specified for each question:

• For Image/PDF file responses, students need to complete the question on paper, in Word, Google Docs or a note-taking app, then scan or photograph their work. The files can be uploaded to Crowdmark by browsing for or dragging and dropping the pages in the drop zones under each question. Pages can be rotated, reordered, and moved between questions if needed.
• For Text or Multiple choice, students can input their responses directly in Crowdmark.

Confirming the submission and resubmitting

This is what students will see after submitting their assessment. They will have the opportunity to double-check their submissions and resubmit.

Submitting late

Once the due date has passed, the submission is locked in and students cannot resubmit. A student may only submit once (for the first time) after the due date has passed. Because grading can start immediately after the due date has passed, this ensures that students do not overwrite their submission after it has been graded.

If a student has not submitted yet and views the assessment after the due date, a popup windown will appear informing the student that their submission will be late and what the penalty will be (if any).

Viewing a specific student’s submission page

1. In your assignment’s Dashboard, click on Students in the sidebar.

   

2. You will see a list of students. Locate the student, then under the three dot menu on the right, click Submission.

   

3. You will see the student’s submission page. If needed, you can submit on behalf of a student from this page as well. To exit, click the x in the top right corner.

   

Help for students

When students are viewing the assessment, they will see a Help link linking to these detailed instructions: Completing and submitting an assessment.