Section 5: Assessments & Assignments

5.1 Creating Assignments (Timed & Untimed)

Assignments are a key part of any course. They give learners the chance to apply what they’ve learnt and help you as a teacher to check understanding and give feedback.

On VirtualX, you can create two types of assignments:

• Timed assignments – learners must complete within a set time
• Untimed assignments – learners can take their time, ideal for projects or homework

Both are created from the front-end, with no need to log into the backend.

📄 What Can an Assignment Include?

• Written instructions or questions
• File uploads (learners submit their answers in PDF, Word, images, etc.)
• Text-based submissions (typed directly on the platform)
• Grading options (manual marking with or without marks)

🛠️ Steps: How to Create an Assignment

1. Login to your VirtualX account.
2. Go to Dashboard > My Courses.
3. Choose a course and click Edit Course or Manage Curriculum.
4. Inside the Curriculum Builder, click “Add Assignment” under a relevant section or unit.
5. Fill in the Assignment Details:

Field	What to Fill In
Assignment Title	Name it clearly (e.g. Term 2 – Essay on Water Cycle)
Instructions	Explain what learners must do
Assignment Type	Choose: file upload or on-screen text
Allowed Attempts	Limit how many times learners can try
Marks	Total marks (e.g. 20 or 100)
Time Limit (for timed)	Set duration (e.g. 30 minutes, 2 hours)
Start/End Date	When the assignment is open or closes

1. Click Save / Publish to make the assignment live.

🧭 Where Will Learners See It?

Learners will:

• See the assignment listed in their course
• Be able to open it, read instructions, and submit their work
• Receive a notification once it’s graded (if you set up notifications)

⏱️ Timed vs Untimed Assignments

Type	Best Used For	Features
Timed	Tests or timed class tasks	Countdown clock, auto-close when time ends
Untimed	Homework, essays, projects	Flexible, allows late work (if allowed)

💡 Use timed assignments for formal assessments and untimed ones for homework or ongoing work.

🧑🏽‍🏫 Example in Action:

Mrs. Langa sets up a Geography project. She names it “Natural Disasters Poster Project”, adds instructions for learners to create a poster, allows file uploads, sets the due date to 7 days from now, and limits submissions to 1 per learner. She marks the submissions over the weekend and posts feedback the following Monday.

📝 After Submission – What You Can Do

Once learners submit:

• Go to Dashboard > Submissions or check inside the course
• Click each learner’s name to:
  • View their work
  • Add a mark or comment
  • Give written feedback
  • Return the submission (if retry is allowed)

📌 Tips for Better Assignment Setup

Tip	Why It Helps
Give clear instructions	Reduces confusion and errors
Allow file uploads	Lets learners submit typed work, photos of workbooks, etc.
Set reasonable deadlines	Encourages time management
Use rubrics or mark breakdowns	Makes marking fair and consistent
Remind learners via announcements	Keeps them on track

✅ Now You’re Ready to Assess Meaningfully

Assignments on VirtualX allow you to support, challenge, and guide your learners—all while keeping everything digital and organised.

5.2 Grading & Feedback

After learners submit their assignments or complete quizzes, it’s your turn to grade their work and give feedback. VirtualX gives you simple front-end tools to review submissions, assign marks, and comment—just like you would in a classroom, but all online.

You don’t need any special admin access—all grading is done from your teacher dashboard.

🧮 What Can You Grade on VirtualX?

• ✍️ Assignments – project submissions, written work, file uploads
• 🧪 Quizzes – automatically marked (MCQs) or manually marked (written answers)
• 📂 Course completion – give certificates or badges after full completion

🛠️ Steps: How to Grade Assignments

1. Login to VirtualX.
2. Go to Dashboard > Courses → Select your course.
3. Click the “Admin” tab.
4. Choose “Submissions” or “Evaluate Assignments”.
5. You’ll see a list of learners who submitted the assignment.

For each learner:

• Click on their name to open the submission.
• View the uploaded file or written response.
• Add a mark out of the total (e.g. 15/20).
• Write a short feedback comment (e.g. “Well done – just revise paragraph 2.”)
• Click “Save” or “Mark as Evaluated”.

✅ The learner will now be able to see their grade and feedback.

🛠️ Steps: How to Grade Quizzes (Manually)

For quizzes that include written answers:

1. Go to the course and open the Quiz section.
2. Click “Submissions” or “Evaluate Quiz”.
3. Choose the learner → mark each question manually if needed.
4. Save the final mark and feedback.

For multiple-choice quizzes:

• The system auto-grades these, but you can still adjust the score or add a comment if needed.

🧑🏽‍🏫 Example in Action:

Mr. Mokoena, teaching Grade 7 History, receives 20 assignments for a timeline project. He opens each one, views the uploaded image, adds marks out of 25, and types quick comments like “Great effort! Remember to label dates clearly.” All learners get their results within 2 days.

✏️ Where Learners See Their Marks

• Inside the course, under “Results” or “My Submissions”
• In their Profile > Achievements / Progress
• Via email or dashboard notifications (if enabled)

💬 Why Feedback Matters

Feedback helps learners:

• Understand what they did well
• See where they need to improve
• Feel supported and motivated

🔔 Even one line of feedback shows learners you care and are present—even in digital spaces.

📌 Grading Tips for Teachers

Tip	Why It Helps
Use clear scoring	Helps with transparency and fairness
Give short, kind feedback	Builds confidence and improves performance
Mark on time	Keeps learners engaged
Use rubrics or checklists	Consistent grading saves time
Praise progress	Encourage effort, not just marks

✅ You’re Now Empowered to Mark with Meaning

Grading on VirtualX helps you assess fairly and provide helpful support—all while keeping things organised and trackable.

5.3 Quiz Settings & Auto-Evaluation

Quizzes are a quick and easy way to check if learners understand your lesson. On VirtualX, you can set up auto-marked quizzes or ones that need manual review, all from the front end—no backend access needed.

This section shows how to create and customise quiz settings, and how auto-evaluation works to save you time.

📋 What Can a VirtualX Quiz Include?

• ✅ Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
• ✅ True or False
• ✅ Fill in the Blank
• ✅ Match the Following
• ✅ Short Answers (manual marking)
• ✅ Long Answers (manual marking)

💡 Use MCQ and true/false for auto-marking. Use written answers for deeper understanding.

🛠️ Steps: How to Set Up Quiz Settings

1. Login to your VirtualX account.
2. Go to Dashboard > My Courses.
3. Select the course and click Edit Course.
4. In the Curriculum Builder, find the section where you want to add the quiz.
5. Click “Add Quiz”, or edit an existing quiz.

You’ll now see the Quiz Settings Panel.

⚙️ Key Quiz Settings to Configure

Setting	What It Does
Quiz Duration	Set a time limit (e.g. 20 minutes)
Total Marks	Set maximum marks (e.g. 10, 20, etc.)
Number of Attempts	Allow 1, 2, or unlimited tries
Passing Percentage	Set pass mark (e.g. 50%)
Question Shuffle	Mix up questions to reduce copying
Auto Evaluate	Auto-mark multiple-choice and objective questions
Show Answers After Submission	Learners can review what they got right or wrong
Retake Rules	Decide if learners can try again after failing

✅ Auto-Evaluation – How It Works

When learners complete a quiz:

• VirtualX automatically marks all objective-type questions
• Scores are calculated instantly
• Learners see their result immediately (if allowed)
• No need for you to mark unless you included short/long answers

🧠 This saves time and gives learners fast feedback—perfect for weekly revision or practice quizzes.

✍️ Mixed Quizzes: Auto + Manual

You can mix question types:

• Auto-evaluated (MCQ, true/false)
• Manual (paragraph answers)

You’ll only need to manually review the written responses. The system will add the scores together once you’re done.

🧑🏽‍🏫 Example in Action:

Ms. Adams, teaching Grade 8 EMS, creates a 15-question quiz. Ten are multiple choice, and five are short answer. Learners finish the quiz in 20 minutes. The system auto-marks 10 questions instantly. Ms. Adams logs in later to read and grade the written answers. The final scores are saved automatically.

📌 Tips for Smart Quiz Use

Tip	Why It Helps
Use auto-marked questions for speed	Saves time on weekly tests
Add 1–2 written questions for depth	Checks critical thinking
Limit attempts for formal tests	Keeps it fair and serious
Allow retries for practice quizzes	Encourages self-improvement
Shuffle questions	Helps reduce cheating

✅ Summary

With the right settings, quizzes on VirtualX can give instant feedback and take the pressure off manual marking—so you can spend more time teaching and less time checking papers.

5.4 Practice Questions in Units

Adding practice questions inside your lessons (units) is a powerful way to keep learners engaged while they learn. These questions help learners test themselves before reaching a formal quiz or assignment.

VirtualX allows you to embed questions directly into your content, so learners can answer while reading, watching a video, or going through notes—all from the front end.

🧠 Why Use Practice Questions?

• Helps learners check their understanding immediately
• Makes your units more interactive
• Gives learners confidence before tackling graded assessments
• Encourages active learning, not passive scrolling

💬 It’s like pausing during a lesson to ask, “Can you remember what we just learned?”

🛠️ How to Add Practice Questions in a Unit

1. Log into VirtualX and go to your Dashboard > My Courses.
2. Open the course and click Edit Course.
3. Go to the Curriculum step.
4. Click on the unit where you want to add practice questions.
5. Inside the Unit Editor, scroll to the content area (text box).
6. Use the editor toolbar to click “Add Question” or select the question block.
7. Choose the type of question:
   • Multiple Choice
   • True or False
   • Fill in the Blank
   • Match the Columns
8. Type your question, options, and correct answer.
9. Click “Insert” or “Save”.

✅ The question will now appear inside the lesson, ready for learners to try as they learn.

✍️ What Happens After Learners Answer?

• The system shows the correct answer immediately
• Some setups may include explanations for each choice
• These questions don’t affect their course marks—they’re just for practice

🧑🏽‍🏫 Example in Action:

Mr. Nkosi, teaching Grade 6 Natural Sciences, adds a unit on Photosynthesis. After the first paragraph, he inserts a multiple-choice question:
“What gas is needed for photosynthesis?”
Options: A) Oxygen, B) Carbon Dioxide, C) Nitrogen.

Learners select their answer, get instant feedback, and keep learning.

📌 Best Practices for Practice Questions

Tip	Why It Helps
Add 1–2 per unit section	Keeps learners active without overwhelming
Use visuals or short video clips	Then follow up with a quick question
Mix question types	Keeps it fun and caters to different learners
Reinforce key terms or facts	Great for CAPS-aligned knowledge recall
Use them before quizzes	Helps learners revise confidently

⚖️ Practice vs. Formal Assessment

Practice Questions	Quizzes & Assignments
Inside units	Separate, structured assessments
Instant feedback	Formal grading, tracked progress
Not marked	Count toward course marks
Unlimited attempts	Often limited attempts

✅ Summary

Practice questions make your lessons more active and effective. They help learners think, engage, and revise—all before reaching the real test.