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How to Enable Students to Upload Assignments/Files?

How to Enable Learners to Upload Assignment Files in Open edX

Overview

The Staff Graded Assignment (SGA) tool allows course teams to collect file uploads (such as essays, lab reports, or projects) directly from learners within a course unit. Once learners upload their files, instructors can review the submissions, download the documents, and upload scores back into the system using a standardized grading template.

Tip: Ensure you are logged into Open edX Studio with appropriate Admin or Staff permissions before proceeding.

Step 1: Enable the Staff Graded Assignment Feature

Before adding an upload field to a unit, you must register the specific advanced key within your course configurations.

Procedures:

  1. Open your course run in Studio.
  2. From the Settings menu in the top navigation bar, select Advanced Settings.
  3. Scroll or use the browser search to locate the Advanced Module List field.
  4. Inside the square brackets [ ], add the key string precisely as: "edx_sga"
    • Note: If other advanced keys are present, separate them with a comma (e.g., ["lti_consumer", "edx_sga"]).
  5. Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

Step 2: Create the Staff Graded Assignment Component

Once enabled at the course level, the module populates inside your unit building tools.

Procedures:

  1. Navigate to your Course Outline and open the specific Unit where you want to add the assignment file upload.
  2. Scroll to the Add New Component selection bar at the bottom of the unit workspace.
  3. Click the Advanced tile.
  4. Select Staff Graded Assignment from the expanded options list. The component block will load immediately onto your page layout.
  5. Click Edit on the new component block to configure the following basic parameters:
    • Display Name: Enter a learner-facing title (e.g., Project Upload: Final Report).
    • Maximum Score: Enter the total point value possible for this assignment.
  6. Click Save.

Step 3: Grading Learner Submissions

While the course is actively running, you pull submissions and input grades directly from the instructor view inside the LMS.

Procedures:

  1. Inside Studio, navigate to the unit containing your SGA block and click View Live Version to view it inside the LMS player.
  2. Locate the Staff Graded Assignment module interface on the live page.
  3. Download Submissions: You can click the download links next to individual learner profiles to review their uploaded files.
  4. Export Scores: Click the Export Scores button to download a master grading CSV template to your local machine.
    • Note: You can use the track or cohort filter options prior to exporting to limit the data rows to a specific subset of learners.
  5. Fill Out Grades: Open the exported CSV file in a spreadsheet editor on your machine. Input the numerical grades into the "New Points" column for your learners. Leave rows for learners you are not grading blank.
  6. Import Scores: Return to the LMS view of the component, click the Import Scores button, and upload your updated CSV file.
  7. Review Results: The system validates the rows and overwrites the scores instantly. A summary status report will display at the bottom of the component panel confirming a successful upload.

Administrative Performance Parameters

  • File Size Constraints: The standard file upload mechanism smoothly supports individual student files up to 4MB in size.
  • Handling Large Courses: For high-volume course runs containing thousands of learners, it is a recommended practice to utilize the built-in track and cohort filters to break down your export and import cycles into smaller, separate CSV files. Ensure you maintain the exact header row styling for every sub-file uploaded.