Assignments

You can upload file attachments in your course, such as to an assignment. Users select a link to open a file that appears in the course.

After you upload a file, you may be able to edit the link name to the file. This link title appears to users instead of the name of the document. For example, type "My Introduction" as the link title instead of the file name "introduction.doc."

AIU Learn allows the use of all characters in file names. However, a user's operating system and the browser may limit the types of characters accepted. For example, some browsers don't accept characters that are wider. Some browsers may not have the languages installed to display the special alphabetic characters specific to them.

The system recognizes several file types by default. These files open directly in the browser or an associated application. If the system doesn't recognize the file type, users can download the attached file and open it on their computers.

ExtensionFile TypePrograms Associated with the File Type
AAMMultimediaMacromedia® Authorware® plug-in

The AAM file is the starting point for a series of files that must be enclosed in a ZIP file.
AIFFAudioAIFF is an uncompressed audio format. AIFF files tend to be large.
ASFMultimediaMicrosoft® .NET™ Show

ASF files can contain audio, video, images, and text.
AUAudioReal Audio Player™
AVIVideoVideo player - Windows only
DOC, DOCXTextMicrosoft® Word - word processor
EXEExecutableExecutable files are applications. Some network security policies and firewalls might prohibit users from downloading executable files.

If your institution uses a newer version of AIU Learn, you may not be able to upload files of this type. Contact your administrator for help.

GIFImageGraphics program or web browser
HTML, HTMWeb pageHTML editor or web browser
JPG, JPEGImageGraphics program or web browser
JIFImageGraphics program or web browser
MP3AudioAudio program
MP4VideoVideo player
MPEAudio/VideoAudio program
MPG, MPEGVideoVideo player
MOOV, MOVIEMovieQuickTime® movie
MOVVideoMovie or media player
NUMBERSSpreadsheetApple Numbers®
PDFTextAdobe® Acrobat® Reader®
PNGImageGraphics editor or web browser
PPT, PPTX, PPSSlideshowMicrosoft® PowerPoint®, PowerPoint Player®
QTMovieQuickTime®
RAAudioReal Audio Player™
RAMVideoReal Audio Movie™
RMAudioAudio program
RTFTextWord processor
SWFMultimediaMacromedia® Shockwave® plug-in
TIFF, TIFImageGraphics program or web browser
TXTTextText or HTML editor, word processor
WAVAudioAudio program
WMAAudioAudio program
WMFGraphicMicrosoft® Windows®
XLS, XLSXSpreadsheetMicrosoft® Excel®
ZIPCompressed packageWinZip®


Typically, assignments aren't graded automatically. Your instructor must grade each assignment and post the grade and feedback.

If your instructor needs to grade your assignment, Not graded appears in the Grading section in the assignment's side panel.

Your instructor may choose not to reveal the correct answers to automatically scored questions until all students have submitted. A banner appears at the top of the assessment with this information. Check back later to see if answers have been revealed.

As your instructors post grades, you'll find them in your activity stream. Select View my grade to display your grade.

You can also access the assignment in your course to review your grade and feedback in context.

Your grades also appear on the global and course grades pages.


When you submit an attachment for an assignment, you'll see your submission in the new AIU Annotate viewer. The new menu provides you with a sidebar summary view, page and view settings, search capabilities and lets you print and download the submission. To review your grade and feedback, select the same link in your course you used to submit your assignment. If you uploaded a file, it automatically opens in the browser if inline viewing is on.

Many file types open in the viewer, but your instructor can annotate only these file types:

  • Microsoft® Word (DOC, DOCX)
  • Microsoft® PowerPoint®(PPT, PPTX)
  • Microsoft® Excel®(XLS, XLSM, XLSX)
  • OpenOffice® Documents (ODS, ODT, ODP)
  • Digital Images (JPEG, JPG, PNG, TIF, TIFF, TGA, BMP)
  • Medical Images (DICOM, DICM, DCM)
  • PDF
  • PSD
  • RTF
  • TXT
  • WPD

Original formatting and embedded images are preserved.

AIU Annotate is supported on current versions of Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. If your file doesn't open automatically in the browser, your institution hasn't turned on inline viewing or the file isn't supported.

  1. Sidebar: View Thumbnail, Outline, Annotation, or Bookmark views of the submission.
  2. Pages: Use the arrows to jump to different pages in the submission.
  3. Pan: Move the submission on the page.
  4. Zoom and Fit: Zoom in and out of the submission or adjust the view to fit the page, fit the width, or select the best fit.
  5. Print or Download: Print or download the submission with the annotations.
  6. Search: Search the submission for specific text.

    7. If your instructor used a rubric to grade your work, select the View Rubric icon to view details.

Your instructor can make changes to points for a question after grading is complete. Your updated grade also appears in the activity stream and on your Grades page.

Your instructor may also give full credit for a question that wasn't fully covered in the lecture or explained well. After grading is completed, you can see which questions your instructor awarded full credit. Full credit given appears next to the grade pill and is also noted in the answers section.

Review Submission History page

To review your grade and feedback, select the same link in your course you used to submit your assignment. The Review Submission History page appears. If you uploaded a file, it automatically opens in the browser if inline viewing is on.

Review instructor feedback

When you submit an attachment for an assignment, you'll see your submission in the AIU Annotate viewer. The new menu provides you with a sidebar summary view, page and view settings, search capabilities, and lets you print and download the submission. To review your grade and feedback, select the same link in your course you used to submit your assignment. If you uploaded a file, it automatically opens in the browser if inline viewing is on.

Many file types open in the viewer, but your instructor can annotate only these file types:

  • Microsoft® Word (DOC, DOCX)
  • Microsoft® PowerPoint®(PPT, PPTX)
  • Microsoft® Excel®(XLS, XLSM, XLSX)
  • OpenOffice® Documents (ODS, ODT, ODP)
  • Digital Images (JPEG, JPG, PNG, TIF, TIFF, TGA, BMP)
  • Medical Images (DICOM, DICM, DCM)
  • PDF
  • PSD
  • RTF
  • TXT
  • WPD

Original formatting and embedded images are preserved.

 

AIU Annotate is supported on current versions of Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and Safari. If your file doesn't open automatically in the browser, the file isn't supported.

A. Sidebar: View Thumbnail, Outline, Annotation, or Bookmark views of the submission.

B. Pages: Use the arrows to jump to different pages in the submission.

C. Pan: Move the submission on the page.

D. Zoom and Fit: Zoom in and out of the submission or adjust the view to fit the page, fit the width, or select the best fit.

E. Print or Download: Print or download the submission with the annotations.

F. Search: Search the submission for specific text.

If your instructor used a rubric to grade your work, select the View Rubric icon to view details.

Access your graded submission on the Course Content page to open the Details & Information panel. If your instructor used a rubric to grade your submission, select This item is graded with a rubric to open the rubric alongside the assignment.

You can expand individual criterion to review the achievement levels. The awarded achievement levels are highlighted.


If your instructor allows, you can make more than one submission for an assignment. Your instructor chooses how to calculate your grade for multiple submissions:

  • Average of all attempts
  • First graded attempt
  • Last graded attempt
  • Highest graded attempt
  • Lowest graded attempt

In the assignment’s Details & Information panel, you can view your current grade and the calculation method. Select your grade to view details and review your submissions.

In the Submission panel, you can see which attempts have grades and feedback. Select the attempt you want to view. Your submission opens, and you can view your grade and how it was calculated. You can review your work and expand the Feedback panel if your instructor left comments.

If your instructor left feedback for multiple attempts, you can read each attempt's feedback. A message appears if your instructor has overridden the item's final grade.

If you submitted after the due date, a late alert appears in the Submission panel and on the assignment page.

You can also see how many attempts you have on the Course Grades page. You can see which attempts you submitted before the due date and if any submissions are or will be late.


Instructors can use the SafeAssign service to check submitted assignments for originality. SafeAssign compares your submitted assignments against a set of academic papers to identify areas of overlap between the submitted assignment and existing works.

SafeAssign is based on a unique text matching algorithm capable of detecting exact and inexact matching between a paper and source material.

Assignments are compared against several different databases containing millions of articles dating from the 1990s to the present. After the comparison, a report is generated that provides detailed information about the matches found.

Your instructor is using SafeAssign if you see a SafeAssign statement and a list of supported file types on the submission page.

You can safeguard your own work by submitting copies of your papers to the Global Reference Database. Papers from other institutions are checked against your paper. This protects the originality of your work across institutions. The Global Reference Database is a separate database from your institution's database. When you submit your papers to the database voluntarily, you agree not to delete papers in the future. You are free to select the option to check your papers without submitting them to the Global Reference Database. AIU doesn't claim ownership of submitted papers.

After a paper is processed, a report is generated detailing the percentage of text in the submitted paper that matches existing sources. The report also shows the suspected sources for each section that returns a match. When the paper is a continuation of a previously submitted work, your instructor can delete matching sources from the report and process it again.

The Originality Report does not state whether a phrase that matches a source is properly referenced. Your instructor must read the report and determine if you used proper citations.

Your instructor decides if you can see the report.

Merriam-Webster definitions for plagiarism:

  • Using the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own words or ideas
  • Stealing and passing off—the ideas or words of another—as one's own
  • Using another's production without crediting the source
  • Committing literary theft
  • Presenting as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source1

Few people consider copying from the web serious cheating. However, anything published on the web is considered an original expression of an idea, which is protected by copyright laws.

Practicing plagiarism can destroy your personal, academic, and professional reputation. The result may have both legal and monetary repercussions.2

Learn what plagiarism is. Many types of plagiarism exist—from cloning to recycling. Know the types of plagiarism to avoid them (available English only).

Understand how to cite your sources. Confirm which style of citing sources your instructors expect as they have many to choose from. Know the style each instructor prefers. If you have a choice, choose one style and use it consistently.

Plan your assignment work. Summarize your original idea and plan how you intend to express it. Create drafts and outlines, indicate what sources you intend to find, and explain how you intend to use them.

Know your subject. The more familiar you're with the subject, the more likely you are to use your own words. The more sources you look at, the more familiar you'll become with the subject. Be sure to track your sources.

Take notes when you review sources. Good note-taking can help organize your thoughts and express someone else's ideas in your own words.

Cite your sources. If you're unsure, err on the side of caution and cite your sources.

Be careful to clearly identify someone else's ideas and words. Citing sources isn't enough. Be clear as to who said what. When it's due, give credit to your sources.

SafeAssign is a tool available to you and your instructors. SafeAssign helps promote originality and creates opportunities to help you identify how to properly attribute sources rather than paraphrase.

SafeAssign is based on a unique text matching algorithm capable of detecting exact and inexact matching between a paper and source material. Assignments are compared against several databases containing millions of articles dating from the 1990s to the present. After the comparison, a report is generated that details the percentage of text in your paper that matches existing sources.

Sources

1"Plagiarize." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2019.

2"6 Consequences of Plagiarism." 6 Consequences of Plagiarism. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

"Home." Plagiarism.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

"How to Avoid Plagiarism in Your Work." Grammarly. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2020.

For help with issues such as this one, you should contact your instructor or the help desk at your school. If you aren't sure how to contact the help desk, look for the technology office on your institution's website. You can also search the web for your institution's name + help or support. Also, make sure you use a supported internet browser and operating system for the version of AIU that your school uses.

Your instructor controls the date when assignments become available. You might also have to meet other criteria to access the assignment. For example, you might have to mark a lecture as reviewed first. Contact your instructor for more information.

You can check to make sure an assignment submitted successfully. On the Course Content page, select the assignment link. A panel appears with the date and time you made the submission. Not graded appears until your instructor grades the assignment.

As your instructors post grades, you'll find them in your activity stream. Select View your grade to display your grade. If your instructor added feedback, you'll see it after the item's title.

You can also access the assignment in your course to review your grade and feedback in context.

Your grades also appear on the global and course grades pages.



You must discuss this issue with your instructor.

You can't edit a submitted assignment, but you may be allowed to resubmit it. However, you can't resubmit all assignments. Check if you can submit an assignment more than once. If you can't and made a mistake, you must contact your instructor to ask for the opportunity to resubmit the assignment.

Assignments aren't graded automatically. Your instructor must grade each assignment and post the grade and feedback.

If your assignment has been submitted and graded, the grade appears in the assignment's row. To view more detail, select the assignment's title to access the Review Submission History page.

Not exactly. Your instructor can create assignments for you to submit individually or as part of a group effort. You can do all of the same things with a group assignment as with a regular assignment. One member submits the group assignment for the entire group. The grade you receive is the same for all members of the group.

You can view a group assignment and you don't have to submit it. When you select View assessment, you can just view the group assignment or add some work. Not ready to submit? Select Save and Close in the panel. Your work on behalf of the group is saved and not submitted. If you or another group member previously started the group assignment, your work was saved. Select View assessment to resume working.

Everyone in the group can keep track of the latest version of the work. Until a member selects Submit, you can open the group assignment as many times as you want.




You can access assignments in the activity stream or in the calendar if your instructor added due dates.

If the due date has passed for an assignment, you’re alerted in the Important section of the activity stream.

You can also find your assignments on the Course Content page. Your instructor may also organize assignments in folders and learning modules.

Your instructor may ask you to work on an assignment with a group.

After you select an assignment, the Details & Information panel appears. View the due date, number of attempts allowed, the time limit if imposed, and possibly goals and a rubric for grading. Check if the due date has passed and if any submissions are or will be late.

Your instructor may require a 6-digit access code. Instructors issue the access codes, but they might have another person, such as a proctor, deliver the codes. After you type the code, you can open the assignment. You can use the code to resume an assignment you saved. You don't need the code to view your grades and feedback posted by your instructor. If your instructor changes the code between attempts, you'll need to ask for it again.

Your instructor can also secure an assignment with the LockDown Browser. You need to provide the correct access code before the LockDown Browser is launched.

If no time limit exists, you can view an assignment and you don't have to submit it. When you select View assessment, you can just view the assignment or add some work. Not ready to submit? Select Save and Close in the panel. If you previously started the assignment, your work was saved. Select View assessment to resume working.

If your instructor added a time limit, it appears alongside other assignment details on the Course Content page. You'll also see the time limit on the assignment's Details & Information panel and within the assignment, as you work. You'll see Start attempt instead of View assessment. When you select Start attempt, you'll receive a pop-up window to start the timer before you can access the assignment. If you're not ready to start, select Cancel. After you start, the assignment auto-submits when time is up.

After the due date has passed and you open an assignment, you’re alerted that your submission will be marked late. You can view the alert in the Details & Information panel, on the assignment page, and in the submit confirmation window. In the Details & Information panel, you can also see if any submissions are or will be late.

In the panel, you can select your submission in the Grading section and also see that you made a late submission.

If set up by your instructor, you may see zeros for work you haven't submitted after the due date passes. You can still submit attempts to update your grade. Your instructor determines grade penalties for late work.


Your instructor may attach files that you need to read or use to complete an assignment. Your instructor decides how files appear, such as inline or as attachments.

In most browsers, you can select where the files that you open in courses are downloaded. For example, in Chrome, navigate to Settings > Advanced > Downloads. You can select the location for file downloads and choose if you want the browser to ask each time. In Safari, you have the same capabilities. Navigate to Preferences > General > File download location. You can perform an internet search to learn about file download choices in other browsers.

For video and audio files that appear inline, select the title to open them in new windows. You have controls for play, pause, and volume control. For video files, you can view the video in full screen. You can also download the file.

For media files that appear as attachments, open the menu. Select Download Original File to download images, Word documents, PDFs, or slide presentations to your computer. Select Preview File to open the file on the course page, such as an image.

For image files that appear inline, you can select an image to view it separately.

Your instructor provides all the information and files you need to complete an assignment.

Be mindful of the time. If your instructor put a time limit on the assignment, you can keep track of how much time is left. A countdown appears at the bottom of your screen and warns you as the time limit gets closer.

Create your submission. Select Add Content to open the editor. You can use the options in the editor to format the text and embed images and attach files. Visit the previous link to see an expanded view of the editor options and detailed instructions.

If you view the editor on a smaller screen, select the plus icon to view the menu of options. You'll find the option to attach a file to your assignment.

For example, select Insert/Edit Local Files—represented by the paper clip icon. Browse for a file from your computer. A status window appears to show the progress of the file upload.

Only your instructor can view the content you add.

Insert from Cloud Storage: You can instantly connect to multiple web apps where you store files, such as in OneDrive® and Google Drive™. The files you add are copies. If you make a change to a file in cloud storage, you need to upload a new copy in your course. If your browser allows, media files you add from cloud storage display inline.

Add to the conversation. If your instructor enabled conversations, select the Open class conversation icon. Anyone can make a contribution to the assignment conversation, including your instructor.

Not ready to submit? Select Save and Close to save your work and continue later. Your text, comments, and files are saved on the page. When you return, you can resume working.

Submit your assignment. Finished? Select Submit when you're ready for your instructor to grade your work. When you submit, a panel appears with the date and time you made the submission. Select the View submission link at the bottom of the panel to review your submission.

The Submit button is disabled until you add content or answer at least one question.

If your instructor allowed one attempt, you can't edit your work after you submit. If your instructor allowed multiple attempts and you submit an attempt past the due date, the attempt will be marked late. Any attempts you submit before the due date aren't marked late.

When you finish your assignment, you must select Submit. If you don't, your instructor won't receive your completed assignment.


As you type in the editor for Essay questions and the submission area, the word count appears below the editor. After you save, the word count no longer appears.

These items are included in the word count:

  • Individual words
  • Web links
  • Text in bulleted or numbered lists, but the bullets or numbers themselves aren't included
  • Superscript and subscript text not part of another word

These items and formatting elements don't affect the word count:

  • Images, videos, and file attachments
  • Math formulas
  • Blank spaces and lines
  • Alternative text

When you use punctuation to attach words or numbers, the count is affected. For example, "We went...without you" is counted as three words. The words or numbers on either side of the punctuation are counted as one word.


After you add content, open the menu and select Edit to make changes or add more content.

You can edit settings for the files you've added. Select a file in the editor and then select the Edit Attachment icon in the row of editor options. You can add a Display Name and Alternative Text. Alternative text describes the image for people who use screen readers or visit web pages with images turned off.

You can also choose whether to insert the file as a link in the editor or to embed the file directly so it appears inline with other content you've added.

Point to a text block or a file to access the Move icon. Press and drag the text block or file to a new location.

You can use your keyboard to move an item.

  1. Tab to an item's Move icon.
  2. Press Enter to activate move mode.
  3. Use the arrow keys to choose a location.
  4. Press Enter to drop the item in the new location.

If your instructor added a rubric for grading to an assignment, you can view it before you open the assignment and after you start the attempt. Select This item is graded with a rubric to view the rubric.

If you want, you can view the rubric alongside the assignment instructions. You can expand each rubric criterion to view the achievement levels and organize your efforts to meet the requirements of the graded work.


When you open an assignment, you're informed if your submission is set to be graded anonymously:

This assessment will be graded anonymously. Don't include any personal information, such as your name.

Your instructor won't see your name during grading. Your instructor may choose to grade anonymously to eliminate bias. Your instructor can't enable anonymous grading for group assignments.

You shouldn't include any identifying information with your submission. Don't add your name to files you upload or use your name in any text you add.

You won’t see any indication of anonymous grading on your Grades page. Until your instructor posts grades, you'll see Not graded in the Grade column. If your instructor allowed multiple attempts, you'll also see Not graded for each attempt you've submitted.


Your instructor may limit the amount of time you have to submit your assignment. If you have a time limit, it appears alongside other assignment details on the Course Content page. You'll also see the time limit on the assignment's Details & Information panel and within the assignment, as you work. You'll find a countdown at the bottom left corner of the screen that will let you know the remaining time in minutes and, during the last minute, the time you have left down to the last second.

When you select Start attempt, you'll receive a pop-up window to start the timer before you can access the assignment. If you're not ready to start, select Cancel.

If you see View assessment instead of Start attempt, the assignment isn't timed. You don't have to submit an assignment with no time limit when you open it.

If your instructor allows you to submit multiple attempts, the time limit applies to each attempt.

The timer keeps running whether or not you're actively working on the assignment. If you save a draft or leave the assignment window, the countdown continues and your work is saved and submitted when time is up. When you select Save and Close to return to the assignment later, you're reminded that the timer will continue.

The timer appears at the bottom of the window to let you know how much time is left. Your work is saved and submitted automatically when time is up.

Your instructor can deliver assignments and tests securely. Secure assessments help promote academic integrity and honesty in student submissions. Your institution may use Respondus tools to administer secure assessments.

About Respondus

Respondus LockDown Browser prevents your access to any other materials, including internet browsers or other software, while you have an assessment open. You can’t refer to external information or copy material from these sources while you take the assessment. Within the LockDown Browser window, the assessment appears like any other Ultra assessment.

Respondus Monitor uses your webcam to prevent your access to physical materials during the assessment. Your instructor may also require you to enable your webcam or show your ID to verify that you're who you say you are.

If your instructor set up assessment security, you can't perform these actions:

  • Open the assessment in a standard browser window
  • Open other programs or browser windows
  • Visit other websites
  • Copy and paste
  • Print
  • Add files, links, or videos to your submission content
  • Use certain keyboard shortcuts
  • Use your phone to submit attempts

    Your instructor may allow you to use the Respondus iPad app. Otherwise, you need to submit a secure assessment with the desktop software.

You need to have Respondus LockDown Browser downloaded on your computer to open a secure assessment in AIU Learn. If you haven’t downloaded the tools and try to open the assessment, a message appears with links where to download. Select the link to get started.

Respondus Monitor is included in the LockDown Browser software. Your institution uses a unique LockDown Browser download link and application. Your instructor or your institution's help desk can provide you with the download URL.

On the Course Content page, you can see the tools you need to open secure assessments and submit attempts. When you open a secure assessment, the Details & Information panel appears to provide more information about the grade, number of attempts, and other settings. You see which tools you need to continue.

Before you begin an attempt, be sure to download the required software. Reminder: If you haven’t downloaded the tools and try to open the assessment, a message appears with links where to download.

Select View assessment. LockDown Browser launches in a new window. If your instructor required Respondus Monitor, the startup sequence begins.

Add text and answer questions in the assessment just as you do in a standard browser. You can save drafts of your work and return at later points to continue work or submit. Reminder: You can't add files, links, or videos to the editor when you submit a secure assessment.



You'll also need Respondus LockDown Browser to view submitted attempts for secure assessments. After your instructor posts your grade, you can find it in multiple places without additional software.

To view the correct answers for your submission, you need Respondus LockDown Browser. Open your attempt and select Review results in Respondus LockDown Browser to launch the tool.

Your instructor can add assessments that don't require you to upload a submission.

Examples of offline work:

  • Oral presentations
  • Science fair projects
  • Acting performances
  • Artwork delivered in person
  • Face-to-face team building exercises, panel discussions, and debates

You can view the assessment alongside other content on the Course Content page and on your global and course grades pages. When you access the assessment from these course areas, you're informed you can't submit work online. Your instructor can add instructions, files, a rubric, and goals to help you prepare for the offline work. You can also participate in the assessment's conversations if enabled.

For offline submissions, you can't submit multiple attempts and your instructor can't add a time limit.

When your instructor assigns a grade, you're notified in your activity stream.

On your Course Grades page, your grade appears with Submitted offline. If your instructor used a rubric to grade, the grade pill displays a rubric icon.

Let's Get Social