Formative Assessment
A formative assignment is handed in and never marked. There is no score, no pass/fail line, and no grading queue behind it. The learner deposits their work, and in return they get the model answer (the corrigé) to compare it against.
It is the right shape for practice work: the point is the self-assessment, not the mark.
Turning it on
In the assignment’s Edit dialog:
- Switch on Formative (no grading). The grading scale, auto-grading, answer-key reveal and passing threshold disappear, because none of them apply any more.
- Write the model answer, and optionally attach a document (a PDF worked solution, a marking rubric, an exemplar).
- Choose when it unlocks:
- Never: kept for you only.
- On hand-in: the learner gets it the moment they submit. This is the formative loop.
- After grading: only once the work has been marked. Offered on graded assignments only.
The model answer is withheld server-side, not only hidden in the interface. Until a learner’s own submission satisfies the unlock rule, the assignment payload they receive contains no model answer at all. It does say that one exists, so they know what handing in earns them.
What the learner sees
Before handing in, a Model answer locked panel explains what unlocks it. After handing in, the panel is replaced by the model answer itself (plus a download link when a document is attached) and the status reads Handed in, never “Grading in progress”.
Nothing anywhere shows a score.
What the teacher sees
The submission still appears in the Submissions list, and opening it shows what was handed in, but with no grade banner, no per-task scores, and no grading actions. The API refuses to grade a formative assignment outright, so there is no way to accidentally put a mark on one.
Retries
Retries work as usual, and the deadline still applies. On a formative assignment the model answer stays readable while attempts remain, since there is no score to game by reading it. A retry re-locks it until the next hand-in.
Certificates
A formative assignment is satisfied by being handed in. It counts as complete for course certification rather than blocking it forever waiting for a grade that will never come.
