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 just 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 — though 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 — there is no score to game by reading it — but 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.
