Creating an assignment

The Turnitin class end date will automatically be set to one month after the course end date in Moodle.

A Turnitin Moodle Direct assignment links an activity in Moodle to an assignment or assignments on Turnitin. Once linked, the activity allows instructors to assess and provide feedback to student's written work, using the assessment tools available within Turnitin's Viewer.

If the administrator did not enable course migration, a course was not migrated, and/or a Moodle course does not exist, instructors will need to contact their Moodle administrator.

  1. Select the relevant course from your Moodle homepage.
  2. Click the Turn editing on, button to the right of your course homepage.
  3. Select theAdd an activity or resource link for the current time period, or a time period in the future.
  4. From the Add an activity or resource box, select Turnitin Assignment 2, then select the Add button.

Basic assignment options

  1. Enter your Turnitin Assignment Name and an optional assignment summary.
  2. Select the submission type for the assignment. The default is Any Submission Type. There are two student submission options: File Upload and Text Submission.

    Text Submission will require your students to copy and paste their paper in a text box to submit their paper. Alternatively, you can allow your students to choose their submission type by selecting Any Submission Type.
  3. Select the number of parts you would like the assignment to have from the Number of Parts drop down menu. Each Turnitin assignment in Moodle Direct V2 can have multiple parts associated with it. The student must submit a file to each part to complete the assignment. By default, Moodle will create a one part assignment.
  4. Select the Maximum File Size for submissions. Turnitin allows up to 2MB for a text only submission and 100MB for a text and graphic submission. The maximum file size can be adjusted in this setting in line with your requirements.
  5. Opt to allow or disallow any file type. By selecting Yes, submissions will be checked for originality where possible, submissions will be available for download and online grading feedback tools will be available where possible. By selectingNo, only file types that allow originality reports to be generated will be accepted.
  6. The option to Display Originality Reports to Student provides instructors with the ability to control whether students are allowed to view Originality Reports within each created assignment. Select Yes to allow students to see the Originality Report for the assignment. The default setting is No.
  7. Opt to show student grades as fractions or percentages.
  8. To maintain synchronized data between Turnitin and Moodle, select Yes, automatically refresh originality scores and grades. Alternatively, select No, I will refresh originality scores and grades manually.

    We advise you check Set these values as assignment defaults to save time when creating a Turnitin Assignment 2 in the future.


Entering grade information

  1. Select the type of grading for this activity.

    • If selecting point grading, enter the maximum points for this assignment. The default maximum points is 100.

    • Alternatively, if you opt for scale grading, select the scale from the drop-down list. Click here for guidance on setting up a Moodle grading scale.

  2. If available, enter a grade category; this setting controls the category in which this assignment's grades are placed in the grade book.
  • Enter the minimum grade required, which should be less than the maximum point value.

    • Creating an assignment part

    Enter the information for part one of your assignment: your assignment's name, start date, due date, post date, and the maximum marks available for this assignment part. The default maximum point is 100. 

    Similarity Report options

    The Similarity Report Options have a significant impact on the score generated in each report. We, therefore, advise that you ensure all report settings are reviewed before completing the setup of this assignment.

    1. Allow Late submissions after the Due Date: Students have the option to submit work after the assignment due date. Late submissions are always marked as being late and the actual submission date is recorded.
    2. Select one of the following three options for Similarity Report Generation Speed:

      Generate reports immediately (resubmissions are not allowed):

      • Similarity Reports for all submissions will be generated immediately.  
      • Students cannot resubmit papers.  
      • Submissions must be deleted by the instructor to enable resubmission.

      Generate reports immediately (resubmissions are allowed until due date):

      • Similarity Reports will be generated immediately for each student's initial submission to the assignment.  The first submission and three resubmissions will generate a similarity report instantly. Any subsequent submissions will incur a 24-hour delay between reports generating. Any resubmissions will overwrite the previously uploaded file.  
      • Students may resubmit as often as they wish until the assignment due date. However, only the latest submission is available to both the instructor or student. Previous versions are removed.  
      • Student submissions will compare against one another within the assignment on only the due date and time, which may result in a change in the similarity score and results at the due date and time.
        This option is typically used when students are self-reviewing and revising their submissions.  
      • Resubmissions after the due date and time of the assignment are not permitted.

      Generate reports on due date (resubmissions are allowed until due date):

      • Similarity Reports will not be generated for any submission until the due date and time of the assignment.
      • Students may resubmit as many times as needed until the due date and time without receiving reports.
      • Resubmissions after the due date and time of the assignment are not permitted.

      The first four submissions will generate a new similarity report instantly. Any subsequent submissions will incur a 24-hour delay between reports generating. Any resubmissions will overwrite the previously uploaded file.

    3. Opt to store student papers in the standard repository or no repository. By storing papers in the standard repository, this will allow these papers to be checked against in future.
      By selecting No repository, submitted papers will not be saved in the Turnitin repository. However, this means that if two students submit the same paper to the same assignment, Turnitin will not find a match.
    4. There are three repository source options available for you to select. Turnitin can check against stored student papers, the Internet, and journals, periodicals, and publications. Select Yes or No for each source you would or would not like us to check against. For any source that you do not wish to check against, the similarity score may decrease.

      If you do not select Yes for at least one of the Check against... options, a Similarity Report will not be generated.

    5. Turnitin can exclude certain elements of a paper from an Similarity Report to provide a more accurate similarity score. You can opt to exclude the following from a Similarity Report:

      • Bibliography: Text appearing in the bibliography, works cited, and references sections can be excluded.

      • Quoted Material: Text appearing in the quotes of student papers can be excluded.

      • Small Matches: Matches that are not of sufficient length can be excluded. The number of words or paper percentage to be excluded is determined by yourself and entered into the text box.

      This setting can be overridden in individual Similarity Reports.

    GradeMark Grading options

    GradeMark options allows you to attach a rubric to an assignment. You can do this by selecting a rubric from the dropdown list.

    Alternatively, select Launch Rubric Manager to edit or create a rubric.

    Moodle groups

    The Moodle functionality for managing groups and groupings of students within Moodle courses / activities is fully supported in Moodle Direct. You can find this under Common module settings.

    Remember to save!

    Select Save and return to course or Save and display to complete your assignment.