what is class assignment

Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that they will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove their point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, they still have to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and they already know everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality they expect.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Make a Gift

• Get started with computers
• Learn Microsoft Office
• Apply for a job
• Improve my work skills
• Design nice-looking docs
• Getting Started
• Smartphones & Tablets
• Typing Tutorial
• Online Learning
• Basic Internet Skills
• Online Safety
• Social Media
• Zoom Basics
• Google Docs
• Google Sheets
• Career Planning
• Resume Writing
• Cover Letters
• Job Search and Networking
• Business Communication
• Entrepreneurship 101
• Careers without College
• Job Hunt for Today
• 3D Printing
• Freelancing 101
• Personal Finance
• Sharing Economy
• Decision-Making
• Graphic Design
• Photography
• Image Editing
• Learning WordPress
• Language Learning
• Critical Thinking
• For Educators
• Translations
• Staff Picks
• English expand_more expand_less

Google Classroom  - Creating Assignments and Materials

Google classroom  -, creating assignments and materials, google classroom creating assignments and materials.

Google Classroom: Creating Assignments and Materials

Lesson 2: creating assignments and materials.

/en/google-classroom/getting-started-with-google-classroom/content/

Creating assignments and materials

Google Classroom gives you the ability to create and assign work for your students, all without having to print anything. Questions , essays , worksheets , and readings can all be distributed online and made easily available to your class. If you haven't created a class already, check out our Getting Started with Google Classroom lesson.

Watch the video below to learn more about creating assignments and materials in Google Classroom.

Creating an assignment

Whenever you want to create new assignments, questions, or material, you'll need to navigate to the Classwork tab.

In this tab, you can create assignments and view all current and past assignments. To create an assignment, click the Create button, then select Assignment . You can also select Question if you'd like to pose a single question to your students, or Material if you simply want to post a reading, visual, or other supplementary material.

This will bring up the Assignment form. Google Classroom offers considerable flexibility and options when creating assignments.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to become familiar with the Assignment form.

This is where you'll type the title of the assignment you're creating.

Instructions

If you'd like to include instructions with your assignment, you can type them here.

Here, you can decide how many points an assignment is worth by typing the number in the form. You can also click the drop-down arrow to select Ungraded if you don't want to grade an assignment.

You can select a due date for an assignment by clicking this arrow and selecting a date from the calendar that appears. Students will have until then to submit their work.

In Google Classroom, you can sort your assignments and materials into topics. This menu allows you to select an existing topic or create a new one to place an assignment under.

Attachments

You can attach files from your computer , files from Google Drive , URLs , and YouTube videos to your assignments.

Google Classroom gives you the option of sending assignments to all students or a select number .

Once you're happy with the assignment you've created, click Assign . The drop-down menu also gives you the option to Schedule  an assignment if you'd like it to post it at a later date.

You can attach a rubric to help students know your expectations for the assignment and to give them feedback.

Once you've completed the form and clicked Assign , your students will receive an email notification letting them know about the assignment.

Google Classroom takes all of your assignments and automatically adds them to your Google Calendar. From the Classwork tab, you can click Google Calendar to pull this up and get a better overall view of the timeline for your assignments' due dates.

Using Google Docs with assignments

When creating an assignment, there may often be times when you want to attach a document from Google Docs. These can be helpful when providing lengthy instructions, study guides, and other material.

When attaching these types of files, you'll want to make sure to choose the correct setting for how your students can interact with it . After attaching one to an assignment, you'll find a drop-down menu with three options.

Let's take a look at when you might want to use each of these:

• Students can view file : Use this option if the file is simply something you want your students to view but not make any changes to.
• Students can edit file : This option can be helpful if you're providing a document you want your students to collaborate on or fill out collectively.
• Make a copy for each student : If you're creating a worksheet or document that you want each student to complete individually, this option will create a separate copy of the same document for every student.

Using topics

On the Classwork tab, you can use  topics to sort and group your assignments and material. To create a topic, click the Create button, then select Topic .

Topics can be helpful for organizing your content into the various units you teach throughout the year. You could also use it to separate your content by type , splitting it into homework, classwork, readings, and other topic areas.

In our next lesson , we'll explore how to create quizzes and worksheets with Google Forms, further expanding how you can use Google Classroom with your students.

/en/google-classroom/using-forms-with-google-classroom/content/

• Mailing List
• Search Search

Username or Email Address

Remember Me

Resources for Teachers: Creating Writing Assignments

This page contains four specific areas:

Creating Effective Assignments

Checking the assignment, sequencing writing assignments, selecting an effective writing assignment format.

Research has shown that the more detailed a writing assignment is, the better the student papers are in response to that assignment. Instructors can often help students write more effective papers by giving students written instructions about that assignment. Explicit descriptions of assignments on the syllabus or on an “assignment sheet” tend to produce the best results. These instructions might make explicit the process or steps necessary to complete the assignment. Assignment sheets should detail:

• the kind of writing expected
• the scope of acceptable subject matter
• the length requirements
• formatting requirements
• documentation format
• the amount and type of research expected (if any)
• the writer’s role
• deadlines for the first draft and its revision

Providing questions or needed data in the assignment helps students get started. For instance, some questions can suggest a mode of organization to the students. Other questions might suggest a procedure to follow. The questions posed should require that students assert a thesis.

The following areas should help you create effective writing assignments.

Examining your goals for the assignment

• How exactly does this assignment fit with the objectives of your course?
• Should this assignment relate only to the class and the texts for the class, or should it also relate to the world beyond the classroom?
• What do you want the students to learn or experience from this writing assignment?
• Should this assignment be an individual or a collaborative effort?
• What do you want students to show you in this assignment? To demonstrate mastery of concepts or texts? To demonstrate logical and critical thinking? To develop an original idea? To learn and demonstrate the procedures, practices, and tools of your field of study?

Defining the writing task

• Is the assignment sequenced so that students: (1) write a draft, (2) receive feedback (from you, fellow students, or staff members at the Writing and Communication Center), and (3) then revise it? Such a procedure has been proven to accomplish at least two goals: it improves the student’s writing and it discourages plagiarism.
• Does the assignment include so many sub-questions that students will be confused about the major issue they should examine? Can you give more guidance about what the paper’s main focus should be? Can you reduce the number of sub-questions?
• What is the purpose of the assignment (e.g., review knowledge already learned, find additional information, synthesize research, examine a new hypothesis)? Making the purpose(s) of the assignment explicit helps students write the kind of paper you want.
• What is the required form (e.g., expository essay, lab report, memo, business report)?
• What mode is required for the assignment (e.g., description, narration, analysis, persuasion, a combination of two or more of these)?

Defining the audience for the paper

• Can you define a hypothetical audience to help students determine which concepts to define and explain? When students write only to the instructor, they may assume that little, if anything, requires explanation. Defining the whole class as the intended audience will clarify this issue for students.
• What is the probable attitude of the intended readers toward the topic itself? Toward the student writer’s thesis? Toward the student writer?
• What is the probable educational and economic background of the intended readers?

Defining the writer’s role

• Can you make explicit what persona you wish the students to assume? For example, a very effective role for student writers is that of a “professional in training” who uses the assumptions, the perspective, and the conceptual tools of the discipline.

Defining your evaluative criteria

1. If possible, explain the relative weight in grading assigned to the quality of writing and the assignment’s content:

• depth of coverage
• organization
• critical thinking
• original thinking
• use of research
• logical demonstration
• appropriate mode of structure and analysis (e.g., comparison, argument)
• correct use of sources
• grammar and mechanics
• professional tone
• correct use of course-specific concepts and terms.

Here’s a checklist for writing assignments:

• Have you used explicit command words in your instructions (e.g., “compare and contrast” and “explain” are more explicit than “explore” or “consider”)? The more explicit the command words, the better chance the students will write the type of paper you wish.
• Does the assignment suggest a topic, thesis, and format? Should it?
• Have you told students the kind of audience they are addressing — the level of knowledge they can assume the readers have and your particular preferences (e.g., “avoid slang, use the first-person sparingly”)?
• If the assignment has several stages of completion, have you made the various deadlines clear? Is your policy on due dates clear?
• Have you presented the assignment in a manageable form? For instance, a 5-page assignment sheet for a 1-page paper may overwhelm students. Similarly, a 1-sentence assignment for a 25-page paper may offer insufficient guidance.

There are several benefits of sequencing writing assignments:

• Sequencing provides a sense of coherence for the course.
• This approach helps students see progress and purpose in their work rather than seeing the writing assignments as separate exercises.
• It encourages complexity through sustained attention, revision, and consideration of multiple perspectives.
• If you have only one large paper due near the end of the course, you might create a sequence of smaller assignments leading up to and providing a foundation for that larger paper (e.g., proposal of the topic, an annotated bibliography, a progress report, a summary of the paper’s key argument, a first draft of the paper itself). This approach allows you to give students guidance and also discourages plagiarism.
• It mirrors the approach to written work in many professions.

The concept of sequencing writing assignments also allows for a wide range of options in creating the assignment. It is often beneficial to have students submit the components suggested below to your course’s STELLAR web site.

Use the writing process itself. In its simplest form, “sequencing an assignment” can mean establishing some sort of “official” check of the prewriting and drafting steps in the writing process. This step guarantees that students will not write the whole paper in one sitting and also gives students more time to let their ideas develop. This check might be something as informal as having students work on their prewriting or draft for a few minutes at the end of class. Or it might be something more formal such as collecting the prewriting and giving a few suggestions and comments.

Have students submit drafts. You might ask students to submit a first draft in order to receive your quick responses to its content, or have them submit written questions about the content and scope of their projects after they have completed their first draft.

Establish small groups. Set up small writing groups of three-five students from the class. Allow them to meet for a few minutes in class or have them arrange a meeting outside of class to comment constructively on each other’s drafts. The students do not need to be writing on the same topic.

Require consultations. Have students consult with someone in the Writing and Communication Center about their prewriting and/or drafts. The Center has yellow forms that we can give to students to inform you that such a visit was made.

Explore a subject in increasingly complex ways. A series of reading and writing assignments may be linked by the same subject matter or topic. Students encounter new perspectives and competing ideas with each new reading, and thus must evaluate and balance various views and adopt a position that considers the various points of view.

Change modes of discourse. In this approach, students’ assignments move from less complex to more complex modes of discourse (e.g., from expressive to analytic to argumentative; or from lab report to position paper to research article).

Change audiences. In this approach, students create drafts for different audiences, moving from personal to public (e.g., from self-reflection to an audience of peers to an audience of specialists). Each change would require different tasks and more extensive knowledge.

Change perspective through time. In this approach, students might write a statement of their understanding of a subject or issue at the beginning of a course and then return at the end of the semester to write an analysis of that original stance in the light of the experiences and knowledge gained in the course.

Use a natural sequence. A different approach to sequencing is to create a series of assignments culminating in a final writing project. In scientific and technical writing, for example, students could write a proposal requesting approval of a particular topic. The next assignment might be a progress report (or a series of progress reports), and the final assignment could be the report or document itself. For humanities and social science courses, students might write a proposal requesting approval of a particular topic, then hand in an annotated bibliography, and then a draft, and then the final version of the paper.

Have students submit sections. A variation of the previous approach is to have students submit various sections of their final document throughout the semester (e.g., their bibliography, review of the literature, methods section).

In addition to the standard essay and report formats, several other formats exist that might give students a different slant on the course material or allow them to use slightly different writing skills. Here are some suggestions:

Journals. Journals have become a popular format in recent years for courses that require some writing. In-class journal entries can spark discussions and reveal gaps in students’ understanding of the material. Having students write an in-class entry summarizing the material covered that day can aid the learning process and also reveal concepts that require more elaboration. Out-of-class entries involve short summaries or analyses of texts, or are a testing ground for ideas for student papers and reports. Although journals may seem to add a huge burden for instructors to correct, in fact many instructors either spot-check journals (looking at a few particular key entries) or grade them based on the number of entries completed. Journals are usually not graded for their prose style. STELLAR forums work well for out-of-class entries.

Letters. Students can define and defend a position on an issue in a letter written to someone in authority. They can also explain a concept or a process to someone in need of that particular information. They can write a letter to a friend explaining their concerns about an upcoming paper assignment or explaining their ideas for an upcoming paper assignment. If you wish to add a creative element to the writing assignment, you might have students adopt the persona of an important person discussed in your course (e.g., an historical figure) and write a letter explaining his/her actions, process, or theory to an interested person (e.g., “pretend that you are John Wilkes Booth and write a letter to the Congress justifying your assassination of Abraham Lincoln,” or “pretend you are Henry VIII writing to Thomas More explaining your break from the Catholic Church”).

Editorials . Students can define and defend a position on a controversial issue in the format of an editorial for the campus or local newspaper or for a national journal.

Cases . Students might create a case study particular to the course’s subject matter.

Position Papers . Students can define and defend a position, perhaps as a preliminary step in the creation of a formal research paper or essay.

Imitation of a Text . Students can create a new document “in the style of” a particular writer (e.g., “Create a government document the way Woody Allen might write it” or “Write your own ‘Modest Proposal’ about a modern issue”).

Instruction Manuals . Students write a step-by-step explanation of a process.

Dialogues . Students create a dialogue between two major figures studied in which they not only reveal those people’s theories or thoughts but also explore areas of possible disagreement (e.g., “Write a dialogue between Claude Monet and Jackson Pollock about the nature and uses of art”).

Collaborative projects . Students work together to create such works as reports, questions, and critiques.

The Tech Edvocate

• Advertisement
• Home Page Five (No Sidebar)
• Home Page Four
• Home Page Three
• Home Page Two
• Icons [No Sidebar]
• Left Sidbear Page
• Lynch Educational Consulting
• My Speaking Page
• Newsletter Sign Up Confirmation
• Newsletter Unsubscription
• Page Example
• Privacy Policy
• Protected Content
• Request a Product Review
• Shortcodes Examples
• Terms and Conditions
• The Edvocate
• The Tech Edvocate Product Guide
• Write For Us
• Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
• The Edvocate Podcast
• Assistive Technology
• Child Development Tech
• Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech
• EdTech Futures
• EdTech News
• EdTech Policy & Reform
• EdTech Startups & Businesses
• Higher Education EdTech
• Online Learning & eLearning
• Parent & Family Tech
• Personalized Learning
• Product Reviews
• Tech Edvocate Awards
• School Ratings

SaaS Copywriting: Marketing SaaS Framework

Taylor swift’s canceled concert: officials found explosives, detonators, and a stockpile of chemicals in a 19-year-old’s home, usps text scammers duped his wife, so he hacked their operation, uk once again denies a passport over applicant’s name due to intellectual property concerns, string of record hot months came to an end in july, report: android’s desktop mode might allow future tablets to double as computers, today’s wordle hints, answer and help for aug. 9, #1147, today’s nyt strands hints, answers and help for aug. 9, #159, today’s nyt connections hints, answers and help for aug. 9, #425, the google monopoly ruling dealt a blow to one of big tech’s arguments against regulation: that 19th-century antitrust laws can’t address modern tech innovation (washington post), google classroom tip #43: 48 ways to manage student assignments.

Along with instruction and assessment, assignments form the foundation of the teaching and learning process. They provide opportunities for students to practice the skills and apply the knowledge that they have been taught in a supportive environment. It also helps the teacher gauge how well students are learning the material and how close they are to mastery.

Because of the nature of assignments, managing them can get hectic. That’s why its best to use a platform like Google Classroom to help you manage assignments digitally. In today’s tip, we will discuss 48 ways that you can use Classroom to manage student assignments.

• Assignment Status – Easily check how many students turned in an assignment as well as how many assignments have been graded by going to the Classwork tab and clicking on the title of the assignment.
• Assign to Multiple Classes – Post an assignment to multiple classes by using the “for” drop-down menu when creating an assignment.
• Brainstorm – Use Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Drawings to brainstorm for class assignments.
• Calendar of Due Dates – Link a Google Calendar with due dates for assignments, tests, and other important dates into Classroom.
• Check Homework – Classroom makes checking homework easy with a quick glance at the assignment page. If more detailed grading is needed, just access the grading interface for the assignment.
• Choice Boards – Give students a choice in how they demonstrate what they know by creating a choice board and uploading it as an assignment. Choice boards allow students to choose between several assignments and can be created directly in Classroom, using Google Docs, or with third-party apps.
• Co-Teach Classes – Invite others to co-teach in your Classroom. Each teacher is able to create assignments and post announcements for students.
• Create Questions Before a Socratic Seminar – Create an assignment for students to develop questions before a Socratic seminar. During the collaborative process, students can eliminate duplicate questions.
• Detention Assignment Sheet – Create a detention assignment sheet using Google Docs. The assignment sheet can then be shared with the detention teacher and individual students privately through Classroom.
• Differentiate Assignments – Assign work to individual students or groups of students in Classroom.
• Differentiate by Product – Differentiate by product in Classroom by providing a challenge, variety, or choice or by using a continuum with assignments.
• Digital Portfolios – Students can create digital portfolios of their work by uploading documents, pictures, artifacts, etc. to Classroom assignments.
• Directions Document – Use Google Docs to create instruction documents for assignments in Classroom.
• Distribute Student Work/Homework – Use Classroom to distribute student assignments or homework to all students, groups of students, or individual students.
• Diversify Student Submissions – Create alternative submission options for students through the assignment tool. For example, one group of students may be required to submit a Google Doc while another group is required to submit a Slides presentation.
• Do-Now Activities – Use Classroom to post Do-Now Activities.
• Draft Assignments – Save posts as drafts until they are ready for publishing.
• Feedback Before Student Submits – Provide feedback to students while their assignment is still a work in progress instead of waiting until submission. This will help the student better understand assignment expectations.
• Get Notified of Late Assignments – Select notification settings to get notified each time an assignment is turned in late.
• Global Classroom – Partner with international teachers to create a co-teaching classroom without borders where students can work on collaborative assignments.
• Graphic Organizers – Upload graphic organizers for students to collaborate on assignments and projects.
• Group Collaboration – Assign multiple students to an assignment to create a collaborative group. Give students editing rights to allow them access to the same document.
• HyperDocs – Create and upload a hyperdoc as an assignment.
• Link to Assignments – Create links to assignments not created in Classroom.
• Link to Class Blog – Provide the link to a class blog in Classroom.
• Link to Next Activity – Provide a link to the next activity students must complete after finishing an assignment.
• Make a Copy for Each Student – Chose “make a copy for each student” when uploading assignment documents to avoid students having to share one copy of the document. When a copy for each student is made, Classroom automatically adds each student’s name to the document and saves it to the Classroom folder in Google Drive.
• Move to Top/Bottom – Move recent assignments to the top of the Classwork feed so students can find new tasks more quickly.
• Multiple File Upload – Upload multiple files for an assignment in one post.
• Naming Conventions for Assignments – Create a unique naming system for assignments so they can be easily found in the Classroom folder in Google Drive.
• Offline Mode – Change settings to allow students to work in offline mode if internet connections are weak. Once an internet connection is established, students can upload assignments to Classroom.
• One Student One Sheet – In Google Sheets, assign one tab (sheet) per student for the student to complete the assignment.
• One Student One Slide – In Google Slides, assign one slide to each student to present findings on a topic or to complete an assignment.
• Organize Student Work – Google Classroom automatically creates calendars and folders in Drive to keep assignments organized.
• Peer Tutors – Assign peer tutors to help struggling students with assignments.
• Protect Privacy – Google Classroom only allows class members to access assignments. Also, it eliminates the need to use email, which may be less private than Classroom.
• Provide Accommodations – Provide accommodations to students with disabilities in Google Classroom by allowing extra time to turn in assignments, using text to speech functions, and third-party extensions for colored overlays.
• Reorder Assignments by Status – Instead of organizing assignments by student first or last name, organize them by status to see which students have or have not turned in work.
• Reuse Posts – Reuse post from prior assignments or from other Classrooms.
• See the Process – Students don’t have to submit their assignments for you to see their work. When you chose “make a copy for each student” for assignments, each student’s work can be seen in the grading tool, even if it’s not submitted. Teachers can make comments and suggestions along the way.
• Share Materials – Upload required materials such as the class syllabus, rules, procedures, etc. to a Class Resources Module, or upload assignment materials within the assignment.
• Share Resources – Create a resource list or a resource module for students.
• Share Solutions to an Assignment – Share solutions to an assignment with a collaborator or students after all assignments have been turned in.
• Stop Repeating Directions – By posting a directions document to assignments, the need to continually repeat directions is lessened, if not eliminated altogether. Keep in mind that some students will still need directions to read orally or clarified.
• Student Work Collection – Use Classroom to collect student work from assignments.
• Summer Assignments – Create summer assignments for students through Classroom.
• Templates – Create templates for projects, essays, and other student assignments.
• Track Assignments Turned In – Keep track of which students turned in assignments by going to the grading tool.

What did we miss?

Using Amazon Alexa for Classroom Management

10 things everyone should know about today’s ....

Matthew Lynch

Related articles more from author, what is the easiest way to set up google classroom, how do i sign in to google classroom.

9 Ways to Fix “Google Keeps Stopping” Error on Android

Can i add an assignment without it becoming a part of the google classroom stream, can i save an assignment as a draft in google classroom and finish it later, google classroom tip #23: digital annotation.

for Education

• Google Classroom
• Google Workspace Admin
• Google Cloud

Easily distribute, analyze, and grade student work with Assignments for your LMS

Assignments is an application for your learning management system (LMS). It helps educators save time grading and guides students to turn in their best work with originality reports — all through the collaborative power of Google Workspace for Education.

• Get started
• Explore originality reports

Bring your favorite tools together within your LMS

Make Google Docs and Google Drive compatible with your LMS

Simplify assignment management with user-friendly Google Workspace productivity tools

Built with the latest Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) standards for robust security and easy installation in your LMS

Save time distributing and grading classwork

Distribute personalized copies of Google Drive templates and worksheets to students

Grade consistently and transparently with rubrics integrated into student work

Add rich feedback faster using the customizable comment bank

Examine student work to ensure authenticity

Compare student work against hundreds of billions of web pages and over 40 million books with originality reports

Make student-to-student comparisons on your domain-owned repository of past submissions when you sign up for the Teaching and Learning Upgrade or Google Workspace for Education Plus

Allow students to scan their own work for recommended citations up to three times

Trust in high security standards

Protect student privacy — data is owned and managed solely by you and your students

Provide an ad-free experience for all your users

Compatible with LTI version 1.1 or higher and meets rigorous compliance standards

Product demos

Experience google workspace for education in action. explore premium features in detail via step-by-step demos to get a feel for how they work in the classroom..

“Assignments enable faculty to save time on the mundane parts of grading and...spend more time on providing more personalized and relevant feedback to students.” Benjamin Hommerding , Technology Innovationist, St. Norbert College

Classroom users get the best of Assignments built-in

Find all of the same features of Assignments in your existing Classroom environment

• Learn more about Classroom

Explore resources to get up and running

Discover helpful resources to get up to speed on using Assignments and find answers to commonly asked questions.

• Visit Help Center

Get a quick overview of Assignments to help Educators learn how they can use it in their classrooms.

• Download overview

Get started guide

Start using Assignments in your courses with this step-by-step guide for instructors.

• Download guide

Teacher Center Assignments resources

Find educator tools and resources to get started with Assignments.

• Visit Teacher Center

How to use Assignments within your LMS

Watch this brief video on how Educators can use Assignments.

• Watch video

Turn on Assignments in your LMS

Contact your institution’s administrator to turn on Assignments within your LMS.

• Admin setup

Explore a suite of tools for your classroom with Google Workspace for Education

You're now viewing content for a different region..

For content more relevant to your region, we suggest:

Sign up here for updates, insights, resources, and more.

• Help Center
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• Submit feedback
• Announcements

Turn in an assignment

This article is for students.

You turn in your work online in Classroom. Depending on the type of assignment and attachments, you’ll see Turn in or Mark as Done .

Any assignment turned in or marked done after the due date is recorded as late.

Important: 

• You can only submit an assignment before the due date.
• If you need to edit an assignment you submitted, unsubmit the assignment before the due date, make your changes, and resubmit.
• Attach one or more files to your assignment.
• Upload photos from a camera roll.
• Open and work on files you own in Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Drawings and then attach them to your assignment.

Turn in an Assignment Using Google Classroom (Web)

Go to classroom.google.com  and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example,  [email protected] or [email protected] .  Learn more .

• Select the attachment or enter the URL for a link and click Add .

• Click the file and enter your information.

The status of the assignment changes to Turned in .

Important : If you get an error message when you click Turn in , let your instructor know.

Turn in a quiz

• Click the form and answer the questions.
• Click Submit . If the form is the only work for the assignment, the status of the assignment changes to Turned in .
• If there's more work to do for the assignment, click Open assignment .

Turn in an assignment with an assigned doc

If your teacher attached a document with your name in the title, it’s your personal copy to review and edit. As you work, your teacher can review your progress before you click Turn in . 

• Click the image with your name to open the assigned file.
• Enter your work.
• On the document or in Classroom, click Turn in and confirm.

Important: If you get an error message when you click Turn in , let your instructor know.

Mark an assignment as done

Important: Any assignment turned in or marked done after the due date is recorded as late, even if you previously submitted the work before the due date.

Unsubmit an assignment

Want to make changes to an assignment that you already turned in? Just unsubmit the work, make the changes, and turn it in again.

Important: Any assignment turned in or marked done after the due date is marked late, even if you previously submitted the work before the due date. If you unsubmit an assignment, be sure to resubmit it before the due date.

• Click Unsubmit and confirm. Note : This assignment is now unsubmitted. Turn it in again before the due date.

Related articles

• See your work for a class
• How attachments are shared in Classroom
• Work with a doc assigned to you
• Google Docs Help Center
• Use a screen reader with Classroom on your computer

Was this helpful?

Need more help, try these next steps:.

Eberly Center

Teaching excellence & educational innovation, creating assignments.

Here are some general suggestions and questions to consider when creating assignments. There are also many other resources in print and on the web that provide examples of interesting, discipline-specific assignment ideas.

Consider your learning objectives.

What do you want students to learn in your course? What could they do that would show you that they have learned it? To determine assignments that truly serve your course objectives, it is useful to write out your objectives in this form: I want my students to be able to ____. Use active, measurable verbs as you complete that sentence (e.g., compare theories, discuss ramifications, recommend strategies), and your learning objectives will point you towards suitable assignments.

Design assignments that are interesting and challenging.

This is the fun side of assignment design. Consider how to focus students’ thinking in ways that are creative, challenging, and motivating. Think beyond the conventional assignment type! For example, one American historian requires students to write diary entries for a hypothetical Nebraska farmwoman in the 1890s. By specifying that students’ diary entries must demonstrate the breadth of their historical knowledge (e.g., gender, economics, technology, diet, family structure), the instructor gets students to exercise their imaginations while also accomplishing the learning objectives of the course (Walvoord & Anderson, 1989, p. 25).

Double-check alignment.

After creating your assignments, go back to your learning objectives and make sure there is still a good match between what you want students to learn and what you are asking them to do. If you find a mismatch, you will need to adjust either the assignments or the learning objectives. For instance, if your goal is for students to be able to analyze and evaluate texts, but your assignments only ask them to summarize texts, you would need to add an analytical and evaluative dimension to some assignments or rethink your learning objectives.

Name assignments accurately.

Students can be misled by assignments that are named inappropriately. For example, if you want students to analyze a product’s strengths and weaknesses but you call the assignment a “product description,” students may focus all their energies on the descriptive, not the critical, elements of the task. Thus, it is important to ensure that the titles of your assignments communicate their intention accurately to students.

Consider sequencing.

Think about how to order your assignments so that they build skills in a logical sequence. Ideally, assignments that require the most synthesis of skills and knowledge should come later in the semester, preceded by smaller assignments that build these skills incrementally. For example, if an instructor’s final assignment is a research project that requires students to evaluate a technological solution to an environmental problem, earlier assignments should reinforce component skills, including the ability to identify and discuss key environmental issues, apply evaluative criteria, and find appropriate research sources.

Think about scheduling.

Consider your intended assignments in relation to the academic calendar and decide how they can be reasonably spaced throughout the semester, taking into account holidays and key campus events. Consider how long it will take students to complete all parts of the assignment (e.g., planning, library research, reading, coordinating groups, writing, integrating the contributions of team members, developing a presentation), and be sure to allow sufficient time between assignments.

Check feasibility.

Is the workload you have in mind reasonable for your students? Is the grading burden manageable for you? Sometimes there are ways to reduce workload (whether for you or for students) without compromising learning objectives. For example, if a primary objective in assigning a project is for students to identify an interesting engineering problem and do some preliminary research on it, it might be reasonable to require students to submit a project proposal and annotated bibliography rather than a fully developed report. If your learning objectives are clear, you will see where corners can be cut without sacrificing educational quality.

Articulate the task description clearly.

If an assignment is vague, students may interpret it any number of ways – and not necessarily how you intended. Thus, it is critical to clearly and unambiguously identify the task students are to do (e.g., design a website to help high school students locate environmental resources, create an annotated bibliography of readings on apartheid). It can be helpful to differentiate the central task (what students are supposed to produce) from other advice and information you provide in your assignment description.

Establish clear performance criteria.

Different instructors apply different criteria when grading student work, so it’s important that you clearly articulate to students what your criteria are. To do so, think about the best student work you have seen on similar tasks and try to identify the specific characteristics that made it excellent, such as clarity of thought, originality, logical organization, or use of a wide range of sources. Then identify the characteristics of the worst student work you have seen, such as shaky evidence, weak organizational structure, or lack of focus. Identifying these characteristics can help you consciously articulate the criteria you already apply. It is important to communicate these criteria to students, whether in your assignment description or as a separate rubric or scoring guide . Clearly articulated performance criteria can prevent unnecessary confusion about your expectations while also setting a high standard for students to meet.

Specify the intended audience.

Students make assumptions about the audience they are addressing in papers and presentations, which influences how they pitch their message. For example, students may assume that, since the instructor is their primary audience, they do not need to define discipline-specific terms or concepts. These assumptions may not match the instructor’s expectations. Thus, it is important on assignments to specify the intended audience http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop10e.cfm (e.g., undergraduates with no biology background, a potential funder who does not know engineering).

Specify the purpose of the assignment.

If students are unclear about the goals or purpose of the assignment, they may make unnecessary mistakes. For example, if students believe an assignment is focused on summarizing research as opposed to evaluating it, they may seriously miscalculate the task and put their energies in the wrong place. The same is true they think the goal of an economics problem set is to find the correct answer, rather than demonstrate a clear chain of economic reasoning. Consequently, it is important to make your objectives for the assignment clear to students.

Specify the parameters.

If you have specific parameters in mind for the assignment (e.g., length, size, formatting, citation conventions) you should be sure to specify them in your assignment description. Otherwise, students may misapply conventions and formats they learned in other courses that are not appropriate for yours.

A Checklist for Designing Assignments

Here is a set of questions you can ask yourself when creating an assignment.

• Provided a written description of the assignment (in the syllabus or in a separate document)?
• Specified the purpose of the assignment?
• Indicated the intended audience?
• Articulated the instructions in precise and unambiguous language?
• Provided information about the appropriate format and presentation (e.g., page length, typed, cover sheet, bibliography)?  
• Indicated special instructions, such as a particular citation style or headings?  
• Specified the due date and the consequences for missing it?
• Articulated performance criteria clearly?
• Indicated the assignment’s point value or percentage of the course grade?
• Provided students (where appropriate) with models or samples?

Adapted from the WAC Clearinghouse at http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop10e.cfm .

CONTACT US to talk with an Eberly colleague in person!

• Faculty Support
• Graduate Student Support
• Canvas @ Carnegie Mellon
• Quick Links

Assessment Rubrics

A rubric is commonly defined as a tool that articulates the expectations for an assignment by listing criteria, and for each criteria, describing levels of quality (Andrade, 2000; Arter & Chappuis, 2007; Stiggins, 2001). Criteria are used in determining the level at which student work meets expectations. Markers of quality give students a clear idea about what must be done to demonstrate a certain level of mastery, understanding, or proficiency (i.e., "Exceeds Expectations" does xyz, "Meets Expectations" does only xy or yz, "Developing" does only x or y or z). Rubrics can be used for any assignment in a course, or for any way in which students are asked to demonstrate what they've learned. They can also be used to facilitate self and peer-reviews of student work.

Rubrics aren't just for summative evaluation. They can be used as a teaching tool as well. When used as part of a formative assessment, they can help students understand both the holistic nature and/or specific analytics of learning expected, the level of learning expected, and then make decisions about their current level of learning to inform revision and improvement (Reddy & Andrade, 2010). 

Why use rubrics?

Rubrics help instructors:

Provide students with feedback that is clear, directed and focused on ways to improve learning.

Demystify assignment expectations so students can focus on the work instead of guessing "what the instructor wants."

Reduce time spent on grading and develop consistency in how you evaluate student learning across students and throughout a class.

Rubrics help students:

Focus their efforts on completing assignments in line with clearly set expectations.

Self and Peer-reflect on their learning, making informed changes to achieve the desired learning level.

Developing a Rubric

During the process of developing a rubric, instructors might:

Select an assignment for your course - ideally one you identify as time intensive to grade, or students report as having unclear expectations.

Decide what you want students to demonstrate about their learning through that assignment. These are your criteria.

Identify the markers of quality on which you feel comfortable evaluating students’ level of learning - often along with a numerical scale (i.e., "Accomplished," "Emerging," "Beginning" for a developmental approach).

Give students the rubric ahead of time. Advise them to use it in guiding their completion of the assignment.

It can be overwhelming to create a rubric for every assignment in a class at once, so start by creating one rubric for one assignment. See how it goes and develop more from there! Also, do not reinvent the wheel. Rubric templates and examples exist all over the Internet, or consider asking colleagues if they have developed rubrics for similar assignments. 

Sample Rubrics

Examples of holistic and analytic rubrics : see Tables 2 & 3 in “Rubrics: Tools for Making Learning Goals and Evaluation Criteria Explicit for Both Teachers and Learners” (Allen & Tanner, 2006)

Examples across assessment types : see “Creating and Using Rubrics,” Carnegie Mellon Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and & Educational Innovation

“VALUE Rubrics” : see the Association of American Colleges and Universities set of free, downloadable rubrics, with foci including creative thinking, problem solving, and information literacy. 

Andrade, H. 2000. Using rubrics to promote thinking and learning. Educational Leadership 57, no. 5: 13–18. Arter, J., and J. Chappuis. 2007. Creating and recognizing quality rubrics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall. Stiggins, R.J. 2001. Student-involved classroom assessment. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Reddy, Y., & Andrade, H. (2010). A review of rubric use in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation In Higher Education, 35(4), 435-448.

• Get started in your class team
• Get organized in your class team
• Meetings, chats, and posts
• Share and organize class team files

Assignments and grades in your class team

• Use Class Notebook in Teams
• Downloadable guides
• Training for teachers
• Plan a training - we'll help!
• Get the overview
• Use Class Notebook and Teams together
• Choose a background and class view
• Manage student participation
• Set up meeting roles and safety
• Present and share content
• Schedule and join a meeting
• Set up your class view
• Tips for an inclusive class meeting
• Use the toolbar
• Educator's guide to Insights in Microsoft Teams
• All-classes view in the Insights app
• Class overview page in Insights
• Assignments and grades in Insights
• Digital activity data in Insights
• View Reflect data in Insights
• View Reading Progress data in Insights
• Use Insights to create Reading Progress challenge assignments
• Student support cards in Insights
• Student transparency in Insights
• About Education Insights Premium
• Navigate your dashboard
• Digital engagement data
• Workload data
• Reading Progress data
• Export your data

Create, submit, and grade assignments, all in Microsoft Teams .

Create an assignment

Navigate to your class team and select  Assignments .

Select Create > Assignment .

Add details to your assignment

The only thing your assignment requires to be saved is a title. All other fields are optional.

Title (required)

Choose multiple classes or individual students in one class to assign to.

Add additional instructions

Add resources. (See below.)

Select a due date and time. (See below.)

Points available

Add a grading rubric .

Add a category .

Tip:  Read more step-by-step instructions for reusing assignments, assigning quizzes, and more.

When you are finished, select Assign.  To save this assignment as a draft, select Save.

More on adding resources

Select Add resources to choose an existing file or create a blank Office 365 document to assign to each student.

Select Attach .

The default for the file will be Students can't edit , which means the document is read-only. This is a great option for reference materials.

Choose assignment timeline

To set a future assign date or prevent students from turning in late assignments, select Edit underneath the due date field.

Make your selections and select  Done .

Note:  By default, close dates are not selected, allowing students to turn assignments in assignments.

View grades

Track student progress and access grades in Grades.

Navigate to your class team and select  Grades .

Assignments appear in rows and your students in a column. Assignments are in listed in order by soonest due date. Scroll down or across to view all assignments.

You can also view students' assignment statuses:

Viewed  - The student has opened and viewed the assignment.

Turned in  - The student has turned in the assignment and work is ready to grade.

Returned or points  - When you've graded student work, the points assigned will show. You'll see Returned if the assignment doesn't have points.

Blank  - No action has been taken on the assignment yet.

Start grading

You can select any cell in the Grades tab to edit it.

This will open your student's assignment with a Feedback and Points field you can fill in.

To write comments on the document itself, select Edit Document  and either choose to edit in your desktop app or browser.

Select the arrows next to the student's name to navigate between student assignments.

Select  Return >  Return  or Return for revision  when you finish grading and want to return an assignment to a student. They will be notified and able to see your feedback.

Return multiple grades at once

To return multiple student grades simultaneously, select  Assignments .

Select an assignment.

You can enter feedback and points here without opening student work.

Check the boxes to specify which student work to return, or select all.

Click Return >  Return  or Return for revision .

Tip:  Learn more about the Grades tab and reviewing student work .

View and turn in assignments 

Navigate to a class team and select Assignments .  

To view assignment details and submit your work, select the assignment.  

Attach any required materials and select  Turn in .

See your grades 

To view grades for assignments your educator has reviewed and sent back to you: 

Select Grades  in your class team.

All your assignments are listed here with the nearest due date at the top. View your status on each assignment as well as points you've received on graded work. Assignments without points will show as Returned after your educator has reviewed them. 

Use the arrows next to Due date and Assignment  to sort your assignments.

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

Colour My Learning is supported by our readers. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases and display ads. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Google Classroom: When to Use the Different Assignments & How to Assign Work

Samuel J Tan Classroom Technology , Learning , Popular , Technology , Tutorials , VLEs 0

Here is a guide to set the different assignments under the Classwork tab in Google Classroom. This brief tutorial shows the different options; assignment, quiz assignment, question and material, when and how to assign them.

Table of Contents

The object of this tutorial is to give you an overview of what you can achieve with the different assignments supported on Google Classroom. You will need to first head over to the Classwork tab, second after Stream on the top once you are inside your classroom. This tutorial assumes that you have created your first classroom. You can see how to start your own virtual classroom in under 2 minutes for help. We will cover the following:

• create assignments and questions
• use topics to organise classworks into modules or units
• order work by dragging them up or down in Classwork page

Types of Assignment

There are four types of assignments you can create on Google Classroom. They are as follows:

• Assignment (points awarded, good for final assignment with manual marking and use of Rubric)
• Quiz assignment (points awarded, good for automatic marking and grading)
• Question (no points awarded, good for single question quick survey, short answer, multiple choice)
• Material (no points awarded, good for reading assignment or lesson preparations)

Apart from the above, you have the ability to reuse existing post and create topic header. The former lets you reuse posts you have published on Stream in this or other Classes. The latter is topic header you can add to organise the classwork by modules or units. Let’s start looking at each of these different classwork, when to use them and how to create them.

A. Assignment

Probably the most commonly used classwork is the assignment. Here you can pick one of the following top options when creating an assignment. Beyond filling in the title and instruction, choose to:

• Add an existing resource: Google Drive , Link , File or YouTube
• Create a new document: create a new Google Docs , Slides , Sheets , Drawings or Forms

The first option allows you to add a Google Drive, Link to web resources, upload or choose an online file to add to Classroom’s Google Drive. You can use this to assign work like “access the work files or resources in Google Drive”, “revise or research using this link”, “download, open and read the document attached” and “watch this video tutorial or recorded seminar”.

The second option lets you create online documents. This can be a word document, slide presentation file, spreadsheet, drawing or forms. There is no need to upload a document. Here is where your assignment is created and marked totally online. Use the option to assigning a copy to each student and marking them separately with in-line feedback, grade and comments.

As you can see Assignment covers a lot of grounds in terms of resources and online document format supported.

Step by Step Guide on How to Create an Assignment using Google Docs

Here is how to create an online assignment using Google Docs. [number correspond to image in gallery below]

• Open your class
• Click on the second tab, Classwork
• Click “ + Create ” button and choose Assignment
• In the pop up window, add Title and Instructions
• Click “ + Create ” button and choose Docs [4]
• A new tab will open to show the new Google Docs [5]
• Change the title of the document by clicking on Untitled document (top left corner)
• Enter the instruction for assignment into the body, look for  All changes saved in Drive  status in top bar then close tab and return to previous Assignment tab [5]
• Don’t worry if the document still says Untitled document, next to this click drop down menu and choose Make a copy for each student . [6]
• Complete the options in the right side bar (for course, all or select students, grade points, due date, topic and marking rubric (optional) then click Assign button. [7]

NOTE: You can also choose to Schedule the assignment, save or discard draft by clicking on the drop down arrow next to the Assign button.

You will then be returned to the Classwork page where you can see the assignment you have just created, click on it to open a summary card. [8]

B. Quiz Assignment

Based on Google Forms, the quiz is the other assignment you can create as classwork. This is great to gauge the students understanding of the subject. Like any questionnaire or form, you can use different field types when designing your form.

Step by Step Guide on How to Create an Quiz Assignment

• Click “ + Create ” button and choose Quiz Assignment
• A new pop-up window will appear, enter the Title and Instructions for this quiz
• Click on the Blank Quiz link to open the Google Forms file. Click on the title Blank Quiz to change this and start editing the quiz by completing and adding more questions including answers and points for automatic marking.
• Once you have completed your editing, look for All changes saved in Drive , close the tab and return to previous Assignment tab.
• Complete the options in the right side bar (for course, all or select students, grade points, due date, topic and marking rubric (optional) then click Assign button.

You will then be returned to the Classwork page where you can see the assignment you have just created, click on it to open a summary card.

C. Question

The third type of assignment is Question. This is more of a simple single question survey with option to choose between a short answer or multiple choice answer. Nothing more beyond that. It is probably the quickest to set up and least complicated. This is useful to get quick answers from the group. Students can be allowed to see everyones answers and change their answer. No points can be awarded for this assignment.

Step by Step Guide on How to Create Question as Assignment

• Click “ + Create ” button and choose Question
• A new pop-up window will appear, enter the Question and Instructions for this question
• Choose from drop down menu to select Short answer or Multiple choice .
• Here you can also add resources or create online files in Google Drive.
• Complete the options in the right side bar; class(es) the Question is for, assign to All or specific students, Points, Due date and Topic. Also choose if other students can reply to each other and edit their answer if Short answer is chosen. Or, choose if students can see class summary if Multiple choice is chosen.
• Click the Ask button when ready.

D. Material

The last and final assignment is the Material. Here you can assign learning materials for students to study and prepare. As before, you can upload a resource or create online file as material. Like Questions assignment type, no points can be awarded for Material assignment type.

Step by Step Guide on How to Create Material as Assignment

• Click “ + Create ” button and choose Material
• In the pop-up window, complete Title and Description field
• Choose to add a resource or + create online document
• Then configure the assignment using right sidebar, pick to assign to All students or select individuals and pick the Topic this comes under.
• When ready click the Post button.

Featured Products

Interested in the product(s) featured here, use the links below to check the price , availability and offers . As an affiliate, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

Links to visit major online retailers

Related Posts

Tablets , Technology

Which Big iPad to Choose? Apple iPad Air 13 M2 (2024), iPad Pro 12.9 M2 (2022) or iPad Pro 13 M4 (2024)

Xiaomi redmi pad se 11-inch tablet quick review & alternatives.

Monitors , Technology

MacBook Air with M3 Now Supports Two(2) External Monitors with a Caveat

Hardware , Monitors , Technology

Maximum Displays Supported by Apple M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max Systems

Laptops , Technology

Affordable MacBook Air and Pro Choices for Students

Smartphones , Technology , Tutorials

How to Tell Siri to Shoot or Record a Video

Classroom Technology , Tablets , Technology

Essential Accessories for the Google Pixel Tablet for Productivity

Software & Web Apps , Technology

The Role of Social Media in Education: Collaboration, Communication & Beyond

Education , Learning , Technology

The Internet of Things (IoT) in Education: Shaping the connected learning environments

Share your thoughts cancel reply.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Discover more from Colour My Learning

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

• PC & Mobile

How to Create an Assignment in Google Classroom

Lee Stanton Lee Stanton is a versatile writer with a concentration on the software landscape, covering both mobile and desktop applications as well as online technologies. Read more September 22, 2021

Device Links

• Individual Student
• Whole Class
• Make a Copy
• Device Missing?

Google Classroom is one of the top tools for teaching online classes. If you’re a teacher, learning how to manage assignments on the platform is a great skill. In addition to creating them, you can save draft versions, copy them, schedule them to be sent later, choose which students receive them, etc.

If you’re new to Google Classroom and wondering how to make an assignment, you’ve come to the right place. This article will discuss assigning them to all or specific students as well as offer tips and tricks to fully take advantage of Google Classroom.

How to Create an Assignment in Google Classroom for Each Student

Sometimes, you’ll need to create different assignments for different students. Whether your students need extra homework, want a better grade, or received detention and need to make up a lesson, learning how to make assignments for individual students is essential. Fortunately, Google Classroom made the process easy.

How to Create an Assignment in Google Classroom for Each Student on a PC

Here’s how to make an assignment for individual students in Google Classroom:

• Go to Google Classroom .

• Select the students.

How to Create an Assignment in Google Classroom for Each Student on an Android

If you’re on the go or don’t have your computer nearby, you can use the Google Classroom app on your Android device. Although you may think it’s hard to work on a smaller screen, Google Classroom did an excellent job of making the process quick and simple.

Follow these steps to create assignments for each student on your Android device:

• Tap “All students” twice to deselect them.
• Type the names of the students to which you want to send the assignments.
• Tap “Assign” to send the assignment right away or schedule it.

How to Create an Assignment in Google Classroom for Each Student on an iPhone or iPad

The Google Classroom app is also available for iPhone/iPad users. Creating an assignment for each student can be done in several clicks. Follow the instructions below to make an assignment for individual students on your iPhone/iPad:

• Add a student by typing their name. You can select up to 100 students.

How to Create an Assignment in Google Classroom for All Students

If you’ve prepared one assignment for the whole class, Google Classroom allows you to send it to all students at once. In fact, this is the default option that you can customize if necessary. You can also choose whether you want to save it as a draft, assign it right away, schedule it for later, etc.

How to Create an Assignment in Google Classroom for the Whole Class on a PC

Create an assignment for all students in your class by following the steps below:

How to Create an Assignment in Google Classroom for the Whole Class on an Android Device

If you’re not near your computer but want to send the assignment to your students, you can use the Google Classroom app for Android. Creating and sending an assignment on your Android is just as easy as doing it on your computer.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Double-check whether the “All students” option is selected.
• Send the assignment right away, schedule it for later, or save it as a draft.

How to Create an Assignment in Google Classroom for the Whole Class on an iPhone

iPhone/iPad users will be happy to know they can download the Google Classroom app from the App Store . Navigating through the app is straightforward, so you can create assignments for all your students even when you’re not at home or near your computer.

Here’s how to make an assignment in Google Classroom for all students on your iPhone/iPad:

How to Make a Copy of an Assignment in Google Classroom

If you have one assignment for multiple classes or want to use one from previous years, the good news is you don’t have to waste time creating it from scratch. Instead, Google Classroom offers the “Reuse” option that enables you to send an existing assignment to students in other classes.

How to Make a Copy of an Assignment in Google Classroom on a PC

If you’re using a PC and want to create a copy of an existing assignment, here’s what you need to do:

• Select the class to which you want to send the assignment.

• If you want, you can change information, customize the attachments or instructions.

How to Make a Copy of an Assignment in Google Classroom on an Android Device

Google Classroom’s “Reuse” option is perfect for when you’re not near your computer and want to “recycle” an old assignment. The Android app allows you to do this in just a few clicks:

• Edit the assignment’s information if you want.

How to Make a Copy of an Assignment in Google Classroom on an iPhone

iPhone/iPad users can copy an existing Google Classroom assignment and share it with a class or save it for later. Follow the steps below to do it:

• If needed, change information or edit existing attachments.

Google Classroom Has a Lot to Offer

As one of the best online teaching tools, Google Classroom allows you to take advantage of numerous options regarding assignments. It’s available on both your computer and phone/tablet, which makes creating assignments more convenient. If you’ve already created an assignment, you can easily copy it and send it to a different class, which can be a real time-saver.

We hope this article taught you how to make an assignment in Google Classroom. Along with that, we hope you learned additional information about the app’s useful options.

Have you ever used Google Classroom? Which option is your favorite? Tell us in the comments section below.

Related Posts

Disclaimer: Some pages on this site may include an affiliate link. This does not effect our editorial in any way.

Supreeth August 1, 2024

Afam Onyimadu July 25, 2024

Afam Onyimadu June 1, 2024

Send To Someone

Missing device.

Please enable JavaScript to submit this form.

Assignments

• by teachmint@wp

What is assignment in education? Assignment meaning is the tasks given to students by their teachers and tutors to complete in a defined time. They can also be referred to as the work given to someone as a part of learning. Assignments can be in the form of written, practical, art or fieldwork, or even online. Their purpose is to ensure that students understand the subject matter thoroughly.

Generally, students are assigned a task as a part of their homework. The allocation of assignments is not only restricted to a class or subject but this method can be applied at any stage of life. They are a great way to judge the ability and understanding of an individual towards a subject matter.

The culture of providing homework starts from kindergarten in various forms. Small children are asked to read and write what they learn in the class. Students in the higher class are given work as a part of their revision exercise and help them prepare for exams. Individuals doing honors write journals as a part of an assignment that determines their knowledge in that subject.

The structure of assignments depends upon the nature of the task and subject. They must be well-researched, including case studies or examples within a proper framework. These studies are useful for students to achieve the desired examination results. It also helps them to concentrate better on education. Knowing what is assignment in education helps teachers assess students better.

Importance of Assignments

Giving assignments to the students is a crucial part of student assessment. The importance of giving assignments to the students is discussed in detail below:

• Learning practical skills Assignments enable students to develop new skills. In order to complete the assignments, students learn new skills which help them in their academic careers. 
• Enhances time management skills Whenever assignments are allocated to the students, a time limit is set by teachers within which the assignment has to be submitted. What is assignment in education enable students to complete their tasks and learn timely submission of work. 
• Learning researching skills Students tend to do a lot of research about the questions given in the assignment. Assignment meaning is to help them develop their research skills and come in handy in their future careers. 
• Enhance the Writing Caliber Many students have a problem of not being able to put their thoughts into words. Writing assignments can help them develop writing skills and be expressive in real life as well. 

Since assignments are deadline-based, they help students take responsibility and manage time. The work assigned to students may be individual or group activities, or both, to develop teamwork in them. 

The above-mentioned information gives us a context of assignment meaning and its importance to the students. Assignments provide a basis for the student assessment and should be given timely.  

Try Teachmint, an integrated school platform for efficient school management .

Learn more about  Teachmint plans  here.

Digitize your school in minutes with Teachmint’s integrated platform

" * " indicates required fields

• Java Arrays
• Java Strings
• Java Collection
• Java 8 Tutorial
• Java Multithreading
• Java Exception Handling
• Java Programs
• Java Project
• Java Collections Interview
• Java Interview Questions
• Spring Boot

Classes and Objects in Java

In Java, classes and objects are basic concepts of Object Oriented Programming (OOPs) that are used to represent real-world concepts and entities. The class represents a group of objects having similar properties and behavior. For example, the animal type Dog is a class while a particular dog named Tommy is an object of the Dog class.

In this article, we will discuss Java objects and classes and how to implement them in our program.

Java Classes

A class in Java is a set of objects which shares common characteristics/ behavior and common properties/ attributes. It is a user-defined blueprint or prototype from which objects are created. For example, Student is a class while a particular student named Ravi is an object.

Properties of Java Classes

• Class is not a real-world entity. It is just a template or blueprint or prototype from which objects are created.
• Class does not occupy memory.
• Class is a group of variables of different data types and a group of methods.
• Data member
• Constructor
• Nested Class

Class Declaration in Java

Example of java class, components of java classes.

 In general, class declarations can include these components, in order: 

Modifiers : A class can be public or has default access (Refer this for details). Class keyword: class keyword is used to create a class. Class name:  The name should begin with an initial letter (capitalized by convention). Superclass(if any): The name of the class’s parent (superclass), if any, preceded by the keyword extends. A class can only extend (subclass) one parent. Interfaces(if any): A comma-separated list of interfaces implemented by the class, if any, preceded by the keyword implements. A class can implement more than one interface. Body: The class body is surrounded by braces, { }.

Constructors are used for initializing new objects. Fields are variables that provide the state of the class and its objects, and methods are used to implement the behavior of the class and its objects. There are various types of classes that are used in real-time applications such as  nested classes , anonymous classes , and lambda expressions .

Java Objects

An object in Java is a basic unit of Object-Oriented Programming and represents real-life entities. Objects are the instances of a class that are created to use the attributes and methods of a class.  A typical Java program creates many objects, which as you know, interact by invoking methods. An object consists of : 

• State : It is represented by attributes of an object. It also reflects the properties of an object.
• Behavior : It is represented by the methods of an object. It also reflects the response of an object with other objects.
• Identity : It gives a unique name to an object and enables one object to interact with other objects.

Example of an object: dog

Objects correspond to things found in the real world. For example, a graphics program may have objects such as “circle”, “square”, and “menu”. An online shopping system might have objects such as “shopping cart”, “customer”, and “product”.  

Note: When we create an object which is a non primitive data type, it’s always allocated on the heap memory.

Declaring Objects (Also called instantiating a class)

When an object of a class is created, the class is said to be instantiated . All the instances share the attributes and the behavior of the class. But the values of those attributes, i.e. the state are unique for each object. A single class may have any number of instances.

Java Object Declaration

As we declare variables like (type name;). This notifies the compiler that we will use the name to refer to data whose type is type. With a primitive variable, this declaration also reserves the proper amount of memory for the variable. So for reference variables , the type must be strictly a concrete class name. In general, we can’t create objects of an abstract class or an interface.  

If we declare a reference variable(tuffy) like this, its value will be undetermined(null) until an object is actually created and assigned to it. Simply declaring a reference variable does not create an object.

Initializing a Java object

The new operator instantiates a class by allocating memory for a new object and returning a reference to that memory. The new operator also invokes the class constructor. 

Initialize by using method/function:

This class contains a single constructor. We can recognize a constructor because its declaration uses the same name as the class and it has no return type. The Java compiler differentiates the constructors based on the number and the type of the arguments. The constructor in the Dog class takes four arguments. The following statement provides “tuffy”, “papillon”,5, and “white” as values for those arguments:

The result of executing this statement can be illustrated as :

Memory Allocation of Java Objects

Note: All classes have at least one constructor. If a class does not explicitly declare any, the Java compiler automatically provides a no-argument constructor, also called the default constructor. This default constructor calls the class parent’s no-argument constructor (as it contains only one statement i.e super();), or the Object class constructor if the class has no other parent (as the Object class is the parent of all classes either directly or indirectly). 

Ways to Create an Object of a Class

There are four ways to create objects in Java. Strictly speaking, there is only one way(by using a new keyword), and the rest internally use a new keyword. 

1. Using new keyword

It is the most common and general way to create an object in Java. 

2. Using Class.forName(String className) method

There is a pre-defined class in java.lang package with name Class. The forName(String className) method returns the Class object associated with the class with the given string name. We have to give a fully qualified name for a class. On calling the new Instance() method on this Class object returns a new instance of the class with the given string name.

3. Using clone() method

clone() method is present in the Object class. It creates and returns a copy of the object.

4. Deserialization

De-serialization is a technique of reading an object from the saved state in a file. Refer to Serialization/De-Serialization in Java

Creating multiple objects by one type only (A good practice) 

In real-time, we need different objects of a class in different methods. Creating a number of references for storing them is not a good practice and therefore we declare a static reference variable and use it whenever required. In this case, the wastage of memory is less. The objects that are not referenced anymore will be destroyed by the Garbage Collector of Java. 

In the inheritance system, we use a parent class reference variable to store a sub-class object. In this case, we can switch into different subclass objects using the same referenced variable. 

Anonymous Objects in Java

Anonymous objects are objects that are instantiated but are not stored in a reference variable.  

• They are used for immediate method calls.
• They will be destroyed after method calling.
• They are widely used in different libraries. For example, in AWT libraries, they are used to perform some action on capturing an event(eg a key press).
• In the example below, when a key button(referred to by the btn) is pressed, we are simply creating an anonymous object of EventHandler class for just calling the handle method.

Difference between Java Class and Objects

The differences between class and object in Java are as follows: 

Mastering the concepts of classes and objects is essential for any Java programmer. These foundational elements of Java allow for the creation of robust and scalable software designs. Understanding how to effectively use classes and objects can help you write more organized and modular code, which is easier to manage and extend. To further hone your skills in Java programming, including advanced concepts and practical applications, consider signing up for our Free Java Course . This course will deepen your understanding and expand your abilities in Java.

Please Login to comment...

Similar reads, improve your coding skills with practice.

What kind of Experience do you want to share?

• Python »
• 3.12.4 Documentation »
• The Python Tutorial »
• Theme Auto Light Dark |

9. Classes ¶

Classes provide a means of bundling data and functionality together. Creating a new class creates a new type of object, allowing new instances of that type to be made. Each class instance can have attributes attached to it for maintaining its state. Class instances can also have methods (defined by its class) for modifying its state.

Compared with other programming languages, Python’s class mechanism adds classes with a minimum of new syntax and semantics. It is a mixture of the class mechanisms found in C++ and Modula-3. Python classes provide all the standard features of Object Oriented Programming: the class inheritance mechanism allows multiple base classes, a derived class can override any methods of its base class or classes, and a method can call the method of a base class with the same name. Objects can contain arbitrary amounts and kinds of data. As is true for modules, classes partake of the dynamic nature of Python: they are created at runtime, and can be modified further after creation.

In C++ terminology, normally class members (including the data members) are public (except see below Private Variables ), and all member functions are virtual . As in Modula-3, there are no shorthands for referencing the object’s members from its methods: the method function is declared with an explicit first argument representing the object, which is provided implicitly by the call. As in Smalltalk, classes themselves are objects. This provides semantics for importing and renaming. Unlike C++ and Modula-3, built-in types can be used as base classes for extension by the user. Also, like in C++, most built-in operators with special syntax (arithmetic operators, subscripting etc.) can be redefined for class instances.

(Lacking universally accepted terminology to talk about classes, I will make occasional use of Smalltalk and C++ terms. I would use Modula-3 terms, since its object-oriented semantics are closer to those of Python than C++, but I expect that few readers have heard of it.)

9.1. A Word About Names and Objects ¶

Objects have individuality, and multiple names (in multiple scopes) can be bound to the same object. This is known as aliasing in other languages. This is usually not appreciated on a first glance at Python, and can be safely ignored when dealing with immutable basic types (numbers, strings, tuples). However, aliasing has a possibly surprising effect on the semantics of Python code involving mutable objects such as lists, dictionaries, and most other types. This is usually used to the benefit of the program, since aliases behave like pointers in some respects. For example, passing an object is cheap since only a pointer is passed by the implementation; and if a function modifies an object passed as an argument, the caller will see the change — this eliminates the need for two different argument passing mechanisms as in Pascal.

9.2. Python Scopes and Namespaces ¶

Before introducing classes, I first have to tell you something about Python’s scope rules. Class definitions play some neat tricks with namespaces, and you need to know how scopes and namespaces work to fully understand what’s going on. Incidentally, knowledge about this subject is useful for any advanced Python programmer.

Let’s begin with some definitions.

A namespace is a mapping from names to objects. Most namespaces are currently implemented as Python dictionaries, but that’s normally not noticeable in any way (except for performance), and it may change in the future. Examples of namespaces are: the set of built-in names (containing functions such as abs() , and built-in exception names); the global names in a module; and the local names in a function invocation. In a sense the set of attributes of an object also form a namespace. The important thing to know about namespaces is that there is absolutely no relation between names in different namespaces; for instance, two different modules may both define a function maximize without confusion — users of the modules must prefix it with the module name.

By the way, I use the word attribute for any name following a dot — for example, in the expression z.real , real is an attribute of the object z . Strictly speaking, references to names in modules are attribute references: in the expression modname.funcname , modname is a module object and funcname is an attribute of it. In this case there happens to be a straightforward mapping between the module’s attributes and the global names defined in the module: they share the same namespace! [ 1 ]

Attributes may be read-only or writable. In the latter case, assignment to attributes is possible. Module attributes are writable: you can write modname.the_answer = 42 . Writable attributes may also be deleted with the del statement. For example, del modname.the_answer will remove the attribute the_answer from the object named by modname .

Namespaces are created at different moments and have different lifetimes. The namespace containing the built-in names is created when the Python interpreter starts up, and is never deleted. The global namespace for a module is created when the module definition is read in; normally, module namespaces also last until the interpreter quits. The statements executed by the top-level invocation of the interpreter, either read from a script file or interactively, are considered part of a module called __main__ , so they have their own global namespace. (The built-in names actually also live in a module; this is called builtins .)

The local namespace for a function is created when the function is called, and deleted when the function returns or raises an exception that is not handled within the function. (Actually, forgetting would be a better way to describe what actually happens.) Of course, recursive invocations each have their own local namespace.

A scope is a textual region of a Python program where a namespace is directly accessible. “Directly accessible” here means that an unqualified reference to a name attempts to find the name in the namespace.

Although scopes are determined statically, they are used dynamically. At any time during execution, there are 3 or 4 nested scopes whose namespaces are directly accessible:

the innermost scope, which is searched first, contains the local names

the scopes of any enclosing functions, which are searched starting with the nearest enclosing scope, contain non-local, but also non-global names

the next-to-last scope contains the current module’s global names

the outermost scope (searched last) is the namespace containing built-in names

If a name is declared global, then all references and assignments go directly to the next-to-last scope containing the module’s global names. To rebind variables found outside of the innermost scope, the nonlocal statement can be used; if not declared nonlocal, those variables are read-only (an attempt to write to such a variable will simply create a new local variable in the innermost scope, leaving the identically named outer variable unchanged).

Usually, the local scope references the local names of the (textually) current function. Outside functions, the local scope references the same namespace as the global scope: the module’s namespace. Class definitions place yet another namespace in the local scope.

It is important to realize that scopes are determined textually: the global scope of a function defined in a module is that module’s namespace, no matter from where or by what alias the function is called. On the other hand, the actual search for names is done dynamically, at run time — however, the language definition is evolving towards static name resolution, at “compile” time, so don’t rely on dynamic name resolution! (In fact, local variables are already determined statically.)

A special quirk of Python is that – if no global or nonlocal statement is in effect – assignments to names always go into the innermost scope. Assignments do not copy data — they just bind names to objects. The same is true for deletions: the statement del x removes the binding of x from the namespace referenced by the local scope. In fact, all operations that introduce new names use the local scope: in particular, import statements and function definitions bind the module or function name in the local scope.

The global statement can be used to indicate that particular variables live in the global scope and should be rebound there; the nonlocal statement indicates that particular variables live in an enclosing scope and should be rebound there.

9.2.1. Scopes and Namespaces Example ¶

This is an example demonstrating how to reference the different scopes and namespaces, and how global and nonlocal affect variable binding:

The output of the example code is:

Note how the local assignment (which is default) didn’t change scope_test 's binding of spam . The nonlocal assignment changed scope_test 's binding of spam , and the global assignment changed the module-level binding.

You can also see that there was no previous binding for spam before the global assignment.

9.3. A First Look at Classes ¶

Classes introduce a little bit of new syntax, three new object types, and some new semantics.

9.3.1. Class Definition Syntax ¶

The simplest form of class definition looks like this:

Class definitions, like function definitions ( def statements) must be executed before they have any effect. (You could conceivably place a class definition in a branch of an if statement, or inside a function.)

In practice, the statements inside a class definition will usually be function definitions, but other statements are allowed, and sometimes useful — we’ll come back to this later. The function definitions inside a class normally have a peculiar form of argument list, dictated by the calling conventions for methods — again, this is explained later.

When a class definition is entered, a new namespace is created, and used as the local scope — thus, all assignments to local variables go into this new namespace. In particular, function definitions bind the name of the new function here.

When a class definition is left normally (via the end), a class object is created. This is basically a wrapper around the contents of the namespace created by the class definition; we’ll learn more about class objects in the next section. The original local scope (the one in effect just before the class definition was entered) is reinstated, and the class object is bound here to the class name given in the class definition header ( ClassName in the example).

9.3.2. Class Objects ¶

Class objects support two kinds of operations: attribute references and instantiation.

Attribute references use the standard syntax used for all attribute references in Python: obj.name . Valid attribute names are all the names that were in the class’s namespace when the class object was created. So, if the class definition looked like this:

then MyClass.i and MyClass.f are valid attribute references, returning an integer and a function object, respectively. Class attributes can also be assigned to, so you can change the value of MyClass.i by assignment. __doc__ is also a valid attribute, returning the docstring belonging to the class: "A simple example class" .

Class instantiation uses function notation. Just pretend that the class object is a parameterless function that returns a new instance of the class. For example (assuming the above class):

creates a new instance of the class and assigns this object to the local variable x .

The instantiation operation (“calling” a class object) creates an empty object. Many classes like to create objects with instances customized to a specific initial state. Therefore a class may define a special method named __init__() , like this:

When a class defines an __init__() method, class instantiation automatically invokes __init__() for the newly created class instance. So in this example, a new, initialized instance can be obtained by:

Of course, the __init__() method may have arguments for greater flexibility. In that case, arguments given to the class instantiation operator are passed on to __init__() . For example,

9.3.3. Instance Objects ¶

Now what can we do with instance objects? The only operations understood by instance objects are attribute references. There are two kinds of valid attribute names: data attributes and methods.

data attributes correspond to “instance variables” in Smalltalk, and to “data members” in C++. Data attributes need not be declared; like local variables, they spring into existence when they are first assigned to. For example, if x is the instance of MyClass created above, the following piece of code will print the value 16 , without leaving a trace:

The other kind of instance attribute reference is a method . A method is a function that “belongs to” an object.

Valid method names of an instance object depend on its class. By definition, all attributes of a class that are function objects define corresponding methods of its instances. So in our example, x.f is a valid method reference, since MyClass.f is a function, but x.i is not, since MyClass.i is not. But x.f is not the same thing as MyClass.f — it is a method object , not a function object.

9.3.4. Method Objects ¶

Usually, a method is called right after it is bound:

In the MyClass example, this will return the string 'hello world' . However, it is not necessary to call a method right away: x.f is a method object, and can be stored away and called at a later time. For example:

will continue to print hello world until the end of time.

What exactly happens when a method is called? You may have noticed that x.f() was called without an argument above, even though the function definition for f() specified an argument. What happened to the argument? Surely Python raises an exception when a function that requires an argument is called without any — even if the argument isn’t actually used…

Actually, you may have guessed the answer: the special thing about methods is that the instance object is passed as the first argument of the function. In our example, the call x.f() is exactly equivalent to MyClass.f(x) . In general, calling a method with a list of n arguments is equivalent to calling the corresponding function with an argument list that is created by inserting the method’s instance object before the first argument.

In general, methods work as follows. When a non-data attribute of an instance is referenced, the instance’s class is searched. If the name denotes a valid class attribute that is a function object, references to both the instance object and the function object are packed into a method object. When the method object is called with an argument list, a new argument list is constructed from the instance object and the argument list, and the function object is called with this new argument list.

9.3.5. Class and Instance Variables ¶

Generally speaking, instance variables are for data unique to each instance and class variables are for attributes and methods shared by all instances of the class:

As discussed in A Word About Names and Objects , shared data can have possibly surprising effects with involving mutable objects such as lists and dictionaries. For example, the tricks list in the following code should not be used as a class variable because just a single list would be shared by all Dog instances:

Correct design of the class should use an instance variable instead:

9.4. Random Remarks ¶

If the same attribute name occurs in both an instance and in a class, then attribute lookup prioritizes the instance:

Data attributes may be referenced by methods as well as by ordinary users (“clients”) of an object. In other words, classes are not usable to implement pure abstract data types. In fact, nothing in Python makes it possible to enforce data hiding — it is all based upon convention. (On the other hand, the Python implementation, written in C, can completely hide implementation details and control access to an object if necessary; this can be used by extensions to Python written in C.)

Clients should use data attributes with care — clients may mess up invariants maintained by the methods by stamping on their data attributes. Note that clients may add data attributes of their own to an instance object without affecting the validity of the methods, as long as name conflicts are avoided — again, a naming convention can save a lot of headaches here.

There is no shorthand for referencing data attributes (or other methods!) from within methods. I find that this actually increases the readability of methods: there is no chance of confusing local variables and instance variables when glancing through a method.

Often, the first argument of a method is called self . This is nothing more than a convention: the name self has absolutely no special meaning to Python. Note, however, that by not following the convention your code may be less readable to other Python programmers, and it is also conceivable that a class browser program might be written that relies upon such a convention.

Any function object that is a class attribute defines a method for instances of that class. It is not necessary that the function definition is textually enclosed in the class definition: assigning a function object to a local variable in the class is also ok. For example:

Now f , g and h are all attributes of class C that refer to function objects, and consequently they are all methods of instances of C — h being exactly equivalent to g . Note that this practice usually only serves to confuse the reader of a program.

Methods may call other methods by using method attributes of the self argument:

Methods may reference global names in the same way as ordinary functions. The global scope associated with a method is the module containing its definition. (A class is never used as a global scope.) While one rarely encounters a good reason for using global data in a method, there are many legitimate uses of the global scope: for one thing, functions and modules imported into the global scope can be used by methods, as well as functions and classes defined in it. Usually, the class containing the method is itself defined in this global scope, and in the next section we’ll find some good reasons why a method would want to reference its own class.

Each value is an object, and therefore has a class (also called its type ). It is stored as object.__class__ .

9.5. Inheritance ¶

Of course, a language feature would not be worthy of the name “class” without supporting inheritance. The syntax for a derived class definition looks like this:

The name BaseClassName must be defined in a namespace accessible from the scope containing the derived class definition. In place of a base class name, other arbitrary expressions are also allowed. This can be useful, for example, when the base class is defined in another module:

Execution of a derived class definition proceeds the same as for a base class. When the class object is constructed, the base class is remembered. This is used for resolving attribute references: if a requested attribute is not found in the class, the search proceeds to look in the base class. This rule is applied recursively if the base class itself is derived from some other class.

There’s nothing special about instantiation of derived classes: DerivedClassName() creates a new instance of the class. Method references are resolved as follows: the corresponding class attribute is searched, descending down the chain of base classes if necessary, and the method reference is valid if this yields a function object.

Derived classes may override methods of their base classes. Because methods have no special privileges when calling other methods of the same object, a method of a base class that calls another method defined in the same base class may end up calling a method of a derived class that overrides it. (For C++ programmers: all methods in Python are effectively virtual .)

An overriding method in a derived class may in fact want to extend rather than simply replace the base class method of the same name. There is a simple way to call the base class method directly: just call BaseClassName.methodname(self, arguments) . This is occasionally useful to clients as well. (Note that this only works if the base class is accessible as BaseClassName in the global scope.)

Python has two built-in functions that work with inheritance:

Use isinstance() to check an instance’s type: isinstance(obj, int) will be True only if obj.__class__ is int or some class derived from int .

Use issubclass() to check class inheritance: issubclass(bool, int) is True since bool is a subclass of int . However, issubclass(float, int) is False since float is not a subclass of int .

9.5.1. Multiple Inheritance ¶

Python supports a form of multiple inheritance as well. A class definition with multiple base classes looks like this:

For most purposes, in the simplest cases, you can think of the search for attributes inherited from a parent class as depth-first, left-to-right, not searching twice in the same class where there is an overlap in the hierarchy. Thus, if an attribute is not found in DerivedClassName , it is searched for in Base1 , then (recursively) in the base classes of Base1 , and if it was not found there, it was searched for in Base2 , and so on.

In fact, it is slightly more complex than that; the method resolution order changes dynamically to support cooperative calls to super() . This approach is known in some other multiple-inheritance languages as call-next-method and is more powerful than the super call found in single-inheritance languages.

Dynamic ordering is necessary because all cases of multiple inheritance exhibit one or more diamond relationships (where at least one of the parent classes can be accessed through multiple paths from the bottommost class). For example, all classes inherit from object , so any case of multiple inheritance provides more than one path to reach object . To keep the base classes from being accessed more than once, the dynamic algorithm linearizes the search order in a way that preserves the left-to-right ordering specified in each class, that calls each parent only once, and that is monotonic (meaning that a class can be subclassed without affecting the precedence order of its parents). Taken together, these properties make it possible to design reliable and extensible classes with multiple inheritance. For more detail, see The Python 2.3 Method Resolution Order .

9.6. Private Variables ¶

“Private” instance variables that cannot be accessed except from inside an object don’t exist in Python. However, there is a convention that is followed by most Python code: a name prefixed with an underscore (e.g. _spam ) should be treated as a non-public part of the API (whether it is a function, a method or a data member). It should be considered an implementation detail and subject to change without notice.

Since there is a valid use-case for class-private members (namely to avoid name clashes of names with names defined by subclasses), there is limited support for such a mechanism, called name mangling . Any identifier of the form __spam (at least two leading underscores, at most one trailing underscore) is textually replaced with _classname__spam , where classname is the current class name with leading underscore(s) stripped. This mangling is done without regard to the syntactic position of the identifier, as long as it occurs within the definition of a class.

The private name mangling specifications for details and special cases.

Name mangling is helpful for letting subclasses override methods without breaking intraclass method calls. For example:

The above example would work even if MappingSubclass were to introduce a __update identifier since it is replaced with _Mapping__update in the Mapping class and _MappingSubclass__update in the MappingSubclass class respectively.

Note that the mangling rules are designed mostly to avoid accidents; it still is possible to access or modify a variable that is considered private. This can even be useful in special circumstances, such as in the debugger.

Notice that code passed to exec() or eval() does not consider the classname of the invoking class to be the current class; this is similar to the effect of the global statement, the effect of which is likewise restricted to code that is byte-compiled together. The same restriction applies to getattr() , setattr() and delattr() , as well as when referencing __dict__ directly.

9.7. Odds and Ends ¶

Sometimes it is useful to have a data type similar to the Pascal “record” or C “struct”, bundling together a few named data items. The idiomatic approach is to use dataclasses for this purpose:

A piece of Python code that expects a particular abstract data type can often be passed a class that emulates the methods of that data type instead. For instance, if you have a function that formats some data from a file object, you can define a class with methods read() and readline() that get the data from a string buffer instead, and pass it as an argument.

Instance method objects have attributes, too: m.__self__ is the instance object with the method m() , and m.__func__ is the function object corresponding to the method.

9.8. Iterators ¶

By now you have probably noticed that most container objects can be looped over using a for statement:

This style of access is clear, concise, and convenient. The use of iterators pervades and unifies Python. Behind the scenes, the for statement calls iter() on the container object. The function returns an iterator object that defines the method __next__() which accesses elements in the container one at a time. When there are no more elements, __next__() raises a StopIteration exception which tells the for loop to terminate. You can call the __next__() method using the next() built-in function; this example shows how it all works:

Having seen the mechanics behind the iterator protocol, it is easy to add iterator behavior to your classes. Define an __iter__() method which returns an object with a __next__() method. If the class defines __next__() , then __iter__() can just return self :

9.9. Generators ¶

Generators are a simple and powerful tool for creating iterators. They are written like regular functions but use the yield statement whenever they want to return data. Each time next() is called on it, the generator resumes where it left off (it remembers all the data values and which statement was last executed). An example shows that generators can be trivially easy to create:

Anything that can be done with generators can also be done with class-based iterators as described in the previous section. What makes generators so compact is that the __iter__() and __next__() methods are created automatically.

Another key feature is that the local variables and execution state are automatically saved between calls. This made the function easier to write and much more clear than an approach using instance variables like self.index and self.data .

In addition to automatic method creation and saving program state, when generators terminate, they automatically raise StopIteration . In combination, these features make it easy to create iterators with no more effort than writing a regular function.

9.10. Generator Expressions ¶

Some simple generators can be coded succinctly as expressions using a syntax similar to list comprehensions but with parentheses instead of square brackets. These expressions are designed for situations where the generator is used right away by an enclosing function. Generator expressions are more compact but less versatile than full generator definitions and tend to be more memory friendly than equivalent list comprehensions.

Table of Contents

• 9.1. A Word About Names and Objects
• 9.2.1. Scopes and Namespaces Example
• 9.3.1. Class Definition Syntax
• 9.3.2. Class Objects
• 9.3.3. Instance Objects
• 9.3.4. Method Objects
• 9.3.5. Class and Instance Variables
• 9.4. Random Remarks
• 9.5.1. Multiple Inheritance
• 9.6. Private Variables
• 9.7. Odds and Ends
• 9.8. Iterators
• 9.9. Generators
• 9.10. Generator Expressions

Previous topic

8. Errors and Exceptions

10. Brief Tour of the Standard Library

• Report a Bug
• Show Source

• Stack Overflow for Teams Where developers & technologists share private knowledge with coworkers
• Advertising & Talent Reach devs & technologists worldwide about your product, service or employer brand
• OverflowAI GenAI features for Teams
• OverflowAPI Train & fine-tune LLMs
• Labs The future of collective knowledge sharing
• About the company Visit the blog

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Find centralized, trusted content and collaborate around the technologies you use most.

Q&A for work

Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search.

Get early access and see previews of new features.

Class Assignment Operators

I made the following operator overloading test:

The assignment operator behaves as-expected, outputting the address of the other instance.

Now, how would I actually assign something from the other instance? For example, something like this:

• operator-overloading
• assignment-operator

• You don't need either, but it still looks odd that you have an assignment operator and a destructor, but no copy constructor. As per the Rule of Three, if you need either, you'll likely need all three. –  sbi Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 14:54
• @sbi Of course. This is just some test code, though. –  Maxpm Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 15:24
• Still, reflexes kick in when I see that. I also noted that you pass a std::string object per copy instead of const reference. You might want to read this . –  sbi Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 15:32

5 Answers 5

The code you've shown would do it. No one would consider it to be a particularly good implementation, though.

This conforms to what is expected of an assignment operator:

BTW, you talk about "other class", but you have only one class, and multiple instances of that class.

• Ben, actually it would be better to provide a swap() member function and call that. Nevertheless, this is better than assigning. –  sbi Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 14:21

The traditional canonical form of the assignment operator looks like this:

(you don't want to invoke the copy constructor for assignment, too) and it returns a reference to *this .

A naive implementation would assign each data member individually:

(Note that this is exactly what the compiler-generated assignment operator would do, so it's pretty useless to overload it. I take it that this is for exercising, though.)

A better approach would be to employ the Copy-And-Swap idiom . (If you find GMan's answer too overwhelming, try mine , which is less exhaustive. :) ) Note that C&S employs the copy constructor and destructor to do assignment and therefore requires the object to be passed per copy, as you had in your question:

• I know you know about copy-and-swap, why did you declare the parameter as a reference? –  Ben Voigt Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 13:51
• @Ben: Thanks. I've added a note that, using c&s, the object should be copied. Old habits die hard, I guess. (Oh, and I'm not sure what's a "ninja edit", BTW.) –  sbi Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 13:56
• In this case, it was a ninja edit because you made the changes Ben was suggesting as he was suggesting them. –  Bill Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 18:00

almost all said, a few notes:

• check for self-assignment, i.e. if (&other != this) // assign
• look here for an excellent guide on operator overloading

• 1 If your assignment operator needs a check for self-assignment, chances are there's a better implementation. Good implementations (like Copy-And-Swap) don't need that test (which puts the burden of checking for the rare case on every assignment). –  sbi Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 14:06
• 2 <shameless_plug> We also have an operator overloading FAQ here on SO now: stackoverflow.com/questions/4421706/operator-overloading . </shameless_plug> –  sbi Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 14:06
• @sbi: thanks for the ref, I'll read it one day ;). The one I mention is short and easy for beginners, giving just bare essentials. I'll also read up the C&S one day, but as for self-test overhead - seems that C&S has an overhead of copying and in many cases memory allocation (if your class contains strings, vectors etc.), so it should have a "handle with care" label, isn't it? –  davka Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 14:21
• 1 @davka: The one you linked to is questionable, though. Also, C&S has no overhead. I have explained why it doesn't. . In short: assignment is tearing down old state, and building up new state by copying data from another object. That's exactly what copy-constructor and destructor do, and C&S manages to employ them in the right order to be exception-safe. –  sbi Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 14:26
• 1 @davka: When swapping, you allocate for the new data, copy the new data, swap old and new data, and deallocate the old data. When assigning, you deallocate the old data, allocate for the new data, and copy the data (and you pray allocation won't fail and catch you with your pants down). But swapping is supposed to be O(1) and non-throwing, so it doesn't factor into the runtime. (For example, with std::vector swapping will swap two pointers. Comparing to the O(N) of copying and the O(VeryLooong) of allocation, this is neglectable.) –  sbi Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 16:30

Traditionnaly the assignment operator and the copy constructor are defined passing a const reference, and not with a copy by value mechanism.

EDIT: I corrected because I had put code that didnt return the TestClass& (c.f. @sbi 's answer)

• 1 The new common practice actually does pass the RHS by value. It's called the copy-and-swap idiom . –  Ben Voigt Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 13:50
• And just an instictive automatic repulsion about RHS by value... ( without having looked a single second at the thourough SO subject about copy and swap idiom)... RHS by value while using polymorphism has meant such a hundred of bugs in my career... it will take me hours to be convinced to using RHS by value ;-) –  Stephane Rolland Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 14:12

You are correct about how to copy the contents from the other class. Simple objects can just be assigned using operator= .

However, be wary of cases where TestClass contains pointer members -- if you just assign the pointer using operator= , then both objects will have pointers pointing to the same memory, which may not be what you want. You may instead need to make sure you allocate some new memory and copy the pointed-to data into it so both objects have their own copy of the data. Remember you also need to properly deallocate the memory already pointed to by the assigned-to object before allocating a new block for the copied data.

By the way, you should probably declare your operator= like this:

This is the general convention used when overloading operator= . The return statement allows chaining of assignments (like a = b = c ) and passing the parameter by const reference avoids copying Other on its way into the function call.

• 1 The new common practice actually does pass the RHS by value. It's called the copy-and-swap idiom . –  Ben Voigt Commented Dec 22, 2010 at 13:51

Your Answer

Reminder: Answers generated by artificial intelligence tools are not allowed on Stack Overflow. Learn more

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest.

Required, but never shown

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy .

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged c++ class operators operator-overloading assignment-operator or ask your own question .

• The Overflow Blog
• This developer tool is 40 years old: can it be improved?
• Unpacking the 2024 Developer Survey results
• Featured on Meta
• We've made changes to our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy - July 2024
• Introducing an accessibility dashboard and some upcoming changes to display...
• Tag hover experiment wrap-up and next steps

Hot Network Questions

• Are story points really a good measure for velocity
• How do the Fremen harvest spice?
• Safe(r) / Easier Pointer Allocation Interface in C (ISO C11)
• New job, reporting manager is not replying to me after a few days: how to proceed?
• How does Chakotay know about the mirror universe?
• Is there a pre-defined compiler macro for legacy Microsoft C 5.10 to get the compiler's name and version number?
• Why would sperm cells derived from women's stem cells always produce female children?
• How can I append comma except lastline?
• Is threatening to go to the police blackmailing?
• Splitting a Number into Random Parts
• Abrupt increase of evaluation time of MatrixExp
• If a planet or star is composed of gas, the center of mass will have zero gravity but immense pressure? I'm trying to understand fusion in stars
• How does one find historic prices for goods?
• Is each representation induced by a simpler representation
• Reportedly there are Marders in Russia's Kursk region. Has this provoked any backlash in Germany?
• If my character has the same name as a character from another story, will the publisher tell me to change it?
• Design patterns - benefits of using with Apex code
• What would "doctor shoes" have looked like in "Man on the Moon"?
• Why did all countries converge on the exact same rules for voting (no poll tax, full suffrage, no maximum age, etc)?
• Elastic Banach spaces without C[0,1]
• Set up GeForce GT 620 for Ubuntu 24.04
• Fundamental group of a compact Riemannian manifold whose universal covering is not compact
• English equilvant to this hindi proverb "A washerman's dog belongs neither at home nor at the riverbank."?
• A finance broker made me the primary instead of a co-signer

Advantages and Disadvantages of Assignments For Students

Looking for advantages and disadvantages of Assignments For Students?

We have collected some solid points that will help you understand the pros and cons of Assignments For Students in detail.

But first, let’s understand the topic:

What is Assignments For Students?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of assignments for students.

The following are the advantages and disadvantages of Assignments For Students:

Advantages of Assignments For Students

Disadvantages of assignments for students.

You can view other “advantages and disadvantages of…” posts by clicking here .

If you have a related query, feel free to let us know in the comments below.

Also, kindly share the information with your friends who you think might be interested in reading it.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

New OrangeNow Mobile App Puts the Entire Orange Experience at Your Fingertips

“Where can I eat now?” “What events are happening on campus now?” “What assignment should I work on now?” “What class do I have now?”

To help students answer all these questions and more with just a few finger taps, Syracuse University recently launched a new flagship mobile app experience. The OrangeNow app , available on the App Store and Google Play , was developed directly in response to student feedback and brings together many of the essential tools, resources and platforms that contribute to a thriving student experience on campus.

• seamless integration with Blackboard to view class schedules, upcoming assignments, course announcements and connect with an academic advisor;
• a robust dining hub highlighting food menus, hours of operations and real-time insight into how busy a dining center or café is before you go;
• easy access to the Bus Tracker, campus maps, student activities calendars, MySlice, the Patient Portal/Wellness Portal and everything else needed to plan your day;
• and links to other crucial pieces of the student experience: school/college websites, athletics, news, ITS, Libraries, SU Mail, printing, parking and more.

The launch of OrangeNow represents a significant step in the University’s ongoing digital transformation efforts, which aim to deliver a best-in-class digital and technological experience to the University community.

Jeff Rubin ’95, G’98, the University’s first chief digital officer , longtime faculty member in the School of Information Studies and the founder of SIDEARM Sports, the nation’s leading digital provider for college athletics, oversaw development and implementation of OrangeNow in partnership with Jeff Stoecker, senior vice president and chief communications officer.

Rubin says he is excited for the campus community to begin using the app and for the iterative process to continue with the addition of future enhancements on an ongoing basis. While the primary audience is currently students, the app’s features will be expanded to serve a broader audience, including faculty and staff.

“As with most digital platforms, OrangeNow was designed to adapt and evolve dynamically, ensuring we meet the needs of our users,” Rubin says. “While this is just the beginning, we are extremely proud of the user experience for our students. We are committed to continuing to add new features, integrate with existing tools and technology, and evaluate student needs and feedback to ensure this remains an integral part of the Syracuse University technological landscape.”

“We’ve heard from students that they want the functionality and portability of a mobile app dedicated to the many facets of life at Syracuse University,” says Stoecker. “OrangeNow is a vibrant, fully customizable, comprehensive response to this need that synthesizes many of the tools and platforms students already use in one centralized digital location. We truly hope users find it valuable and that it helps students navigate a thriving life on campus with ease.”

Campus community members are encouraged to download the app on the App Store or Google Play today! To share your thoughts, look for the “Feedback & Support” button on the app’s home screen. Loving it so far? Be sure to leave a five-star review wherever you downloaded it!

• Chemistry Professor Collaborates With Brookhaven National Laboratory Thursday, August 8, 2024, By News Staff
• Special Collections Research Center Exhibit Shows History’s Views on Intellectual Disability Wednesday, August 7, 2024, By Diane Stirling
• Expert Analysis on Middle East Tensions Wednesday, August 7, 2024, By Vanessa Marquette
• Roster Revealed for 2024 CBT Celebrity Basketball Classic Wednesday, August 7, 2024, By Keith Kobland
• Falk College Partners With UNLV for Inaugural Sports, Entertainment and Innovation Conference Wednesday, August 7, 2024, By Margie Chetney

More In Campus & Community

Special collections research center exhibit shows history’s views on intellectual disability.

Graduate students in the School of Education turned to primary source documents and artifacts at Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) to discover enlightening—and sometimes startling—information and examples of the ways that people with intellectual disability have been…

Roster Revealed for 2024 CBT Celebrity Basketball Classic

A news conference at the JMA Wireless Dome Tuesday had the feel of a family reunion. There was plenty of ribbing between participants about growing older and their skills fading, but make no mistake, their competitive nature still exists. After…

Falk College Partners With UNLV for Inaugural Sports, Entertainment and Innovation Conference

More than 500 people attended the inaugural Sports, Entertainment and Innovation Conference (SEICon) in Las Vegas this summer. The David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, in collaboration with the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Sports Innovation…

Undergraduate Students Celebrate the Fruits of Their Summer Research

This summer, undergraduates Xuezhu (Stephanie) Hua ’25, Kaniya Ross ’25 and Edward Lu ’26 have been deeply engaged in research. Hua, a nutrition science major in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, has investigated the effects of fish…

Preparing International Fulbright Students for Graduate School (Podcast)

Each summer, the College of Professional Studies hosts a prestigious preparatory program that helps dozens of international Fulbright Scholars begin their journeys to graduate degrees and research opportunities. It’s called the Fulbright pre-academic program, and Syracuse University has served as…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact [email protected] .

Connect With Us

For the media.

Due: Fri Aug 16 11:59 pm No late submissions accepted.

No late submissions are accepted on this assignment (except for OAE accommodations or granted extensions). The deadline is firm without exception.

Assignment by Daniel Rebelsky

Late submissions are NOT ALLOWED.

Learning Goals

This assignment focuses on sockets programming and on building up your ability to create programs from scratch---while we'll guide you through the process of creating the server, we will provide much less starter code than in prior assignments.

In this assignment, you will implement a simple HTTP file server. There are four parts to the assignment.

• implementing a TCP file server that responds to simple requests
• modifying the server to run over HTTP
• modifying that server to support concurrent and invalid requests
• making a simple client

To get started on the assignment, clone the starter project using the command

git clone /afs/ir/class/cs107/repos/assign7/$USER assign7

The starter project contains the following:

• Makefile : the Makefile for compiling
• stage1.c , stage2.c , stage3.c , stage4.c , get.c
• util.c and util.h utility functions and constants for HTML/HTTP and other things (no need to read the c file, although you're welcome to, all documentation is in the header file)
• string.c and string.h contain utility functions and a struct for a simple growable string: you don't have to use it, but it may be useful in the HTTP portion when you're trying to dynamically generate HTML and figure out its length
• custom_tests : the file where you should add custom tests for your programs
• samples/check_stagen for checking your stagen implementation
• tools : contains symbolic links to the submit and codecheck programs for checking and submitting your work.

Useful information/Changes from previous assignments

This assignment has gone through many fewer revisions than previous assignments, so we expect it to be more challenging. Additionally, since there is more freedom in your solutions, we have a slightly different testing framework. We provide tests in samples/test* ---to use a test, just run samples/test_stage1 from your assignment directory. Also, you can ignore the Killed message: as long as you see "Looks good!", your passing the test cases we've given you (note that this takes a decent amount of time for the later parts of the assignment and won't work if you happen to run on the same machine as someone else in 107). You can also use python3 -m pdb samples/test_stagen to get a gdb-like interface to step through the Python code and see where tests aren't working (feel free to ask on Ed about this), and you can copy and edit the test cases if you want (e.g., I found it helpful to occasionally remove the stdout=DEVNULL to allow printf style debugging). For debugging on this assignment, nc will also be invaluable---be sure to read the man page or refer back to lecture slides, and when you get to the HTTP portions, remember about the -C flag. In general, where there is lack of specificity in this assignment, we've tried to add a test case to cover the expected behavior. Also, the stages are intended to build on each other, so it would be a reasonable approach to copy your code from one to the next.

Error handling

As mentioned in lecture, you should handle errors as they are potentially encountered: we reserve the right to test that your code appropriately handles error conditions. In general, what we recommend for this assignment is using perror("some message here"); followed by exit(1) for server-level errors, and just removing the client for errors local to an indiviual client.

1. Implementing a TCP file server that responds to simple requests

Your first goal should be to write a program (in stage1.c ) that listens on a given port (specified as the first argument). At this point, samples/check_stage1 should pass. It doesn't need to do anything besides accept a single request.

Our next step will be to write an echo server (in stage2.c ): continue looping forever, and in each loop, accept a connection from the client, read a single line, and write that line back before closing the connection. At this point, samples/check_stage2 should pass.

In the next step, we want to build out the listing functionality (in stage3.c ). First, modify the server to take in two parameters: the first should be the path to serve and the second should be the port number. Instead of echoing back the line, read the path it specifies, and if it's a directory, write the entries to the stream. Otherwise, if it's a regular file just output the file contents. Return 404 if the path refers to a non-existent file/directory. Make sure to only allow reading of paths under the path specified, you can use canonicalize to help with this. At this point, samples/check_stage3 should pass.

2. Modifying the server to run over HTTP

Http overview.

Feel free to read over the Wikipedia page for HTTP , but for the purposes of this assignment, all we need to know is that the client request will start with a line like

GET /pathname/file%20with%20space HTTP/1.1

that ends with \r\n . We have three parts separated by spaces, the verb (which you can ignore for this assignment), the path which is URL encoded, and the protocol version (which you can ignore---you don't need to check it's value). Our response will look something like the following. Note that every line should end with \r\n , and note that the numbering is just for easy reference below (you should not actually write it out!).

In broad strokes, there are two parts to this: our headers and the content. The above are a pretty minimal set of headers, but enough that the content should render correctly. In the first line, we set the response code---if it was a successful request, you can write HTTP/1.1 200 OK , otherwise, we'll want to give some error code. For the purposes of this assignment, you can always just write out HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found (feel free to just use the provided NOT_FOUND constant). In the second line, we set the MIME type of the response. For the directory listings, you can use text/html and for the files, you can use the result of get_mime_type . Line 3 tells the client that we will close the connection after writing the output (we will not listen for more requests on the same connection). Line 4 specifies the size of our output in bytes. Line 5 is a required empty line to separate our content, and line 6 starts our 11 bytes of content.

HTML Overview

Our minimal valid HTML file listing looks roughly like

You don't need to worry about indentation, but you should make sure to include an h1 with the current path, and a li and a for each link.

At the end of this milestone, when you're running the server and on the Stanford WiFi, you should be able to go to mythnn.stanford.edu:portn where nn is the number of your myth machine and portn is the port number you're using. Note that if you're not on the Stanford WiFi, you can use the Stanford VPN to still connect to the Myth machine. (Currently, there are no tests for this part of the assignment.)

Modifying the server to support concurrent and invalid requests

Note that if one client is taking too long right now, all other requests will be blocked until we finish serving it. We want to change to using a select or poll based state-machine approach. (Currently, there are no tests for this part of the assignment.)

Write a simple HTTP GET ter

Write a simple client that takes in a URL and PATH (command line arguments) and sends a GET request to that address. Currently, there are no tests for this part of the assignment, but you should be able to compare your output to that of a nc -C or look at just the response vs what curl returns.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Times Insider

Stroke by Wobbly Stroke, Learning to Accept Imperfection

During a recent assignment, a reporter learned the basics of calligraphy — and with it, how to practice self-compassion.

By Jenny Gross

Jenny Gross attended a calligraphy class in London.

Times Insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.

“Embrace the wobble,” Laura Edralin, a calligraphy teacher, told me as I wrote something that could only be described as an extremely wobbly “K.” It was my first calligraphy class, and, sitting alongside other students who seemed to know what they were doing, I was feeling very out of my depth.

I’m not particularly good at painting, pottery, puppet-making or any other kind of art practice that I’ve seen friends pursue to unwind and express themselves creatively.

In fact, I never would have signed up for a calligraphy class had it not been for a New York Times assignment.

As a breaking news reporter in London, my focus is filing articles with speed. Since I type much faster than I write by hand, I write by hand less and less. And when I do write by hand, I later can have trouble deciphering what I’ve scribbled.

But I’ve always been curious about calligraphy. Growing up, I had watched my father use it to address birthday cards and thank-you notes. So when I started to see calligraphy videos pop up on social media, I wondered: In the digital age, why is this ancient art form experiencing a revival, particularly among young people?

Through my reporting, I learned that the revival was happening, in part, because of social media. On TikTok, users can find how-to videos or watch mesmerizing clips of experienced calligraphers at work. More and more people are posting about it: There were 239 percent more posts with #calligraphy in June 2024 than in June 2023.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .