Submitting Assignments — Student Version

There are two methods to access assignments in Vista depending on how your instructor places assignments.

Homepage

You can find assignments on the homepage or on a folder linked from the homepage.

Course Tools

The second method is through the Course Tools region of the homepage. This is usually located on the left-hand side of the page.

There are two types of assignments that instructors can create — one type is Text with attachments and the other type is a Web site. This procedure will walk you through submitting both types of assignments.

Text with Attachments

If your instructor created an assignment that is Text with attachments, you will view the following screen:

You will see the instructions and any attachments, along with the due date, the assignment type, and the grading criteria, that the instructor would like you to view on the left-hand side of the page. On the right-hand side, you have three submission areas:

1. The first area is a Submission textbox. This area should be used for short answers. If you need any formatting, like paragraphs, turn on the HTML Creator.
   
   
2. The second submission area is where you can upload files. To upload a file, select Add Attachments, locate the file on your computer, and upload it.
   
   
3. The third submission area is for you to submit any additional comments for your instructor regarding your assignment.

Web Site

The submission area for a Web site looks just like the area for Text with attachments except you must upload a zip file. You must have a zip program on your computer, like WinZip, to zip your files. If you have the appropriate program, select all the files you want to add to the zip file by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking the files. Right-click the highlighted files and select Add to Zip. Once the files are added to the single zip file, you should see the file in the same folder as the rest of your files.

Select Add Attachments next to Select ZIP file, locate your zip file, and upload the zip file. You will see the name of the file as a confirmation when it has uploaded, as shown in the following figure:

Once you have uploaded the file, you need to choose the starting page by clicking Set Start Page.

Choose your starting page and then click Add Selected. The title of the page you selected will be shown next to Start Page. Make sure all the links within your zip file are correct and using only relative paths. If there are any broken links, your instructor will not be able to fix the links and may not be able to view your entire site.

You can add additional comments, if applicable, in the Add Comment area.

Submitting or Saving as Draft

Once you have uploaded your assignment or entered it into the textbox, you must decide whether to Save as Draft, Submit, or Cancel.

If you save as draft, you will be able to work on your submission at a later time. This allows you to move from computer to computer without having to externally transport your files with you. Also, once you save as draft, the instructor will see that you have started the assignment. This will give them an opportunity to contact you to see how you are doing.

If you are ready to submit your assignment, clicking the Submit button will send your assignment to your instructor for a grade and feedback. Do not click this button until you are ready to submit your assignment!

If you decide you do not want to keep any of the work you have completed, you can choose to cancel and start over.

Publishing

You may have the option to publish your assignment. This allows all the students in the class to view what you submitted.

To publish an assignment, you must first submit it through Vista with one of the previously described options: Text with attachments or as a Web Site. Once you submitted, click the Submitted sub-tab under Assignments to view the assignments you have turned in.

Click the drop-down list and you will see a Publish icon  that will publish your assignment. When you click this icon, you will be asked to verify publishing your assignment.

Once you click Publish, the entire class can see your assignment by clicking the Published sub-tab under Assignments.