M09i1 - Choosing the right assessment platform for assignments - a comparison

Here we set out a comparison of main technologies for assignments at UCL.

Please note:

We have guidance setting out the principles for giving feedback, and how the different technologies can help enact those.
Turnitin is saying that PeerMark is no longer under active development, so for peer marking we focus on the Moodle Workshop activity.
We have a very detailed comparison between Moodle Assignment and Turnitin Assignment.
If you spot anything that needs updating or editing please contact the Digital Assessment Team (assessment-advisory@ucl.ac.uk).

Download an interactive version of this resource.

Key:

Red	No, or inconvenient
Yellow	Provisionally, with workarounds
Blue	Yes, technically supported

Submission options	Moodle	Turnitin Assignment (in Moodle)	Wiseflow	Reflect	MYPortfolio	Crowdmark (Departmentally managed)
File uploads: PDF, Word, Images.	Yes - both Assignment and Quiz activities	Yes	Yes. FLOWassign allows for PDF only, FLOWhandin for different formats (see below)	Yes but they need to be linked to or embedded into Blog posts.	Yes	Yes. Supports PDF (25MB limit), png or jpeg (12MB limit). Total file limit is unlikely to be reached for assessments (approx 500+ pages of material, both images and PDFs)
Interactive online questions (MCQs etc)	Yes (Quiz activity)	No	Yes (FLOWmulti only)	No	No	Yes. There is limited functionality compared to Moodle or Wiseflow in terms of marking options and types of questions.
Upload multiple files	Yes - both Assignment and Quiz activities	Yes - need to create a Section for each File	Yes, up to 5GB of content. FLOWassign only supports PDF (max size 200MB) for main upload, can accept other file types as appendix material. FLOWhandin will accept any file type(s) for main submission.	Yes but they need to be linked to or embedded into Blog posts.	Yes but they need to be linked to or embedded into Portfolio Pages or collections	Yes. Can upload multiple files (PDF - 25MB max, Image - 12MB max). If answers are typed in directly into text box, student can upload supplementary files in different formats (20MB limit).
Collaborative activity (on platform)	Yes there are a range of collaborative activities available on Moodle e.g. Wiki, Forums, Glossary, Database, Board.	Not group work but can do peer marking	No	Yes	Yes	No
Multi-media files (video/audio) upload	Yes in Moodle Assignment up to 20GB. Upload takes place using Lecturecast Echo 360 plug in. Assignment submissions are not recommended to be hosted on Media Central).	No	Yes (FLOWhandin only). Could upload multimedia files to FLOWassign as appendix material. Mp4 files can be viewed in platform.	No but can be embedded	No but can be embedded	Yes. Need to set up an online assessment with text answer questions, they can attach and upload files (20MB limit per file).Attachments generate a link for marker access. Cannot watch videos in platform, need to download.
Direct input of responses into text boxes.	Yes (Quiz, Glossary, Wiki, Forums)	No	Yes (FLOWmulti only)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Groupwork	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes can have group submissions. Multiple people can upload and add to submission.
Ability to type mathematical /chemical formulas directly into platform.	Yes	No	LaTeX possible in Maths/ Chemistry question types in FLOWmulti	Yes	Yes, math editor with LaTeX support is available however this is not user friendly	Yes. Can also type in latex (doesn’t have latex editor so have to type code but most maths people will know how to do this)
Anonymised	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes for those with 'Grader' role.

Marking and feedback	Moodle	Turnitin Assignment (in Moodle)	Wiseflow	Reflect	MYPortfolio	Crowdmark (Departmentally managed)
Marking within system	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Comments can be written directly into Portfolio and grades suggested but there is no place to directly enter grades. Grades should be recorded in Moodle.	Yes
Double marking within system	No	No	Yes (for FLOWassign/ FLOWhandin)	No	No	Yes
Messaging between markers	No	No	No	No	No	Partially - can use tags
Blind marking	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes. Default on system is blind marking. Can change settings to make visible, dependent on roles.
Written feedback to students within system	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes, can include latex, formulas, hyperlinks and images.
Audio feedback to students	Yes	Yes	Yes, in-platform via rubric or record separately and attach via a comment	No	Could record and then attach file to comment but can't record directly into platform.	Could record and then post link but can't record directly into platform.
Turnitin integration	Yes for Assignments and Quiz	Yes	Yes for pdf uploads (FLOWassign)	No	No	No
Peer review and comments?	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
Comment library/ easy reuse of feedback	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Ability to use rubrics within system	Yes - can be built in system. (Assignments only)	Yes - can be built in system.	Yes - can be built in system.	No	No	No. Can create a comment library and attach points to comments.
Inline annotation	Yes for Assignments	Yes	Yes, in FLOWassign/ FLOWlock. Can provide annotations for individual questions in FLOWmulti but not inline.	No	No	Yes
Access for externals	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes - download results and there is a link to each indivdual exam. They then only see primary evaluation. Or can add them to the system.
Ability to type mathematical /chemical formulas directly into platform (for feedback)	Yes	No	No LaTeX support in comments or annotations. Could use Maths/ Chemistry essay questions built into a custom rubric but this would be very situational	No	Yes, math editor with LaTeX support is available however this is not user friendly	Yes. Including latex format for Maths and Chemistry
Ability to write in answers by hand	No	No	Yes on tablet in FLOWassign/ FLOWlock only. Sensitivity depends on kind of tablet you have. Can be slow. Drawings/ handwriting can't be edited.	No	No	Yes on tablet. Sensitivity depends on kind of tablet you have. Can be slow.
Delineating first or second marker	No	No	No	No	No	Yes. Primary evaluation is what gets downloaded and what the student sees. Can delineate who wrote which feedback
Download/export submissions	Yes	Yes	Yes for pdf submissions but without annotations. Can export score per question and overall grade as a .csv file for FLOWmulti submissions	No	Yes	Yes. Can export grades per question and the overall grade. Or download pdf files with folder for each student.
Marking and feedback	Moodle	Turnitin Assignment (in Moodle)	Wiseflow	Reflect	MYPortfolio	Crowdmark (Departmentally managed)

Administration	Moodle	Turnitin Assignment (in Moodle)	Wiseflow	Reflect	MYPortfolio	Crowdmark (Departmentally managed)
Integrated with SITS?	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Download/export grades	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Reporting	No	No	Yes (limited)	No	No	Yes. Results page gives you grade distribution etc. Can also identify student participation/completion (not viewed, viewed, started, etc).
Start and end dates enabled (submission, marking period etc)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Can amend/ extend deadlines (e.g. for ECs or SORA student).	Yes	No, can only amend post date for feedback.	Yes, for the entire cohort or for individuals. Can also extend marking deadline for specific student submissions.	No	No	Yes
Administrator can have role that enables them to assign/change roles of others and their own (i.e. view as participant, marker etc)	Yes	Yes	Yes (Manager role can assign markers, reviewers and author roles)	No	No	Yes. 'Instructor' role can assign and change roles of others. Instructor can see everything in module. Could be admin or academic. Can use preview function to see what students will see as well as individual student page