Best practices for rstudio.cloud assignment submissions

Split from: RStudio Cloud for teaching students


Is there a way in RStudio Cloud for students to "hand in" their projects to me at the due date? I'd like them not to be able to change the files between the time the assignment is due and when I assess their work. Do I need to have them download the files and submit them somewhere else or is it possible for the Administrator to have access and not the student who created the project?

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Using github could be a good model. The commit date could then be used to check if the assignment was turned in on time.

https://www.princeton.edu/~mjs3/soc504_s2015/submitting_homework.shtml

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Hi Laura,

We have not yet implemented that feature, but have it on our backlog. We do have a few questions about how the feature should behave exactly, so any insight from you would be helpful.

Would it be sufficient to let you set a date/time, after which no student could make changes to their copy of the project?

Or would you want it to be something where the student manually submits their project, after which they could no longer make changes, and you would be able to see which students had/hadn't submitted?

Or both?

Also, would it be important for you to be able to override the "lock" for a given student, so that you could allow an individual student to make changes after the cutoff date / after they submitted the work?

Thanks,

Robby

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I'm interested in seeing responses to this, I'm planning a class to start Jan 2019.

I've been thinking about using notebooks where students can output a web page by a certain date. I've considered using Rpubs.

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Thanks for letting me know that this is in the works!

I would be happy to be able to set a date and time after which no student could make changes to their copy of the project, provided that I can override the "lock" for a given student (if a student is sick or even if I put feedback in their project, I'd like them to be able to go over it after the due date).

This sounds like a great idea, but unfortunately my students are very weak with computers, so I'm not sure how feasible it would be. For instance, even getting them to download data from a website and then import it into RStudio can be a barrier (so for me to be able to start them off with this done already in a project in RStudio cloud has been really helpful).

Hi Robby,

I just wanted to add some feedback in response to your question, because I'm also interested in this feature. I'm using cloud for an independent study this term (two students) and it is working well, but in the spring I hope to use it for a full course.

For me, I think having a date/time feature with a cutoff would be helpful, but that before the deadline students would be free to 'turn in' a project for feedback, review, and so forth, but after the deadline no additional changes can be saved. A tracker of some kind on the backend to now who has yet to turn in a project would be helpful, as would the ability to override the lock. For example, I might want a student to be able to make some changes or try something over again in the project after I have seen it.

Thanks!
Brian

I am using RStudio Cloud for a small class in a continuing studies class offered by the local university, and I am wondering if there's either a "submit assignment" option, or a way for me as the instructor to view the completed work within the RStudio Cloud space (some sort of collaboration, where I can make comments and the student can return to it, as per the question raised by @bsarbe .
The class has a significant population of neophytes, so github is out of the question!
Thanks
Martin