Creating an External Assignment
Creating an External assignment lets you link to online material as if it were a CengageNOWv2 assignment. For example, by setting up a tutorial based web site as an External assignment, you can name it, let students access it from the Assignments page, and set its assignment dates, possible score, feedback, and weighting category.
Note: You can use an option to create an External Gradebook Column as a Gradebook "place holder." This allows you to enter points for any external assignments you would like included in the CengageNOWv2 course score. See Using an External Gradebook Column for more information.
To create an External assignment
- 1. Go to the Assignments page, and if necessary, make a new selection from the Course or Section dropdown menu.
- 2. Click Create Assignment and select the option for an External assignment.
- 3. Enter the assignment name in the Name Your Assignment field.
- 4. Click the calendar icon in the header to open the Select Dates pane where you can enter your assignment's dates.
- 5. Use the calendar widget to enter dates for the Assignment Available On and Assignment Due On fields. (the Available Date is required)
- 6. Click Done in the calendar widget when you are finished setting dates or click Cancel to exit without saving.
- 7. Enter a URL in the URL box to the appropriate online source. You must include the protocol, for example "http://."
- 8. (Optional) Enter a message in the Comments field. Your students receive this message before their assignment opens. It is possible to create an External assignment without a URL, which then only displays your comment.
- 9. (Optional) Expand the panels on the right to review and edit the default assignment options.
- 10. Click the Publish button at the top of the page once you have the assignment content and options to your liking.
Note: (Optional) Click the icon to the left of the Name Your Assignment field if you would like to switch to a different assignment type.
(Optional) Deselect the check box in the Assignment Unavailable On column to set an Assignment Unavailable On date. Also see Setting the Due and Unavailable Dates for more information.
Click the Test button to validate the link in a new browser window.
Note: It is required that you provide a comment and/or a URL.
Consider creating a customized option set, if you opted to adjust the default options. See Choosing Assignment Options for details about option properties and creating reusable option sets.
Note: If the Save Option Set Changes window appears, you can choose to save a new set or update the current set. Click Continue to save your assignment.
The Assignment Created page opens with options to take the assignment as a student, edit the assignment, customize options for students, take the assignment offline, create a new assignment, or return to the Assignments page.
At this point, your assignment is complete and assigned to the current course. However, you still have the ability to work with and modify an assignment using the links on the Assignment Created page. See Using the Assignment Created Page for additional details.
