Assignments

Find out about accessing and submitting assignments.

Terminology: assignments and assessments

At UWE Bristol we refer to assessments. Blackboard tends to use the words assignments and tests.

Assessments are activities that happen throughout your learning and at the end of a topic, term, subject or year. Some will count towards your final mark and some are designed to see how you are getting on.

Assessment submission points

You can access all your Blackboard assessment submission points in one place from the coursework area in the main Blackboard navigation.

You will also see them in:

  • activity stream.
  • calendar (if your lecturer added due dates).
  • your module’s assessment submission points folder.

Finding final assessments

You can also check your module handbook to find out when the final assessments are due.

Due dates

If the due date has passed, you will receive an email and an alert in the activity stream.

Starting an assignment

Click your assignment name to open and start your submission. You will see the description, due date, grading rubric, time limit and whether an access code is required.

Grading rubrics

Some assessments will also have the grading rubric available. If so, make sure you study it before you start.

A grading rubric:

  • gives a clear set of criteria showing how your work will be assessed.
  • breaks down what your lecturer expects – like structure, analysis and use of evidence.
  • explains how marks are awarded.
  • makes marking fair and transparent and gives you a better idea of how to meet expectations and improve your work.

Access codes

If an access code is required, your lecturer will supply it. You will be told about this beforehand.

Submitting an assignment

  1. When you're ready to submit, click on the assignment name and view instructions.
  2. Click the attachment icon or drag and drop your file(s).
  3. When everything has successfully uploaded, click submit.
  4. You will get a confirmation message and submission receipt.

Late submission window

There is a 48-hour late submission window on most assessments, during which you can submit your assignment without penalty. This is available to all students.

Please see the university's assessment support options web pages for more details.

Video: submitting an assignment on Blackboard

Module assessment and feedback information 

Each module that uses the standard UWE Bristol template has an area providing:

  • help and support with assignments
  • links to further support
  • a tool called Studiosity, which you can use to get feedback on your writing.