Dropbox: Basic
Follow these steps to set up and use a basic Dropbox in Carmen. For best results, work through these steps in order. For a general overview of Dropbox features, see Dropbox: Overview.
To begin, log in to Carmen and go to a Course Home page.
Step 1: Create a Folder
Set up Dropbox folders for each assignment you will be collecting online. Individual Folders provide a secure place for each student to submit assignments and receive feedback. Group Folders allow all members of a group to submit files or read feedback.
1. Click Dropbox in the NavBar.
2. Click New Folder.
3. Type a Folder Name. (Typically, this will be the name of the assignment, such as Response Paper #1 or Mid-term Essay Exam).
4. If desired, select a Dropbox Category, which helps to organize your folders. (Click Add Dropbox Category to add a new category.)
5. If desired, select a Grade Item to link the Dropbox to. The Grade Items you've previously created will be in the drop-down list. Specify the number of points available for the assignment.
We encourage users to create all Grade Items within the Gradebook before linking them to a Dropbox folder. For more information on creating Grade Items, see Create Grade Items. For information on aligning points available between the Dropbox and Gradebook, see Max Points for Tools Linking to the Gradebook. Note that Dropboxes can only be associated with numeric grade items.
6. If desired, add a rubric to use when assessing assignments. See Rubrics for more information about creating and using rubrics.
7. If desired, type Custom Instructions or add an Attached File for students to see before submitting assignments. This is a good place to include reminders about file names or other submission details.
Note that Dropbox will not accept file names that include certain characters, such as ' (apostrophe), " (quotes), * (asterisk), | (vertical bar), \ (back slash), / (slash), ? (question mark), : (colon), < or > (greater than or less than), ' (back tic), & (ampersand), ; (semicolon), and # (pound sign). Please alert your students to this; if they submit a file that has one of these characters in the name, it will appear in the Folder Submissions as submitted, but you will not be able to read it.
8. If desired, modify the default submission options. These two options function separately, allowing instructors to control how many files students may submit. You may need to click the link to open the Submission Options area.
Files allowed per submission:
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Unlimited - students can upload more than one file at a time before submitting them in a single batch. This is the default option.
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One file per submission - students can upload only one file before submitting it. Depending on the option chosen for the next setting, students may be able to upload and submit additional files in a subsequent process.
Submissions:
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Keep all submissions - students can upload and submit files as often as they desire. The Folder Submissions screen will indicate to the instructor when each file or batch of files was submitted. This is the default option.
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Overwrite submissions - students can submit files more than once, but submissions after the first will overwrite previous submissions. Students will be warned that new submissions will overwrite previous files or batches of files. Note that the students' Submission History will indicate to them that files were overwritten; instructors do not see any indication whether the files they see are the original or a subsequent submission.
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Only one submission allowed - students can submit files only once. If students re-enter the folder, they will not have buttons allowing them to upload or submit files.
9. If desired, click on the Restrictions tab to specify dates or release conditions to control when students can upload files to the folder. You can also set Special Access rules for specific students who need to submit assignments early or late.
10. Click Save.
Step 2: Manage Submissions
Once students have submitted their assignments, you can view them online or download them for evaluation.
1. Click Dropbox in the NavBar.
2. Click on a folder name to view, download, and provide feedback on submissions. For each student, you can see the file name(s), file type, and size. You can also see when the files were submitted and any comments your students made when submitting their files.
From this screen, you can:
- email students (everyone who has not yet submitted, or selected students)
- search for and open submissions by particular students
- download submissions for grading offline
- leave feedback and assign points for submissions
Additional Notes on Managing Submissions
Click on Show Search Options to filter submissions by selecting various options from the two drop-down menus (Submission status and Feedback status) and submission date selectors.
You can open files one by one to read them online. You can see which submissions you have opened by noting the icons (
read and 
unread) that appear beside the file. You can flag (
) submissions you would like to return to.
You can download files to read offline. Downloaded files are combined into a single zip file. Student names are added to each file name for easy identification.
If you want to make comments within Word documents, you will need to download them. See more information about downloading Dropbox submissions.
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To download files, check the boxes next to submissions you want to download. To select all the submissions for download at once, check the box in the header.
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Click the Download icon (
).
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Save the zip file on your computer, then locate and open the files.
Step 3: Grade and Leave Feedback / Review or Revise Feedback
You can read and evaluate submissions offline or online in the Leave Feedback area of the Dropbox. Feedback can be reviewed or revised from the same area.
1. Click on Dropbox in the NavBar.
2. Click on the folder name for which you wish to read submissions, leave feedback, or enter a grade.
3. Next to a student's name, click Leave Feedback. You can re-enter the feedback area to review or revise feedback. If feedback has already been left for that student, the link will read Feedback Left. The date and time the feedback was last saved will be displayed.
From within the Leave Feedback area, you can view files within Carmen, assign a points score (for folders associated with a Gradebook item), and leave written feedback. The Leave Feedback area includes options for moving to the next student's submission.
If you have associated a rubric, you can access it from the Leave Feedback area.
4. If you want to make comments directly in the student's submissions, you can download the files, make your comments, and attach them in the Leave Feedback area. Some file types (.txt and .htm) can be opened, edited, and saved within Carmen. Aftering opening the file for editing, be sure to click the Attach Change button at the bottom of the screen.
5. Remember to click Save after assessing each student's submissions.
Step 4: Edit, Delete, or Re-Order Folders
Edit a Folder
To edit a Dropbox folder:
1. Click Dropbox in the NavBar.
2. Click 
Edit beside the appropriate folder name.
3. Update folder properties (see Create a Folder for a review of folder properties).
4. Click Save.
Delete a Folder
To delete a Dropbox folder:
1. Click Dropbox in the NavBar.
2. Click 
Delete in the upper menu.
3. Click the box to selecte the folder you wish to delete. Click Delete Selected.
4. Confirm that you want to delete the folder. If you have associated a folder with a Gradebook item, edit the folder to remove the association before attempting to delete the folder.
Re-order Folders
To re-order folders:
1. Click Dropbox in the NavBar.
2. Click 
Re-Order in the upper menu.
2. Change the numbers in the Sort Order column to show the desired order. (Smaller numbers appear closer to the top.)
3. Click Save.
Current as of December 2011 (D2L 9.4)
