LearnDash Assignments – All you need to know!

So, you are designing an online course and you want to be sure your students are actually learning. You want them to do more than watch videos and click ‘next.’ You want them to apply the knowledge they just learned. That’s where LearnDash assignments come in, and if you are using LearnDash… you have a great opportunity!

Assignments are not just filler. They are the conduit between learning something new, to truly grasping it. For a student, it’s an opportunity to practice and learn from feedback, and also prove to themselves that they do, indeed, have it! For you, the instructor, it is a glimpse into their progress and a way to help personally.

LearnDash assignments let students upload work like documents or videos to show what they’ve learned. In this guide, we’ll explain how they work, why they’re useful, and how to use them to make your courses better.

1. What are LearnDash Assignments 

You may think, “Isn’t a quiz enough?” However, assignments are important because they create more than just a grade.

Assignments also provide you, the teacher, with a picture of your students’ thinking. You can see who is really “getting it” and who may be struggling. This means you can step in and provide some helpful guidance immediately. They can help students feel accountable and engaged because completing an assignment (a meaningful task) is certainly more rewarding than simply passing a quiz (a test).

When assignments are used well, they shift your course from a series of lectures to a flexible and active learning experience. Regardless of the content you teach, the alternative is to create learning experiences where students absorb and retain what they have learned.

If you are looking to extend the functionality of what assignments can do, working alongside experienced LearnDash developers  can help you take advantage of powerful options with more advanced workflows or integrations beyond the default options.

2. Configuring Assignments in LearnDash

The good news is the process of adding assignments into your LearnDash course is easy and does not require a technical expert!

First, you’ll find the assignment settings in the lesson or topic where you want to add a task. Look for the “Assignments” tab. This is where you can create a new assignment and set it up to work how you need it to work.

You can set the instructions for your students here as well as specify what kind of files they can upload such as a PDF, image, video file, etc. This gives you the ability to have students submit a variety of things and will allow you to customize the task to exactly what you want them to do. If your course absolutely must have something very specific that is not available with standard opting, there are methods to build custom code to extend LearnDash so it fits perfectly.

You are also in control of the logistics. You may also choose to receive email notifications any time a student submits their work, so you can never submit and miss anything! In addition, you can manage the access to the assignment, and ensure they have completed the previous parts before actually letting them submit the work.

Also Read: How to develop effective time management skills for students

3. Various Styles of Assignments in LearnDash

One of the best aspects of assignments within LearnDash is the broad range of formats you can incorporate. You are not limited to a single style. This has the added benefit of offering the possibility of deciding which type fits best with what you are teaching and your students’ learning styles.

1. The Written Response

This classic approach is ideal for students to explain their thinking, build an argument or reflect-on some of their learning that has taken place during your course. They can either write a few paragraphs directly on your site or upload a full essay or report. This writes well with any subject area when determining their understanding of ideas is far more important than having a right or wrong answer.

2. The Hands-On Project

Some skills need to be shown, not just written about. For these, a project assignment is ideal. A student can build something—like a website, a business plan, or a piece of art—and then upload the final file. This is how you see them put theory into real-world practice.

3. Audio and Video Submissions

For example, they can demonstrate their learning by using either a video presentation, a podcast style commentary or even just a brief audio clip explaining their process. This works really well for: language practice, public speaking, critiquing art or anytime you want to hear their genuine articulation of their learning and enthusiasm.

4. Team Projects

You could have one person upload the final project for their team or have each member submit their part.IThis is where intelligent LearnDash development is super impressive – assignments offer you the flexibility to have custom workflows, allow for automation of feedback, offer custom assignment types.

4. Strong Management Tools for Assignments

Tracking student work does not have to feel like a burden! LearnDash provides powerful tools on your dashboard to help you manage assignments easily and stress-free.

Make Changes in a Snap

Changed your mind about a due date? Need to tweak the instructions? No problem. It’s worth noting, you can change anything in an assignment at any point, even if it is already live. If something goes awry, you can change or even delete it – no big deal, no confusion!

See Everything in One Place

Instead of searching through emails, you have one clear screen to see who has turned in their work, and who has yet to turn it in. You have a live to-do list for your entire class so you always know where everything stands.

Automatic Student Reminders

The platform can automatically tickle your students with reminders about submission deadlines. So you can deal with less “I forgot” messages from students, and students keep the due dates prominent in their mind without constant reminders from you.

Understand How Your Class is Doing

You can see patterns in the data for how students are doing. You can quickly notice when an assignment may be difficult for everyone, or identify students who may be struggling and may need a bit of extra support. In this way, you can adjust your delivery and provide support where necessary.

Also Read: 5 Engaging Ways to Teach Kids Coding

5. Creating Meaningful Assignments in LearnDash 

With an assignment, students are not only doing something for the sake of doing it, but they are reinforcing what they have learned and learning how to apply it. Here is how to design assignments that matter. Morality, education, experiment, fun, research, and survey

First Have a Clear End Goal

Before you create any task, ask yourself: “What should students be able to DO after this?” Every assignment should connect directly to a main goal of your course. This helps students see the purpose behind the work and makes their effort feel worthwhile.

Push Beyond Simple Recall

Before you create any assignment, stop and ask, “What should students be able to DO after this?” Each assignment should be directly tied to and identifiable with a main course goal. This gives students direction, purpose for the work and makes their hard work feel worthwhile.

Embed Learning Through Feedback

Think of a student assignment as the beginning of conversation instead of a summative task. Always try to comment where you can reveal what the students did well and gently suggest where they can grow. If you have time, allow the students to revise their submission – this transforms a single submission into a real learning loop. You might even consider peer feedback and allow students to learn by reviewing each others work.

Conclusion 

Assignments in LearnDash not only serve as a means of assigning a score — they are also an excellent method to foster contact with students and make the learning process come alive, not just in person but in an online course as well.

Utilizing LearnDash’s types of assignments and its management items exposes you to building a course that is more than just fact sharing. You are providing them with learning experiences, that will live with them long after the course is completed.