E-submission and Feedback Policy

1. Introduction

  1. Aberystwyth University (AU) requires that students submit all text-based word-processed assignments electronically.
  2. AU requires staff to provide a grade and feedback electronically through Blackboard, the virtual learning environment.
  3. Students should submit their work through Blackboard.
  4. AU provides Turnitin and Blackboard tools (including Blackboard Assignment and SafeAssign) for e-submission.
  5. Work submitted electronically may be automatically checked by text-matching services such as Turnitin and SafeAssign and this information may be used as part of marking and feedback. Reports may also be used in Unacceptable Academic Practice investigations.
  6. This policy is available on the Information Services website and referenced in the Academic Quality Handbook.

2. Definitions

  1. The submission aspects of this policy apply to all assessed work that is text-based and word-processed. E-submission does not apply to non word-processed work, such as:
    • Notebooks
    • Paintings, drawings, and sculptures
    • Performances
    • Seminar contributions
    • Laboratory experiments
    • Specialist software
  2. This policy applies to work submitted by undergraduate, taught postgraduate, and research postgraduate students.

3. Use of Your Data

  1. Both Turnitin and Blackboard are cloud-based services. This means both companies hold information about staff and students.
  2. This information includes your name, email address, module enrolments and role on the module. A copy of submissions, feedback comments and grades will also be stored.

AU staff may also use data generated from both services as part of the AU Learning Analytics service. Information about Learning Analytics can be found at https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/infocompliance/dp/learning-analytics/

4. Submission

  1. Departments are responsible for creating submission points in Blackboard courses for e-submission. These submission points must contain relevant information for students, including the date when the assignment is due.
  2. Deadlines should be Monday-Friday during office hours unless there are specific reasons for not doing so.
  3. Departments setting deadlines outside of term time should make sure that appropriate support is available for students who may have questions about their submission. Clear advice on who to contact if students need support should be included in the Blackboard course site. Details of Information Services support is available on the Contacting IS web page.
  4. Students should leave sufficient time before the deadline to submit their work. IT problems will not be considered as special circumstances (see section 3.8 of the Academic Quality Handbook).
  5. Departments should provide a practice submission for first year students in advance of their first deadline. Students should make sure that they use this to check that they understand how to submit, and they can submit correctly from the computer they will use.
  6. Students should check that their work has been submitted correctly. Students should make sure that they save a copy of their submission receipt and keep it safe (guidance is available for Turnitin and Blackboard). If they are unable to view the receipt, they should check their submission and raise any problems with Information Services and their department immediately.
  7. Turnitin and Blackboard Assignment submission points should be set up to allow students to make multiple submissions before the deadline
  8. Turnitin submissions points should be set up to allow students to view their originality report. Guidance for students on interpreting the text-matching report is available on the Referencing and Plagiarism Libguide.
  9. All submission points should be set up for anonymous submission unless there are specific reasons for not doing so.
  10. Students with suspended registration or locked accounts will not be able to submit their work. Students in this position will have received emails from the university about this which will include details of how to address the situation. Students can also use the Check your Aberystwyth University IT account is working web page to view the status of their accounts and find out who to contact for more help.

5. Grading and feedback

  1. The AU Feedback policy is part of the Academic Quality handbook. This policy includes information about the AU Principles for Effective Feedback.
  2. Staff should post feedback to students within 15 working days of the date of submission. Working days are recognised as Monday to Friday when the University is open. More information about this is in the AU Academic Quality Handbook.
  3. Marks and feedback should be provided through Blackboard. Staff can use the in-built feedback tools in Turnitin or Blackboard to provide grades and feedback.
  4. Marks and feedback for work that is not submitted electronically should be added to a manually created column in Blackboard’s gradebook. This helps students find their feedback in a single location, see a breakdown of their marks across a module. It also enables marks transfer from Blackboard to AStRA. In circumstances where feedback cannot be given electronically, staff will provide clear information to students about how and when feedback will be returned.
  5. Guidance on using text-matching reports in UAP investigations is available in the UAPF Investigation Report Form. Text-matching reports may be used in UAP investigations.

6. Dissertations

  1. All undergraduate and taught postgraduate dissertations should be submitted electronically.
  2. Departments wishing to work with paper copies need to agree how to manage this, in discussion with their Faculty Registrar.
  3. There is no requirement for undergraduate dissertations to be bound.
  4. Postgraduate research students will be required to submit work electronically for the processing of their PhD thesis for examination.

7. Retention Period

  1. Blackboard courses, including marks in the gradebook, are retained for five years. Submitted documents, including feedback, are retained in Blackboard until at least the next exam board
  2. The university aims to provide access to submitted documents for five years, but this may not always be possible due to technology changes. Any changes in access to submitted documents will be advertised to students and staff.
  3. Due to technology changes, current access to Turnitin assignments goes back to AY2022-23.
  4. Students can access marks, and where available submitted documents and feedback, until their account closes or for five years (whichever is sooner).
  5. Students who wish to keep a copy of submissions and/or feedback after they leave AU should download these materials before they leave. The university cannot guarantee to supply a copy of any submission after a student has left.

8. Copyright

  1. Students retain the copyright to their original work submitted to Turnitin. Information about how submissions are used is available on the Turnitin web site.
  2. Students can voluntarily add their work to the SafeAssign Global Reference Database, and Blackboard does not claim ownership of submitted papers.
  3. Under some circumstances, staff may want to set up an assignment which doesn’t add the submissions to central repository. This may be used for draft assignments or assignments that contain personal information.

9. IT Failures

  1. In the event of a large-scale system outage of more than two hours during 9am – 5pm on weekdays, submission and marking deadlines for that day will be extended by 24 hours (to the next working day).
  2. In the case of a Blackboard outage, this will be all deadlines (Blackboard Assignments and other Blackboard tools used for assessment as well as Turnitin).
  3. In the case of a Turnitin outage, this will be just Turnitin assignments.
  4. The Digital Education Group will monitor all outages. The Digital Education Manager (or deputy) will decide when the outage plan is put in place and inform the PVC for Education and Student Experience, the Chief Digital Officer and the Academic Registrar. The decision will then be sent to the Faculty Registrars who are responsible for contacting all relevant students.
  5. Information Services will also send messages using IS News, social media, and the status page.
  6. Once the outage has finished, the Faculty Registrars will organise updating all relevant submission points with the new deadline date and time.

10. Accessibility

  1. Marking online will mean extra time at a computer at certain times of the year. Staff and departments should make sure that AU Health and Safety guidelines for followed to avoid increasing the risk of RSI or eyestrain. Information about the use of Display Screen equipment is available on the Health, Safety and Environment web site. Colleagues should complete a VDU assessment and send onto their line manager to action.
  2. Turnitin provides information about the accessibility of their product on their web site. Information about Blackboard accessibility is also available on the Blackboard web site. Staff who have accessibility concerns about online marking should raise these with their Head of Department and staff in the Digital Education Group.
  3. Despite extensive lobbying, there is no Welsh language version of Turnitin. However, Turnitin can be used to submit and check Welsh language papers for originality using Turnitin (all Welsh universities use Turnitin). Staff who want a Welsh interface for submission and marking should use the Blackboard Assignment tool. Blackboard SafeAssign is also available in Welsh.

Support

Information Services offer support and training for all staff on e-submission. Information can be found on the E-submission webpage.

This Policy is maintained by Information Services, was last reviewed by the Quality and Standards Committee in February 2025 and is due for review in February 2026.