Collaba: Assignments

An especially powerful feature of Collaba's Virtual File System for educational organizations is called AssignmentFlow. The typical flow of an assignment is:

Typical assignment workflow

As a teacher, create a project and set parameters (ex: description, due date, etc.)
Distribute project document(s) (assignment) to all group members
Allow members to work on their own copy of the assignment
Allow members to hand out a specific version of their work to the teacher
Collect all handed-out assignments (single download action)
Review and annotate individual assignments (can be done off-line)
Return annotated assignments to their original authors (single upload action)
Allow members to review the (read-only) annotated assignment

This is the workflow that is provided by the AssignmentFlow feature in Collaba. Any teacher can easily use this feature by creating a simple project in the Virtual File System. A Projects Overview page also provides detailed information of all current projects and their hand-in status.

Working mobile & working off-line
The AssignmentFlow feature is as good in a lab environment as in a one-laptop-per-child project. Since the files are stored on the server, students and teachers can continuously change computer without loosing any data. Moreover, the ability to work offline on assignments is essential for teachers that wish to review and annotate assignments at home.

Desktop applications

Collaba's Virtual File System can be used and managed through its web portal, but also using efficient desktop applications:

Free open-source software:

... and any WebDAV or FTP-compatible client application!

Proprietary software:

Microsoft Windows' built-in client
Apple MacOS X's built-in client
Adobe Acrobat 5, GoLive, Photoshop, +
Macromedia Dreamweaver
Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, +
BitKinex, SmartFTP
Fetch, Transmit
and many more...

Technical details

Because AssignmentFlow is built into the Virtual File System, it inherits its unified access characteristics. Assignments can therefore be distributed, retrieved, handed in, collected, returned and reviewed not only through the web interface, but also through WebDAV or FTP!

Contents

Collaba: Assignments

Typical assignment workflow

Desktop applications