Grading Submissions

When students submit assignments, you grade them from the submissions list page. OptiLearn supports both manual score entry and rubric-based grading.

Opening the Submissions List

There are two ways to access submissions for an assignment:

The submissions page shows:

• Summary cards (total, pending grade, graded, average score)
• Filter dropdown (all, pending, graded, returned)
• Table of submissions with status badges

Grading a Submission

Click any row to open the grading view. You'll see:

Left side — Student work

• Files — Each uploaded file as a clickable link (opens in new tab)
• Written response — Text content the student typed
• Submission timestamp and a late flag if applicable

Right side — Grading panel

• Score input (or rubric criteria if a rubric is attached)
• Feedback textarea — Written comments for the student
• Action dropdown — Mark as Graded or Return for Revision
• Save button

Manual Scoring

If the assignment has no rubric, you enter a single score:

1. Enter a number between 0 and max score
2. Write feedback explaining your grade
3. Click Save Grade

The student sees their score and feedback on their assignment page.

Rubric-Based Grading

If the assignment has a rubric attached, you'll see each criterion with a score input:

┌─ Rubric: Essay Grading Rubric ─────────┐
│ Clarity of argument              / 25  │
│ [_______]                               │
│                                         │
│ Use of evidence                  / 25  │
│ [_______]                               │
│                                         │
│ Grammar and style                / 25  │
│ [_______]                               │
│                                         │
│ Citations                        / 25  │
│ [_______]                               │
│                                         │
│ Total                          65 / 100│
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Enter a score for each criterion. The total updates automatically.

Late Penalty

If the submission is late and the assignment has a late penalty configured, OptiLearn automatically applies it to the final score. You'll see a warning:

Late penalty: 10% will be applied automatically. Final score: 72.0

You enter 80, but the student sees 72 as their final score.

Return for Revision

Instead of finalizing the grade, you can send the submission back for the student to improve:

1. Pick Return for Revision in the Action dropdown
2. Write feedback explaining what needs to change
3. Click Return for Revision

The student sees:

• Status: RESUBMIT_REQUIRED
• Your feedback
• An active Submit form — they can upload a new file or text

When they resubmit, the new submission replaces the old one in their history.

Best Practices

• Grade in batches. Set aside 30-60 minutes for a focused grading session rather than grading one at a time.
• Use rubrics. Even simple rubrics with 3-4 criteria dramatically improve consistency.
• Write specific feedback. Not "good work" — tell them what worked and what to improve.
• Return for revision liberally. If a submission almost meets the bar, return it instead of failing them. Learning happens through iteration.
• Grade late submissions. Don't pretend they're not submitted — grade them with the penalty applied.