4 Common Schoology Snafus 

(And How To Fix Them) 

I once had a student walk into my class on the first day of school with the biggest pink eraser I have ever seen. I gave a chuckle and asked him about it. He said, yep, this is for my really big mistakes! I didn't really think about it much beyond that I thought it was funny, but looking back on it I wish I had praised him for his ability to talk about mistakes in a way that is not shameful. We all make mistakes! The key is recognizing them and knowing how to fix them moving forward. Our staff is doing a fantastic job with our remote learning. Everyone is using Schoology much more than they used to and for some it has pushed us out of our comfort zones. Mistakes are bound to happen whether we are in person or remote. 

In this post I outline 4 common Schoology mistakes and how to fix them. Before I dive in, I want to first say that the first step has to be asking your students how it is going. Things may make perfect sense to you but your students may be lost or confused and they like you too much to say anything. So, I would suggest taking a few minutes in each of your classes today to ask your students how your Schoology setup is working for them. You can send them a form, ask them to write, or just ask them during a video call. Sometimes the only way to get feedback is to ask for it!

1. Assignments Are Showing Up As Overdue In Error

The default is that submissions are enabled but you may actually not want the students to submit something. Or, you may have students in groups and only one person per group is submitting. At any rate, many students have overdue assignments showing up that are not actually overdue. This can cause confusion with students, case managers, counselors, and parents. To fix this, either disable the submissions if there is in fact nothing to submit, or go ahead and put in a grade or excuse the assignment if it is a group submission. 

2. Students Cannot Access Your Links

In Schoology, links that are attached seem to cause more issues than links that are embedded. I know it is so tempting to attach links but it's not really any more steps to embed and you have a much better chance of your links actually working.  Click the insert content OR the link icon.

3. The Materials Page Is A Mess

Remember those green grade books that we would get at the beginning of every school year? I think some of us still think that way when we enter assignments digitally. That's ok! You can certainly enter assignments through the Schoology grade book. However, you have to realize that when you do that it will also populate to the materials page, at the bottom. When students go to find materials then that system you created 3 months ago has seemingly gone out the window. Fix this by either entering assignments into the materials page where you want them to end up or enter in the gradebook and then go into the materials page and move them.

4. Student Work Is Not Coming Back How You Expect It

There are several ways to enter an assignment so students can turn in work to you. One of those ways is to attach a Google doc for each student using the Google Drive Assignments App. However, you don't always need to send assignments in this way. Students can create text right in the Schoology editor and submit if you don't need the google doc functionality. Also, you may want students to take a picture or video of their non-digital work and submit it that way. Take a look back at the Schoology on Schoology course to be reminded of what it is like to be a student in Schoology. Also, take a look at these various ways students can submit assignments so you can be clear about your expectations. Do NOT assume the students know what you want. Also, for those of you asking students to turn in images of their written work, don't forget about these instructions. They would look great posted on your materials page!

If you want another set of eyes on your Schoology courses, we are happy to help! Send us the link and any relevant details.