eTMAs are electronic tutor marked assignments submitted and marked online. The process involves students submitting assignments online which tutors then download to their computers to mark. Tutors upload the marked assignments back to the online system for students to access. The document outlines the 5 steps in this process: 1) tutors download submissions from the online portal to their computers; 2) tutors open the submissions on their computers to mark them; 3) tutors mark the assignments and complete assessment records; 4) tutors zip the marked submissions and upload them back to the online system; 5) tutors return the marked submissions to the online portal for students.

1. eTMAs – Where they are at each stage
Objective: To help colleagues internalise the stages involved in the eTMA
process.
Overview: The movement of eTMAs is analogous with the paper system
and it might help to think of it as such. Students complete and
“post” the assignments directly onto a computer at Milton
Keynes. Tutors download the assignments, synonymous with the
postman arriving, mark them and then post them back onto the
computer at Walton Hall.
NB Steps marked in Orange are carried out on the Internet, steps marked in
Blue are carried out on the PC and do not require an Internet connection to
complete.
Step 1 The postman arrives
eTMAs are collected from the eTMA screen on TutorHome. This screen shot
shows a list of assignments for collection. The area circled in red is the key
part. Make sure that “file type” is set to “Self Extract”, press “Select All” and
each of the checkboxes in the light blue column will be populated with a tick.
Then press “Collect”. The web site will click and beep and whirr as the file is
created and it will then offer a file to save. Save this to the Downloads folder
of the eTMAs folder on your PC’s C: drive (this should have set this up as
directed in the eTMA training manual).
Log out of TutorHome now and close the Internet connection if appropriate –
the next stages take place on the PC rather than the Internet.
Nigel Gibson R13 March 2006

2. Step 2 Opening the envelopes
Use Windows Explorer to find the C:etmasdownload folder. The downloaded
files will be shown and the “date modified” will indicate the latest file – the
filename is made up of the year – month – date – time so this is also a useful
check. Double click the file.
Click “Ok”.
Nigel Gibson R13 March 2006

3. Step 3 Marking
Open the OU File Handler and select the appropriate course and TMA
number and press “Display”. Double click on the student’s name and this will
open the PT3 entry dialogue.
Select TMA to view and open the TMA files. Follow the faculty specific
instructions to mark the assignment and complete the PT3.
Step 4 Putting them back in an envelope
When the assignments are marked select the “View Zip Window” icon. In the
column headed “Zip?” tick the check boxes next to the assignments to zip – if
an assignment has already been zipped this will be shown, i.e. this
accommodates marking and returning assignments in batches.
The file handler will prompt for the appropriate place to save the zipped file –
one file will be created containing all the assignments being zipped in this
operation – select the returns sub-folder of the eTMAs folder.
Nigel Gibson R13 March 2006

4. Step 5 Posting them back to Walton Hall
Reconnect to the Internet and sign in to TutorHome, go to the eTMA page and
select “return TMAs”.
This will prompt for the file to return, press Browse and select the file in the
C:etmasreturns folder. Select Return TMA(s) and watch the machine whiz
and whir again. NB Select “Regrade” only if the TMAs have already been
uploaded once and this is a regarded paper – a note of the reason must be
shown on the PT3 or Assignment Handling will make contact before changing
the student’s recorded mark.
When the file has been successfully uploaded a confirmation screen listing
the student details and the mark awarded will be displayed.
The process is complete.
Nigel Gibson R13 March 2006