Submitting Your Work

Table of contents

Overview

This guide covers everything you need to know about submitting assignments in FeedForward. Learn about file preparation, the submission process, handling multiple drafts, and troubleshooting common issues.

Before You Submit

Understanding Assignment Requirements

Always check these details before starting:

Assignment Requirements Checklist:
  ✓ Due date and time (with timezone)
  ✓ Word count range (minimum/maximum)
  ✓ File format accepted (PDF, DOCX, TXT)
  ✓ Number of drafts allowed
  ✓ Rubric criteria
  ✓ Special instructions
  ✓ Citation style required
  ✓ Any specific formatting

File Preparation

Supported File Formats

FeedForward accepts these formats:

**Not Supported**: .doc (old Word), .odt, .rtf, .pages, Google Docs links, .zip files

File Naming Best Practices

Use clear, consistent naming:

✅ Good Examples:
- Johnson_Essay1_Draft1.pdf
- SarahJ_ResearchPaper_Draft2.docx
- s12345_Assignment3_Final.pdf

❌ Avoid:
- essay.pdf (too generic)
- Sarah's Essay (Draft 1).docx (spaces/special chars)
- FINAL-FINAL-REALLY-FINAL.pdf (confusing)
- essay_✨_draft.pdf (emojis/symbols)

Document Formatting

Ensure your document is properly formatted:

1. Standard Formatting - 12pt Times New Roman or Arial - Double-spaced lines - 1-inch margins - Page numbers

2. Include Required Elements - Your name and date - Course and assignment name - Word count (if required) - Citations/bibliography

3. Check Before Converting - Spelling and grammar - All citations included - Images display correctly - No track changes showing

Creating PDFs

From Microsoft Word

1. File → Save As
2. Choose location
3. Select "PDF" from dropdown
4. Click "Save"

From Google Docs

1. File → Download
2. Select "PDF Document (.pdf)"
3. File downloads automatically

PDF Tips

• Ensure all fonts embed properly
• Check that images aren't compressed
• Verify page breaks are correct
• Test links if included

The Submission Process

Step 1: Navigate to Assignment

Find your assignment:

Navigation Path:
Dashboard → ENGL101 → Essay 1: Personal Narrative

Assignment Page Shows:
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Essay 1: Personal Narrative         │
│                                     │
│ Status: Open for submission         │
│ Due: October 15, 11:59 PM EST       │
│ Drafts: 1/3 submitted               │
│                                     │
│ [Submit Next Draft]                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Step 2: Start Submission

Click "Submit Draft" to begin:

Submit Draft 2 of 3
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Upload Your File:
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 📎 Drag and drop your file here     │
│                                     │
│      or [Choose File]               │
│                                     │
│ Accepted: PDF, DOCX, TXT            │
│ Max size: 10MB                      │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Step 3: Upload Your File

Option A: Drag and Drop

1. Open file location on computer
2. Drag file to upload area
3. Drop when area highlights

Option B: Browse and Select

1. Click "Choose File"
2. Navigate to your document
3. Select and click "Open"

Upload Progress

Uploading: Johnson_Essay1_Draft2.pdf
[████████████████░░░░] 80% (8.0MB/10MB)
Time remaining: 5 seconds

Step 4: Verify Upload

After upload, verify details:

File Upload Successful ✓
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

File Details:
├── Name: Johnson_Essay1_Draft2.pdf
├── Size: 2.3 MB
├── Pages: 5
├── Word Count: 1,247 (estimated)
└── Uploaded: Just now

Preview:
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ [First page of your document        │
│  displays here for verification]    │
│                                     │
│ "The Impact of Social Media on..."  │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

[✓ Correct File] [✗ Upload Different File]

Step 5: Add Optional Comments

Include helpful context for your instructor:

Add Comments (Optional):
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Let your instructor know about:     │
│ • Specific areas of concern         │
│ • Questions about the assignment    │
│ • Technical issues encountered      │
│                                     │
│ Example:                            │
│ "I'm struggling with the conclusion.│
│ Could you pay special attention to  │
│ how I synthesize my arguments?"     │
│                                     │
│ [                                 ] │
│ 0/500 characters                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Step 6: Submit Confirmation

Review and confirm submission:

Ready to Submit?
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Assignment: Essay 1: Personal Narrative
Draft Number: 2 of 3
File: Johnson_Essay1_Draft2.pdf
Submitted to: Dr. Jane Smith
Course: ENGL101

⚠️ Note: You cannot edit after submission.
Make sure this is your final version.

[Submit Draft] [Cancel]

Step 7: Submission Receipt

Save your confirmation:

Submission Successful! ✅
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Confirmation #: ENGL101-E1-D2-20241010-1247
Submitted: October 10, 2024, 2:47 PM EST
Processing: AI feedback generation started

What Happens Next:
1. AI analyzes your submission (30-60 min)
2. Instructor reviews feedback (24-48 hrs)
3. You receive notification when ready
4. View feedback and plan revision

[View Submission] [Return to Course]

📧 Confirmation email sent to:
   sjohnson@university.edu

Text-Based Submissions

Direct Text Entry Option

For shorter assignments or quick drafts:

1. Select "Type/Paste Text" instead of file upload
2. Enter your text:

Text Submission Editor:
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ [Formatting Tools: B I U | • ≡ "]   │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                     │
│ Type or paste your essay here...    │
│                                     │
│ The rise of artificial intelligence │
│ has fundamentally changed how we    │
│ approach education and learning...  │
│                                     │
│                                     │
│ Word Count: 847 / 1000-1500         │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Text Editor Features

Available formatting tools: - Bold / Italic / Underline - Bullet points and numbering - Block quotes - Basic paragraph formatting

Text submissions don't support images, tables, or advanced formatting. Use file upload for complex documents.

Managing Multiple Drafts

Draft Strategy

Make the most of your attempts:

Recommended Draft Approach:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Draft 1 (Early):
├── Goal: Get feedback on structure
├── When: 7-10 days before due
└── Focus: Main arguments, thesis

Draft 2 (Middle):
├── Goal: Refine based on feedback
├── When: 3-5 days before due
└── Focus: Evidence, flow, clarity

Draft 3 (Final):
├── Goal: Polish and perfect
├── When: 1-2 days before due
└── Focus: Grammar, citations, formatting

Viewing Draft History

Track your submissions:

Your Submission History:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Draft 1:
├── Submitted: Oct 5, 2:30 PM
├── Score: 75% (C)
├── Status: Feedback received
└── [View Feedback]

Draft 2:
├── Submitted: Oct 10, 2:47 PM
├── Score: Pending
├── Status: Processing
└── [View Submission]

Draft 3:
├── Available: Yes
├── Submit by: Oct 15, 11:59 PM
└── [Submit Final Draft]

Comparing Drafts

See your improvement:

Submission Timing

Understanding Deadlines

Know your timezone and deadlines:

Assignment Timeline:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Opens: Oct 1, 12:00 AM EST
Due: Oct 15, 11:59 PM EST ← Main deadline
Late Period: Oct 16-22 (-10% per day)
Closes: Oct 22, 11:59 PM EST ← No submissions after

Your Timezone: EST (same as course)
Current Time: Oct 10, 3:15 PM
Time Remaining: 5 days, 8 hours, 44 minutes

Late Submission Policies

If you miss the deadline:

1. Grace Period (if enabled) - Usually 1-2 hours - No penalty - System allowance for technical issues

2. Late Penalties - Typical: -10% per day - Maximum penalty varies - Some assignments don't accept late work

3. Extensions - Request from instructor - Provide valid reason - Ask before deadline

Strategic Timing

When to submit each draft:

Optimal Submission Times:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Best Times:
✅ Weekday mornings (faster processing)
✅ 48+ hours before deadline
✅ When you've made substantial changes

Avoid:
❌ Last hour before deadline
❌ Friday evenings (slower review)
❌ Multiple drafts same day
❌ Without reviewing feedback first

Special Submission Types

Large Files

If your file exceeds 10MB:

1. Compress PDFs - Use online PDF compressor - Reduce image quality - Remove unnecessary pages

2. Optimize Word Docs - Compress images - Remove revision history - Delete hidden data

3. Still Too Large? - Contact instructor - May need alternative submission - Consider splitting document

Group Submissions

For group projects:

1. Designate One Submitter - Chosen person submits for group - Include all names in document - Note group members in comments

2. File Naming for Groups Group3_ProjectTitle_Draft1.pdf TeamAlpha_Research_Final.docx

Resubmissions

If you need to replace a submission:

You cannot edit or delete submitted drafts. Each submission uses one attempt.

• Contact instructor immediately
• Explain the issue
• Request special consideration
• May need to use next draft slot

Common Issues and Solutions

Upload Problems

"File upload failed" - Check file size (< 10MB) - Verify file format - Try different browser - Clear browser cache

"File type not supported" - Convert to PDF or DOCX - Check file extension - Ensure not corrupted

"Network timeout" - Check internet connection - Try smaller file - Use wired connection - Contact support

Processing Delays

Normal processing times: - AI Analysis: 30-60 minutes - Instructor Review: 24-48 hours - Peak Times: May take longer

If processing exceeds 2 hours: 1. Check system status page 2. Verify submission confirmed 3. Contact support if needed

Browser Issues

Recommended browsers: - ✅ Chrome (latest) - ✅ Firefox (latest) - ✅ Safari (latest) - ✅ Edge (latest) - ❌ Internet Explorer (not supported)

Clear cache if issues persist: 1. Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Delete 2. Select "Cached images and files" 3. Clear data 4. Restart browser

Best Practices

Do's and Don'ts

✅ Do's

• Submit early to avoid technical issues
• Keep local copies of all drafts
• Verify upload before confirming
• Read confirmation carefully
• Check email for receipt
• Use all available drafts
• Follow naming conventions

❌ Don'ts

• Wait until last minute
• Submit wrong file
• Exceed file size limits
• Use unsupported formats
• Submit incomplete work
• Ignore confirmation emails
• Share confirmation numbers

Submission Checklist

Before every submission:

• [ ] Correct assignment selected
• [ ] File is final version
• [ ] Proper file name
• [ ] Under size limit
• [ ] Correct format (PDF/DOCX/TXT)
• [ ] Included all requirements
• [ ] Proofread completely
• [ ] Citations included
• [ ] Backup copy saved

Emergency Procedures

If you can't submit:

1. Document the Issue - Screenshot error messages - Note time and date - Save attempted file

2. Contact Instructor - Email immediately - Include screenshots - Attach assignment - Explain situation

3. Follow Up - Await instructions - Submit when able - Provide documentation

After Submission

What Happens Next

Your submission journey:

Submission Pipeline:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. Upload Complete ✓ (Done!)
           ↓
2. AI Processing ⟳ (30-60 min)
   - Multiple AI models analyze
   - Rubric criteria evaluated
   - Feedback generated
           ↓
3. Instructor Review ⟳ (24-48 hrs)
   - Quality check
   - Personal comments added
   - Approval for release
           ↓
4. Notification 📧 (When ready)
   - Email sent
   - Dashboard updated
   - Feedback available
           ↓
5. View Feedback 📄
   - Read thoroughly
   - Plan improvements
   - Prepare next draft

While You Wait

Productive activities:

1. Start Next Assignment
2. Review Rubric Again
3. Research Improvements
4. Visit Writing Center
5. Prepare Questions

Next Steps

After successful submission:

1. Wait for notification of feedback availability
2. Read the Understanding Feedback guide
3. Plan your revision strategy
4. Track your progress

Always submit at least 24 hours before the deadline to allow time for technical issues and ensure you can use all available drafts.

Remember: Each draft is an opportunity to improve. Don't aim for perfection on your first submission—use the feedback process to refine your work.