D2L Tip: Displaying users without D2L Dropbox submissions

One of my favorite features of our current version of D2L is the ability to leave feedback for students who did not submit a file to the Dropbox.  Even the initial step of that process – filtering the Dropbox to show the users without submissions – is helpful so that I know who to reach out to when, for example, the due date for a high-stakes assignment is around the corner.

Here are the steps for displaying the users without submissions:

• In the Dropbox tool, click on the title of the Dropbox folder to access the Folder Submissions view.
• Select “Users without submissions” from the Submissions drop-down menu (highlighted in image below).
• Click on the magnifying glass icon/button (circled in blue in image below) to display all users without submissions. 

Note: Additional criteria can be entered in the “Search For” box to narrow the results even further.

The link to “Evaluate” work will appear to the right of each user’s name even though they do not have a submission:

This ability to leave feedback – a grade and/or comments (text or audio) – for users without submissions is especially handy when a student accidentally submits to the wrong dropbox folder or sends a file via email; in the case that the Dropbox folder is linked with a Grade Item, I can leave feedback right in the Dropbox folder, and the grade and/or comments will display in the Grades tool. 

The ability to use the same approach for every student, regardless of whether or not the file made it to the Dropbox folder, is greatly appreciated.

Tip contributed by Laura Middlesworth