2. Students
3. Help with assignments

Most assignments are now submitted online, using Blackboard Assignments or Turnitin. Both systems enable you to upload a file which is then either printed and marked by hand or more likely graded online by your tutor(s). Once the grades have been checked you are able to log into Blackboard to view your grade and feedback.

The systems accept a fairly wide range of file types, but there have been a few problems with posters and especially Apple Macs e.g. Pages and KeyNote files.

All LSS assignments must be uploaded as a PDF file unless you are specifically told otherwise.

Why a PDF?

Think of the PDF as the ‘printout’ of your essay or poster – it is a fixed format that cannot (easily) be edited. You can quickly check your PDF before you upload it to make sure it is the correct version, and not an earlier draft; you’d be surprised how often that happens! The final advantage is that PDFs always look just the way you expect, whereas Word files sometimes change their layout and pagination if the viewing computer doesn’t have exactly the same version and fonts available.

How to Save or Print as PDF

Many programs, including Microsoft Office, allow you to simply save a copy of your work as a PDF file – for example, the latest versions of Word give it as an option on the File menu:

For other programs or older versions of Office, PDF is usually a Save as type: option on the File – Save As dialog box, as shown in this screenshot:

If neither of those options are available, you can Print your file to PDF.

Windows 10: Microsoft Print to PDF

If your own PC does not show this option, you can download and install a free PDF printer.

Mac OSX: Print dialog – Save as PDF