Technical Requirements and Guidance

Digital Formats and File Types

All of your work will need to be in a digital format in order to submit it. 

Links to existing online learning logs can be cut and pasted, or physical material/work photographed, scanned, or videoed. You will need to use the same digital approach to document your selection of creative work, unless it is already in a digital format. 

Critical Reviews and other essays can be presented as digital documents, whether written or presentation. Ideally, your Reflective Presentation is produced as a digital slideshow or video with audio, so we can hear from you directly.

Use accessible digital formats that make it easy for assessors to easily access your work. This means using: 

• PDFs - for large or lengthy documents such as portfolios or learning log entries 

• JPEG, JPG - for images 

• Google Doc or Word documents for written elements (.doc / .docx / .pdf) 

• Videos/short film can be saved as .mp4 or .mov files 

• Audio files can be saved as .mp3 files 

• All score-based work (Music course units only) should be saved using Sibelius or Dorico files only. No other file types will be accepted.

• Avoid sending work in specialist software such as Adobe Photoshop or Apple Pages files.

If you are new at digitally documenting your work, you will find additional advice and guidance through the Department Space for your discipline on OCA Learn. Remember, you don't need to be an expert in documenting your work, you will develop new skills by doing it, and over time these skills will improve.

Learning Log Permissions

To ensure that the Assessments team can access your learning log, you’ll need to check the settings within the dashboard. To open the dashboard, navigate to your learning log and click on your learning log name in the top navigation bar. 

From there, click ‘settings’ on the left hand side and select ‘reading’ from the settings sub-menu. Scroll down to ‘site visibility’ and select ‘Visible only to registered users of this site’, and click Save. 

Then click on the Users menu. In the table on this page, check that ‘assessment@oca.ac.uk’ is listed. If not, click the ‘Add new user’ button next to the page heading. Under ‘add existing user’, type assessment@oca.ac.uk, leave role as subscriber, and check the option for skip confirmation.

Using GDrive to Submit

GDrive is a file storage service developed by Google, which is freely available for all OCA students. GDrive folders have been used at previous assessments events, so many students will be familiar with how they work. Below is a step by step guide to submitting on GDrive:

1. You will receive an email invitation from the Assessment Team linking you to your own GDrive folder, held on the GDrive service. The folder will be accessible until the deadline for submissions. 

2. Use the link in this email invitation to access the folder. Alternatively, if you are more familiar with GDrive, you will find the folder listed under the ‘Shared with me’ section of GDrive. 

3. The title of the folder should include your name, student number, and the course unit you are submitting for assessment. If any of these details are incorrect, or you believe that you have been shared into an incorrect folder, please contact assessment@oca.ac.uk 

4. In your GDrive folder you will find a series of subfolders. These subfolders will relate to the elements you need to submit for your specific course. Into each of these subfolders, you can upload the relevant elements of your assessment submission, making your work navigable for yourself and the assessors. 

5. Once you have familiarised yourself with your GDrive folders you can begin uploading your work for assessment. Please access the Checklist document, available in your GDrive folder, to record what files you are submitting for assessment. 

6. Once you have completed uploading your files to the GDrive folders, use the checklist document to ensure that everything you need to upload is in the correct folder, that they are in accessible digital formats, and clearly labelled.

7. Ensure that you have set your GDrive permissions correctly for Assessor and Tutor access by double checking that ‘Open College of the Arts’ is included in the ‘General access’ option in the drive ‘Share’ settings.

For technical support on using GDrive, you may want to look at this guidance from Google.

Using OCA Learn to Submit

Currently only Music course units are submitting via OCA Learn.

A video walkthrough of how to upload your work via OCA Learn can be found here.

1. Before you begin uploading your files, we advise that you prepare an assessment folder in the file browser on your computer, or in GDrive and copy all of the files you plan to submit there. Check this against your assessment requirements and make sure that everything you need is included.

2. To submit your work, sign into OCA Learn.

3. Click on My Courses and select the course you will be submitting work for. If you cannot access the course you require, please contact your Programme Leader. 

4. Scroll down to the Assessment section at the bottom of the menu on the left hand side. Within the assessment section, you will find copies of the assessment guidelines and other information you may find helpful. 

5. At the bottom of the section there is an Assignment Task, named Summative Assessment Submission. Click on this and you will be taken to the upload page. Go to Add Submission. You will see a File Submissions box where you can upload your files. Underneath this is an Online Text box where you can type any relevant text, for example your list of signposted learning log posts or your reflective evaluation. 

6. Under the File Submission heading there are two icons. The icon on the left allows you to drag and drop individual files from your computer’s file browser or GDrive folder. The icon on the right allows you to create individual folders if you would like to organise the different elements of your submission. Once you have created a new folder, click on it to add files. 

7. Once you have uploaded your files, add any additional text you wish to include in the Online Text box below. 

8. When everything is in place, click on Save Changes. 

9.  On the next screen, look in the grey box on the right hand side to check everything is there. If anything is missing, you can add files as needed.

If you need help during the process, email techsupport@oca.ac.uk.