Sometimes a student's submission needs another pass before you can review it, like a broken link, an empty Google Doc, or work that's missing a key piece. In Sora Home, you can return a task to your student with a comment explaining what to fix, so they can make changes and resubmit.
You can return both regular tasks and final deliverables. In this guide, you'll learn how to:
Decide whether to return a task
Return a task with feedback
Give a deadline extension so your student can resubmit
Understand what your student sees when a task is returned
Task Statuses
As you review student work, you'll see the following statuses on your tasks:
Pending Submission: The student hasn't turned the task in yet. You'll only see this status before the task's due date.
Not Yet Reviewed: The student has submitted, but you haven't reviewed it yet.
Reviewed: You've reviewed the submission and shared feedback. The student is notified.
Returned: You've sent the task back to the student for changes.
Missed: The student never submitted, or an issue with their submission wasn't fixed by the due date.
Deciding How to Handle a Task
A quick way to think through any task you're about to review:
Did the student submit anything? If not, there's nothing to review. It'll be marked missed automatically once the due date passes.
Is the submission valid? A broken link, an empty Google Doc, or a submission with nothing meaningful in it isn't something you can review. Choose Return to student and add a comment explaining what needs fixing.
Does the work need another round? If the student is on the right track but needs to revise before you share final feedback, you can return it with guidance on what to change.
Did they fix it in time? If the student resubmits before the due date, review it as normal. If the due date passes with the issue unresolved, mark the task as missed instead.
Returning a Task to Your Student
Open the task from your Facilitate page and click into the student's submission.
First, write your comment in the feedback box explaining what your student needs to fix or change, and click Send.
Then, under Have you finished this review?, choose Return to student.
The task status will update to Returned, and your student will be notified.
You can repeat this process (returning, resubmitting, and returning again) as much as you'd like, as long as it's before the task due date. If the due date passes, you can provide a deadline extension for your student (more on that below).
What Your Student Sees
When you return a task, your student gets a notification in Sora Home, and the task is labeled Returned Task on their Tasks page and on their expedition's Tasks tab.
When they open the task, they'll see your comment explaining what to fix. They'll then resubmit according to the task type: re-uploading a link or text for Text or Link tasks, or marking the task as done again for Google File tasks.
If the original due date has passed, your student will need the deadline extension from you before they can resubmit. They'll get a notification with their new due date once you've provided it.
Once they resubmit, the task will show as Not Yet Reviewed on your Facilitate page so you can review it again.
Providing a Deadline Extension
If the task's due date has already passed, your student won't be able to resubmit until you give them more time. Make sure to provide a deadline extension when you return a task after its due date.
When trying to return a task to your student after the due date, you'll notice the option is greyed out.
Open the student's task and click Deadline Extension at the top of the page.
Choose the updated due date, provide a reason, and click Confirm extension.
After you've provided this deadline extension, you'll see that the Return to Student option is no longer greyed out.
Your student will be notified of their new due date. Other students won't be affected and will still see the original due date.
Returning Final Deliverables
Final deliverables can be returned the same way as regular tasks. This is especially helpful when a student's culminating project has a broken link, is missing pieces, or isn't shared with you, since you'll want a complete submission before sharing your final feedback.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm trying to return a task, but the option is grayed out. What's happening?
This usually means the task's due date has already passed. Provide a deadline extension for your student first, then return the task so they can keep working on it.
Can I return a final deliverable?
Yes! Both regular tasks and final deliverables can be returned to students.
Will my student know why I returned their task?
Only if you tell them, so always leave a comment explaining what needs to change before you return a task.
I returned a task by mistake. Can I undo it?
Yes. Click Undo on the task's review message right after returning it.