In this example, we had a student download a file, work with it, and then upload the file into an assignment. But remember that assignments don't need to be done online. An assignment can also be done in the real, physical world. For example, you could instruct your students to build something and then bring it to class. Or, you could instruct them to make a video and upload it to another site, or contribute to www.wikipedia.org. The student doesn't need to upload anything for you to be able to grade the assignment because Blackboard's Grade Center enables you to give a grade to any assignment at any time. So whenever you need to instruct your students to perform some kind of independent action, consider using an assignment.
In the next chapter, we'll learn how to build and use tests.