AI Grade - Moodle Local Plugin

AI-powered assignment grading assistant for Moodle that uses AI to provide intelligent, constructive feedback on student submissions.

Features

• Automated Grading: Uses Moodle's core AI subsystem to grade student assignments
• Multiple Submission Types:
  • Online text submissions
  • File uploads: PDF, DOCX, DOC, TXT, PPTX, PPT, ODT
  • Google Docs links (text content only - when shared with "Anyone with the link")
• Rubric Support: Upload PDF, DOCX, DOC, or TXT rubric files for structured grading
• Dual Prompt System: Separate AI instructions for assignments with and without rubrics
• Grade Level Awareness: Adjusts feedback complexity and tone based on student grade level (3-12)
• Customizable AI Name: Personalize the grading assistant's name (e.g., "Boone", "Professor AI")
• Flexible Grading: Grade individual submissions or bulk grade all ungraded submissions
• Teacher Control: Teachers can review and modify all AI-generated grades and feedback

Requirements

• Moodle 4.5 or later
• PHP 7.4 or later
• Moodle AI subsystem configured with an AI provider (e.g., OpenAI, Claude)
• For PDF rubrics: pdftotext command-line tool (optional but recommended)
• PHP cURL extension (for Google Docs/Slides support)
• PHP ZipArchive extension (for DOCX, PPTX, ODT support)

Installation

Method 1: Download and Install

1. Download the plugin zip file
2. Log in to your Moodle site as an administrator
3. Navigate to Site administration → Plugins → Install plugins
4. Upload the zip file
5. Click "Install plugin from the ZIP file"
6. Follow the on-screen instructions

Method 2: Manual Installation

1. Extract the plugin files
2. Copy the aigrade folder to /path/to/moodle/local/
3. Visit Site administration → Notifications to complete the installation

Configuration

Site-Wide Settings

1. Navigate to Site administration → Plugins → Local plugins → AI Grade
2. Configure the following settings:
   • AI Assistant Name: Customize the name (default: "AI")
   • Default AI Instructions (With Rubric): Default grading instructions when a rubric is uploaded
   • Default AI Instructions (Without Rubric): Default grading instructions when no rubric exists

Configure Moodle AI Subsystem

Ensure you have configured the Moodle AI subsystem:

1. Go to Site administration → AI → AI Providers
2. Add and configure an AI provider (e.g., OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, or Anthropic Claude)
3. Enable the provider

Usage

Enabling AI Grade for an Assignment

1. Create or edit an assignment
2. Scroll to the AI Grade section
3. Check Enable AI Grade
4. Select the appropriate Student Grade Level (3-12)
5. (Optional) Customize the AI grading instructions for this assignment
6. (Optional) Upload a grading rubric (PDF, DOCX, DOC, or TXT)
7. Save the assignment

Grading Individual Submissions

1. Navigate to an assignment with AI Grade enabled
2. Click View all submissions
3. Click on a student's submission
4. Click the [AI Name] Grade button (e.g., "Boone Grade")
5. The AI will grade the submission and populate the feedback field
6. Review and modify the grade/feedback as needed
7. Click Save changes

Bulk Grading

1. Navigate to an assignment with AI Grade enabled
2. Click View all submissions
3. Click the [AI Name] Grade All button
4. The AI will grade all ungraded submissions
5. Review and modify grades as needed

How It Works

1. Submission Analysis: AI reads the student's submitted text
2. Rubric/Criteria Review: AI considers uploaded rubric or assignment description
3. Grade Level Adjustment: AI adjusts language and expectations based on grade level
4. Feedback Generation: AI generates constructive feedback with specific suggestions
5. Teacher Review: Teachers can modify grades and feedback before finalizing

Privacy

This plugin complies with GDPR and includes:

• Privacy API implementation
• No personal data storage beyond standard Moodle assignment grading
• Teacher control over all AI-generated content

Limitations

• Text-based evaluation only: AI grading evaluates text content and cannot assess:
  • Images, graphics, or visual elements
  • Formatting, colors, or design
  • Tables or charts (content may be extracted but structure is lost)
  • For presentations: slide design, animations, or visual layout
• Best suited for: Essays, written responses, research papers, and text-heavy assignments
• Not recommended for: Design projects, visual presentations, or assignments where images/formatting are being graded
• Google Docs: Only text content is extracted; images and formatting are not included
• Presentations (PPTX/PPT): Text content and slide count are evaluated, but not visual design

Support

• Documentation: Plugin page on Moodle.org
• Issue Tracker: Report bugs or feature requests via the Moodle plugins directory
• Community: Discussion forums on Moodle.org

Credits

Author: Brian A. Pool, National Trail Local Schools
Copyright: 2025 Brian A. Pool, National Trail Local Schools
License: GNU GPL v3 or later

License

This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program. If not, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses/.