Gradebird makes it easy. Each homework assignment has two steps with two separate deadlines: submission and self-assessment. The solutions and rubric appear after the submission deadline. The students assess their work and upload an annotated copy supporting their scores. The instructor views and approves (or rejects) the assessments, leaving optional comments.

The alight workflow has been used in the Department of Physics at the University of Arizona since 2021, developed initially by Professor of Practice Drew Milsom and later adopted by Professor Sam Gralla. Finding traditional learning management systems too clunky for this approach, Prof. Gralla designed Gradebird in 2024.