Managing Grade Center

Return to tutorial list

To manage your Grade Center you must first log on to Blackboard and enter the course you wish to manage. Once the course in open, click on Grade Center under Evaluation in the Control Panel.

 

On the Grade Center page, Click on Manage button. The instructor can define the Grading Periods, Grading Schemas, Categories, Smart Views, Column Organization, Student Visibility and Send Email by selecting the option on the drop-down list.

Grading Periods

Grading periods are user created segments that can help manage the Grade Center. Grading periods, for example, are defined as terms, semesters, quarters, years, and so on, and can have date ranges that further define them. Grading Periods are not created by default. If desired, they must be defined by instructors.

Defining grading periods and associating Grade Center columns to a grading period allows Instructors to effectively organize and report on Grade Center data. Instructors can filter the Grade Center by grading period (e.g., First Quarter), so he/she can reduce searching and scrolling.

To create a grading period, follow these steps:

Click Manage button and select Grading Periods from the drop-down list.

 

Click Create Grading Period button.

Type a Name and a Description for the grading period. These were shown on the Manage Grading Periods page. Adding a description to the Grading Period helps to identify and organize different grading periods.

Select the Grading Period Dates and click Associate Columns to associate all Grade Columns and Calculated Columns that were previously created with Due Dates to the corresponding grading period.

Click Submit button.

The grading period will be shown in the Current View drop-down list.

Editing a Grading Period

To edit an existing grading period, follow these steps:

In the Grade Center page, click Manage button and select Grading Periods from the drop-down list.

To modify grading period information, click on the down arrow next to the grading period name and select Edit link on the drop-down list.

Type the changes in the Edit Grading Period page.

Click Submit button.

Removing a Grading Period

To delete a grading period, follow these steps:

Click Manage button and select Grading Periods link on the drop-down list.

Select a grading period and click Delete. All Grade Center items associated to this grading period will be reset to Not in a Grading Period.

Click OK button.

Grading Periods and Column Organization

In the Column Organization page, all grade columns and calculated columns are displayed in tables. The top table displays all the columns that are Shown in All Grade Center Views. A table for each grading period appears next. Any grade columns and calculated columns not associated with a grading period appear in the last table Not in a Grading Period. If there are no grading periods defined, the bottom table is labeled Shown in Selected Views Only.

Columns are associated with grading periods from the Column Organization page. To associate columns to grading periods, to move them to other grading periods, or to disassociate them from any grading period, follow these steps:

Click Manage button and select Column Organization on the drop-down list.

Select the items to be associated or disassociated. Then click Change Grading Period to and select the grading period to which to associate the column.

Click Submit button.

Grading Periods and Grade Calculations

Grading periods are used when calculating grades for a course. The process is as follows:

First of all, associate grade columns with a grading period and then create a calculated column that includes all the grade columns in that grading period. For example, all homework assignments that occur within a particular date range are associated with the grading period Spring 2010. To create a calculated column, click on Create Calculated Column button and choose a calculation type (e.g., Total Column).

Enter the Column Name and Display Name for the column.

Select Spring 2010 on the All Grade Columns in Grading Period drop-down list.

Set Options.

Click Submit.

As a result, this Total Points column will display the grade based on a relationship of points possible to points given for all homework assignments in Spring 2010.

It is NOT possible to associate a column to more than one grading period. For example, a column cannot be included in Quarter 1 and Semester 1 Grading Periods.

Grading Schemas

A Grading Schema is a diagram based on percentage ranges that matches scores to specific grade displays. For example, a student s raw numeric score on a quiz that has 100 possible points is an 88. In a grading schema in which a percentage of 87.5 to 89.5 equals a B+, this score results in a B+. If the grade display Letter option is chosen, the B+ will display to the student. Grading schemas may be edited or added to an ongoing course and grades will be edited to reflect the changes.

A copy of the system default grading schema is included in all course sections. Instructors can edit the pre-defined grading schema and save changes within their course sections. Instructors also have the ability to create additional grading schemas within in their course sections to reflect the multiple ways in which they may need to grade throughout their courses.

How to Add a Grading Schema

When a grading schema is employed, and depending on the grade display option, the Grade Center will translate the entry according to the grading schema and display the corresponding value. For example, if a column is configured to display Pass for all percentages above 70%, then, when the Instructor enters 89%, the Grade Center will display Pass. There is no limit to the number of grading schemas an instructor can create.

Upon creation, a grading schema is included as an option in the Primary and Secondary Display option in creating a grade column or calculated item. There are already default grade display options. For more information on creating a grade column or calculated column, see Adding Grade Columns to the Grade Center.

To create grading schemas, click Manage button and select Grading Schemas on the drop-down list.

Click Create Grading Schema button.

Type a Name for the grading schema. The name is shown in the drop-down list for Primary Display and Secondary Display when adding an item to the Grade Center as well as on the Manage Grading Schema page. Type a Description for the grading schema. The description is shown on the Manage Grading Schema page and can assist with identifying the grading schema.

Type the Schema Mapping information. By default, any new grading schema will have two ranges of percentiles from 50% to 100% and from 0% (zero) to less than 50%. For example, a pass/fail schema might be set up like this:

Click the arrow to insert a new row into the schema for entering additional display values to the schema. Each Display Symbol must be unique in the Grading Schema. The dash symbol " " cannot be used as an entry. The dash represents a Null value.

The percentage range given for each grade value must begin with the lesser value listed first. The values must also OVERLAP. For example A = 90  100%, B = 80  90%, C = 70  80% and so on. Ranges must be set up in this way to avoid gaps that could occur when a score falls in between two numbers in the range. The range of 80  90% includes all grades up to but NOT including 90%. The TOP range DOES include 100%.

Click Delete Row to delete a value range (row) from the schema.

Click Submit button to save the grading schema.

How to Edit a Grading Schema

Click Manage button and select Grading Schemas on the drop-down list.

To modify the grading schemas, please click on the down arrow and select Edit link on the drop-down list.

Make any changes to Name, Description or Schema Mapping.

Click Submit. Once submitted, all columns using the grading schema are edited to reflect the changes.

How to Copy a Grading Schema

Once created, grading schemas can be copied and used again. Upon copy, the new grading schema name is prefixed with "Copy of" followed by the name of the original schema.

To copy a grading schema, click Manage button and select Grading Schemas on the drop-down list.

To copy grading schemas, please click on the down arrow and select Copy link on the drop-down list.

The copied grading schema appears on the list with a number appended to the name. Copied grading schemas may be edited by using the steps in the sub-section above, Edit a Grading Schema.

How to Delete a Grading Schema

Instructors may delete the default grading schema only if they have made modifications to it. Instructors may delete any grading schemas they created as long as the schemas are not in use. Grading schemas currently in use do not have a Delete button. Removing a grading schema CANNOT be undone.

Click Manage button and select Grading Schemas on the drop-down list.

Find a grading schema to delete and click Delete. Then click OK. Or click on the down arrow and select Delete link on the drop-down list.

 

Return to tutorial list