Setting Up the Grade Book
The Brightspace grade book is
a robust tool that can help you grade your students in a variety of ways. In
addition to point-based and weighted grades, the Brightspace grade book can be
set up to grade based on any grade scheme you set up (including using your own
terms like "Poor" and "Excellent" or including color for
simple visuals).
The videos and guide below will help you get started with some of
the basics, but if you want to learn more about the tool and how you can use it
to meet your specific needs, feel free to schedule a time with someone from the
ODL using this link: ODL Bookings.
Using the Grade Setup Wizard
In the Grades tool, if a grade book
is not set up or imported for your course, you will see the Grades Setup
Wizard page when you first navigate to the tool.
1.
On the blue navigation bar in your course, click Grades.
2.
On the Grades Setup Wizard page, scroll down and click Start.
3.
Click Grades.
4.
Choose your grading system, then click Continue. (You will
most likely want a weighted system or a points-based system, depending on how
you grade.)
5.
Choose whether or not you want to be able to manually adjust a
final grade (apart from adjusting individual assignment scores) by selecting Calculated
Final Grade (Brightspace will calculate the final grade automatically based
on assignment scores) or Adjusted Final Grade (you can alter students'
final grades apart from assignment scores). Additionally, if you want users'
final grades to be released automatically when you create them, select Automatically
release final grade, then click Continue.
6.
Choose how you want to treat ungraded items. If you selected Automatically
release final grade, you should select Drop ungraded items so that
the released grades better reflect the users' current grades throughout the
term. (If ungraded items are treated as "0," future assignments and
quizzes will make students' current grades seem extremely low).
7.
If you want final grades to automatically adjust after changing a
grade item or calculation option, select Automatically keep final grade
updated.
8.
Click Continue.
9.
Choose your default grade scheme (this is most like
"Percentage") and then click Continue.
10. In the Number of decimal places to display field, enter the
number of decimal places to display to users who enter grades using the grade
book.
11. Click Continue.
12. Select your learner view display options and then click Continue.
13. On the Grades Setup Summary page, review your selections.
14. Do one of the following:
a.
To make changes to your grade book setup, click Go Back.
b.
Click Finish.
(If you need to make any edits
to your grade book later, the easiest way to do this is by using the Bulk
Edit tool that you can find in the grade book under "Manage
Grades.")
Adding an Assignment or Activity
to the Grade Book
Important: If you have not created
the assignment or discussion in Brightspace yet that you want to add to the
grade book, you should create the assignment or discussion first. When you set
it up, you will have the option to add a grade value and a grade item and grade
column will automatically be reflected in your grade book. Here are
instructions for creating assignments in Brightspace: Creating an Assignment.
If you want to connect an assignment or activity (like a
discussion) to the grade book and have already made that assignment or
activity, follow the instructions below to link that assignment or activity to
your grade book.
1.
In your course, select Course Activities and then Assignments
(or Discussions) from the blue navigation bar.
2.
Find the Assignment or Discussion that you want to link to the
Grade Book and click on the caret to the right of the name. Select Edit
Assignment (or Edit Discussion).
3.
On the following screen, you will be able to add a score under
"Score Out Of." This will let you link the assignment or discussion
to the grade book. You will have the option of adding points, and the default
setting will add a new grade item to the grade book. You can also choose to
link this activity to an existing grade item.
4.
Click Save and Close.
(If you need to make any edits
to your grade book later, the easiest way to do this is by using the Bulk
Edit tool that you can find in the grade book under "Manage
Grades.")
Adding a Grade Item to the Grade
Book
If you want to create a grade item that is not connected to an
assignment or activity, follow the instructions below to set this up in your
grade book.
1.
In your
grade book, select Manage Grades. This is where you will make any
changes to the grade book itself, including adjusting weights/points,
adding/deleting items, and adding/deleting categories.
2.
Click New
and Item.
3.
You can
now choose what kind of grading option you want with this grade item. You will
most likely want either a Numeric or Pass/Fail option. However,
both the Selectbox and Text options can provide a lot of
versatility to the grade book and can be used for a lot of different things
like tracking completion for activities, noting information about students, or
providing comments to students that are not graded or connected to an
assignment.
4.
Add
general information for the new grade item, including name, point value (if
using a numeric system), weight value (if weighted), and rubric (if
applicable). You will also have the option to add a start/end date (this would
be for student visibility of the grade), release conditions (e.g. if this grade
item only applies to certain students), and learning objectives.
5. Click Save and Close.
When you select Enter Grades from the top of the grade book, you will
now see a new column with the grade item you have just created.
(If you need to make any edits
to your grade book later, the easiest way to do this is by using the Bulk
Edit tool that you can find in the grade book under "Manage
Grades.")
Published
Created
onMon, Aug 2 2021 3:28 PM
Article Properties
Article
Location
Instructor Support
Author
Kelsey
Lambright
Type
Permanent
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