BB6 GradeCenter Part 2 Computing Course Grades

1. BB6GradeCenter Part 2 Computing Course Grades Instructional Technology Support – SAC 284 itd@depaul.edu

2. BB6 – Table of contents 1 1 – Use Firefox! 2 – Your grading scheme 3 – Seeing column “points possible” 4 – Adding a Weighted Calculated Total 5 – Quiz 2 graded as 23 points? (100?) 6 – Interpreting scores as percentages 7 – Testing your grade computation 8 – Null grades ignored, not = 0! 9 – Download grades to Excel 10 – Making the course grade visible This course takes only 1.5 hours or less. But you must first complete training course BB2, Introduction to the Grade Center. Using Blackboard to compute course grades depends on the basic information provided in BB2.

3. 1 – Use Firefox! 2 • Serious deficiencies have been noted in both the Internet Explorer browser and Apple Safari when using Blackboard. For this reason it is especially critical that you use Firefox to access the Grade Center! Ignoring this advice can lead to serious frustration! • Use the “OK” or “Cancel” or “Submit” buttons at the bottom of the Blackboard screen for navigation whenever possible.

4. 2 – Your grading scheme? 3 • Many faculty indicate in their course syllabus the percentage of the course grade attributable to each item such as homework, quizzes, midterm exam, participation, paper(s). • This tutorial shows you how to grade any item with any convenient number of points, but to weight each item at the stated percentage. • Blackboard actually simplifies your grading!

5. Accessing the Grade Center 4 In the Control Panel, click on Grade Center

6. Typical Grade Center at term end Albertson Karen Baxter Carl Carter Michael Davidson Nancy Thomas Edwards Foster Frank Allan Gumbel Herbert Hinckley Ichabod Marion 5

7. What the syllabus said about % Karen Albertson Baxter Carl Carter Michael Nancy Davidson Thomas Edwards Foster Frank Gumbel Allan Hinckley Herbert Ichabod Marion 6 10% 10% 15% 25% 40%

8. Maximize visibility by hiding First Name Albertson Baxter Carter Michael Davidson Nancy Edwards Thomas Foster Frank Gumbel Allan Hinckley Herbert Ichabod Marion 7

9. Maximize visibility by hiding First Name Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel 8

10. 3 – Seeing column “points possible” Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel Hinckley Ichabod 9 Click in a cell in a gradable item column; see the “points possible” for that column

11. 4 – Adding Weighted Calculated Total Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel Hinckley Ichabod 10 Click Add Calculated Column, choose Weighted

12. Adding a Weighted Calculated Total 11

13. Adding a Weighted Calculated Total 12 Highlight gradable items (hold Ctrl key down), click the right arrow, scroll down

14. Specifying percentage for each item 13

15. Hiding from view pending finalization 14 More about this later: you will eventually have to set it to “No”

16. Course Grade column added Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel Hinckley 15

17. Moving the Course Grade column Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel Hinckley 16 Click on Manage, choose Organize Grade Center

18. Moving a Course Grade column 17 Click on the gray box and the black up/down arrow appears. Hold the left mouse button down and move the Course Grade line up to a point before the first graded item.

19. Moving a Course Grade column 18 Don’t forget to scroll down and click Submit!

20. Setting Weighted Total as Course Grade Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel Hinckley Ichabod 19

21. Green checkmark means course grade Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel Hinckley Ichabod 20

22. 5 – Quiz 2 graded as 23 points? (100?) Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel Hinckley Ichabod 21 Compare to the prior illustration; weighted total is the same! How come?

23. 6 – Interpreting scores as percentages Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel Hinckley Ichabod 22

24. Blackboard will compute percentage 23

25. Individual point structure doesn’t matter Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel Hinckley Ichabod 24 Compare to slides 20 and 21; same computed course grade!

26. 7 – Testing your grade computation Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel Hinckley Ichabod 25

27. Remove:Highlight, backspace, return, then OK here (Mac: “delete”) Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel Hinckley Ichabod 26

28. Caution! With Quiz 2 = “-”, why this? Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel Hinckley Ichabod 27 OK ?

29. 8 – Null grades ignored, not = 0! 28 For proper grade totaling at end of term, you MUST set this to NO for the weighted total column. Use “Modify” like this to check and change the weighted total column if necessary!

30. Weighted total is now correct Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel Hinckley 29 • Your choice: • You must enter 0 for items not submitted by a student, you cannot leave them as “-”, OR • Change totaling column to NO at its “running total” specification.

31. 9 – Download Grades to Excel Albertson Baxter Carter Davidson Edwards Foster Gumbel Hinckley Ichabod 30

32. Downloading grades 31 No need to change any of these default settings to download the full grade spreadsheet, just click Submit.

33. Downloading grades 32 When using the Firefox browser recommended for Grade Center access, click Download here, then OK at the Firefox prompt (not OK here). Clicking OK here actually cancels the download! X

34. Open grade spreadsheet in Excel 33

35. Save in Excel 2003 34

36. Save in Excel 2007 35

37. 10 – Making the course grade visible 36 Make sure you set this to No before using the computed course grades! This protects you from computing erroneously high grades in case you forgot to enter zero for any missing student work.

38. 37 BB6GradeCenter Part 2 Computing Course GradesEND Instructional Technology Support – SAC 284 itd@depaul.edu