Gradebook: Part 2 - Advanced Features

Advanced Features:


In addition to the uses of the Gradebook outlined in the previous post, the gradebook allows for a couple of additional ways to tailor your course grades to suit specific situations.

fig. 3

Group assignments - Groups can be created in courses by selecting the Site Info tool and clicking "manage groups". Here, one can title each group (by project, number, discussion group, etc.) and select the students that will be included. Once groups have been created, an assignment can be generated for only the members of specific groups so that students who opt for a different assignment are not affected by the grading of a particular grade. To do this, select "display to selected groups" under the Access heading while creating the assignment. Then select the appropriate group (fig. 3). Having done this, one will only find the members of that group when one enters the gradebook scores.

fig 4

Grade Weighting - Weighting grades in courses is done by entering the Gradebook tool, and selecting the "gradebook setup" link. Here one can assign weights to grades using the "categories and weighting" feature (fig 4). After choosing this option, one can enter the categories of grades (final paper, exam 1, class participation, etc.) and assign a percentage value to each of these until the 100% total is reached. A gradebook item can only be associated with a category in the Gradebook tool, not while creating the assignment itself. The categories will appear in boldface titles among gradebook items within the Gradebook tool (fig 5). 

fig 5

To associate an assignment with a particular category, simply click "edit" beside the item, and choose the appropriate category from the category drop-down (fig 6).


 

fig 6

Gradebook: Part 1

The Sakai CLE includes a Gradebook tool for conveniently managing graded assignments. Grades can be posted in two forms: assignments created within Sakai, and assignments given outside of Sakai.


Sakai Assignments:

fig. 1

As mentioned in a previous blog, there are a variety of ways to build assignments into your course sites. With the gradebook tool enabled (this is by default in the latest course template), one has the option to to automatically include scores generated from assignments and forum posts in the site gradebook. For scores generated by the assignments tool, simply select the "add assignment to gradebook" button under the grading options when creating the assignment (fig. 1 above). **Note:  the appropriate grade scale must be selected above the assignment instructions dialog box. Under the gradebook options link in the gradebook tool, one has the option to base the gradebook on points or percentages, for gradebook integration, one must use the points system (set by default) so be mindful of which you are using. Otherwise, you may receive an error message if there is any discrepancy.

Outside Assignments:

fig. 2

To manually enter grades for non-sakai items such as class presentations, participation grades, or others, a gradebook item can be created by clicking the gradebook tool and selecting the "add gradebook item" link under the Gradebook Items heading. One may then give the item a title, point value, and due date. One also has the option to notify students when the item is graded, and to include in course calculation.






In the next post, we will cover additional ways to use the Gradebook with groups and weighting.