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