Grades: Basics D2L Tutorial If you are using D2L for your course and would like your students to be able to look up their grades online, you can set up an online gradebook. In this tutorial: Use the Grades Setup Wizard to set up a Points Grading System Create a Numeric Grade Item Enter Grades o By Item o By Student Reorder Grade Items Delete Grade Items Recalculate Final Grades Release Final Grades Associate Grade Items Use the Grades Setup Wizard When you click on the Grades link for the first time in any course, you will be prompted to use the Grades Setup Wizard. It is a seven step process that allows you to set the basic structure of the gradebook even before you add grade items. The Wizard makes selecting the necessary elements of your gradebook easy. Once the structure is in place, you can simply begin adding grade items and categories. To begin, log in to your D2L course and click on the Grades link on the course navigation bar. If this is a new course you will automatically be brought into the Grades Setup Wizard. (If you are not automatically brought to the Wizard, click on the Setup Wizard button in the Grades Area.) The page you see is a summary of the Grades defaults. Click on the Start button at the bottom of the window. elearning Support, BSU Page 1 August 2012
In Step 1, you will decide which grading system you want to use: weighted or points. Use the weighted system if you want grade items to be calculated as a percentage of a final grade worth 100%. Use the points system if you want to calculate the final grade by totaling the points students received on grade items. To keep your gradebook simple, choose the points system by clicking on the radio button next to Points, and then click Next. In Step 2, you will decide which final grade will be released to students at the end of the term: calculated or adjusted. Choose calculated if you want to release the final grade that is achieved by students based on grade item scores. It cannot be adjusted without editing individual grade item scores. Choose adjusted if there is a chance you would like to adjust a students' final grade (i.e. if a student has 89 points and you d like to adjust the final grade to 90). Make your selection, and then click Next. In Step 3, you will decide how ungraded items will be used in calculating the final grade: drop ungraded items, or treat ungraded items as 0. If you drop ungraded items, as you move through the term, the student's final grade will reflect how they are doing based on completed grade items. If you treat ungraded items as 0, the student will start the term with an F and will work their way up. NOTE: If you decide to begin the term by dropping ungraded items, at the end of the term you can change the setting to treat ungraded items as 0. By doing this, you eliminate the need to manually enter 0's for all incomplete assignments. NOTE: You may need to recalculate the final grade. Leave the checkmark for Automatically keep final grade updated. Make your selection, and then click Next. elearning Support, BSU Page 2 August 2012
In Step 4, you will select a default grade scheme: percentage or letter grade system. Choose percentage if you want your students to see the points received or the percent correct for all grade items, depending on the display settings. Choose letter grade system if you want your students to see a letter grade for all grade items. Grades NOTE: You are setting the default scheme in this step. If you want some grade items listed as percents and some as letter grades, you can modify the individual grade item settings. Make your selection, and then click Next. In Step 5, you will select your managing view display options: how many decimals to display. This setting controls how many decimals will be displayed to the instructor grading the course. The value must be an integer between 0 and 5. NOTE: if you choose 0, all percentages of points will be rounded to the nearest integer. Enter a number, and then click Next. In Step 6, you will select your submission view options: grade details, decimals displayed, characters displayed, and final grade calculation. These options affect the student's view of the gradebook. Grade Details: Select how grades will be displayed to students. You may choose points, grade scheme symbol, and/or grade scheme color. You may select one or more options. Decimals Displayed: Select the number of decimals that will be displayed in the student's view of Grades. The value must be an integer between 0 and 5. [Rarely Used] Characters Displayed: Select how many characters of a Text grade item display on the student list. The value must be an integer between 0 and 50. If the Text item is longer than the value specified, the text will be truncated. Final Grade Calculation: Choose whether or not students can see how their final grade was calculated. Make your selections, and then click Next. elearning Support, BSU Page 3 August 2012
In Step 7, you see a summary of the new gradebook settings. Please review the summary and go back to make changes, if necessary. If you are satisfied with your selections, click Finish. Congratulations! You have successfully completed the Grades Setup Wizard. You are now ready to begin creating grade items and categories. NOTE: To make changes to the Gradebook, or to access additional grade settings, click on the Grade Settings button in the left sidebar. Create a Numeric Grade Item The majority of your grade items will be numeric. These items may include weekly assignments or papers, exams, and discussion participation. NOTE: When setting up your gradebook, it is helpful to have your course syllabus nearby with information on how the students will be evaluated throughout the semester. To create a Numeric Grade Item in a POINTS gradebook: 1. Click on Manage Grades in the Grades Area. 2. Click the New Item button located near the top of the Grades List screen. elearning Support, BSU Page 4 August 2012
3. Select Numeric from the list of grade items. You will be brought to the Properties tab of the New Item screen. 4. Enter a Name and a Short Name for the grade item. (Entering a Short Name will save space in your gradebook.) 5. Enter the point value in the Max. Points field. 6. If students can earn more on this assignment than the Max. Points, select Can Exceed. 7. If this grade item is not to be used in determining the total points possible for the course, select Bonus Item (i.e. extra credit). Please Note: When using Bonus Items, you need to allow the Final Grade to exceed points. 8. If you want to Exclude from Final Grade Calculation, select that option. 9. Leave the Grade Scheme default selected. 10. Click Show Display Options to choose whether or not to display the item's statistics to everyone. 11. Click Save to save your grade item, or click Save & New to save your grade item and continue creating new grade items. 12. Return to Manage Grades by clicking on the Grades List button. elearning Support, BSU Page 5 August 2012
Enter Grades You have three options for entering grades into the gradebook: enter grades by item, enter grades by student, or enter grades using the spreadsheet view. Enter Grades by Item Entering grades by item allows you to enter the scores of multiple students for a single grade item. You would most likely use this option if you plan to enter scores for assignments as they are completed. From the Enter Grades screen, click the Grades icon to the right of the Grade Item name. [Optional]: Add Overall Comments You may want to enter Overall Comments for a grade item. Overall Comments will be displayed to all users enrolled in your course and can be added by clicking Show details and overall comments. Enter Scores Enter scores for each student, and then click Save. [Optional]: Add Individual Comments You can add comments for individual students by clicking the Comments icon to the right of each student s score. A new window will open, allowing you to enter Comments for users (comments visible to you and the student) and/or User leading a course Only Comments (comments visible only to you). Additional Tools Toward the top of the Grade Item screen you will see the following three buttons: 1. Event Log allows you to see who has modified scores for students, and when. This is especially helpful when there are teaching assistants or more than one teacher enrolled in the course. You will also see this icon to the right of each student's name. 2. Grade All allows you to enter one score for all users. 3. Clear All will PERMANENTLY DELETE any scores that have been entered. Enter Grades by Student If you have a student who turns in several assignments at once, you may want to Enter Grades by Student. This will eliminate the need to go in and out of grade items. 1. From the Enter Grades screen, click on a student's name. The Grade User screen that appears will contain all of the grade information for that student. 2. Enter the scores for each grade item, and then click Save. elearning Support, BSU Page 6 August 2012
Preview: If you would like to see how a student will view their grades, click on the the top of the screen. Preview button at Previous/Next Record: Use the arrows at the top right of the screen to view the previous or next student s grades. [Optional]: Adding Comments: In addition to entering scores for each grade item, you can also add comments for each score by clicking the Show Comments link under each grade item. [See above for instructions on this.] Re-Ordering Grade Items When a new Grade Item is created, it is automatically placed at the end of the Grades List. To re-order grade items: 1. On the Manage Grades screen click Re-Order icon located near the top of the screen. 2. Use the Sort Order drop down menus to select the order for each grade item. 3. Click Save to save your changes. Deleting Grade Items WARNING: Deleting a grade item will permanently delete all students grades that have been entered for that item. 1. In Grades, click on Manage Grades in the Grades Area. 2. Click the Delete icon located near the top of the Manage Grades screen. 3. Select the items that you would like to delete. 4. Click Delete Selected to complete the process. elearning Support, BSU Page 7 August 2012
Recalculate Final Grades Grades Use the Final Grades page to recalculate and release final grades. Students cannot see Final Grades until they are released. NOTE: Final Grades in D2L are not automatically sent to the Records Office. You must submit Final Grades to the Records office using eservices. From the Enter Grades screen, click on the Enter Grades icon in the Adjusted or Calculated Final Grade column (NOTE: you will need to scroll to the far right of the gradebook). The Final Grades page lists the calculated and adjusted final grade for each user in your grade book. It is up to you to ensure that these grades are accurate. Final grades may be inaccurate if: You did not select Automatically keep final grades updated when setting up your grade book. There are grade items that you still need to enter grades for. (IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to enter zeros for items that were not completed, or go to Grades Settings and then Calculation Options to change the setting from Drop ungraded items to Treat ungraded items as 0.) You ve made changes to grade items, or added/deleted grade items. To recalculate the final grade, do one of the following: Click the Recalculate All button at the top of the screen. Click the Recalculate the Final Grade icon for an individual student whose grade you want to update. NOTE 1: Recalculating grades updates the Calculated Final grade and copies the Calculated Final Grade to the Adjusted Final Grade. NOTE 2: If you chose to release the Adjusted Final Grade, you may now enter a new score in the Adjusted Final Grade column if you wish. Be sure to click Save. Release Final Grades After you recalculate Final Grades, you are ready to Release them to students. To release final grades to ALL students: Click Release All located near the top of the screen. To release final grades to INDIVIDUAL students: Check the box to the right of the student's name in the Release Calculated Final Grade or Release Adjusted Final Grade column. NOTE: This depends on the option that you selected in Calculation Options. Click Save. NOTE 1: If you wish to make adjustments to any student's final grade, you must choose to release the Adjusted Final Grade. Otherwise students with adjusted grades will be unable to see their grade. NOTE 2: The option for using the Adjusted or Calculated Final Grade can be changed at any time during the semester by going to Grades Settings and then Calculation Options. elearning Support, BSU Page 8 August 2012
Associate Grade Items Grade items can be associated with Quizzes, Dropbox folders and Discussion Topics. It is recommended that you create grade items in the grades area first, then add the associations. Scores entered in associated items can be automatically exported to the gradebook. Quiz 1. Go to Quizzes. 2. Create a New Quiz or click on an existing quiz. 3. On the Properties tab, select a Grade Item from the drop down list. 4. Click the boxes for Auto Export to Grades and Automatic Grade. 5. Click Save Quiz. Dropbox Folder 1. Go to Dropbox. 2. Create a New Folder or click on the edit icon for an existing Folder. 3. On the Properties tab, select a Grade Item from the drop down list. 4. Enter an Out of: value. 5. Click Save. Discussion Topic 1. Go to Discussions. 2. Create a New Topic, or click on the edit icon for an existing Topic. 3. On the Assessment tab, select a Grade Item from the drop down list. 4. Enter a Score Out of: value. 5. Recommendation: do NOT click Assess each message 6. Click Save. elearning Support, BSU Page 9 August 2012