Blackboard Faculty Manual

Overview | Course Planning and Design | Content Areas | Communication Tools | Assessment | Monitoring Student Progress | Course Rollovers

4.1 THE GRADE CENTER

4.1.1 Planning and Setting Up the Grade Center

Access the Grade Center by entering the Control Panel and choosing Grade Center in the Assessments group. When you open up your Grade Center, you will see a spreadsheet with students listed in rows and graded items listed in columns.

Tests and assignments that have been created in Blackboard will already have a place in the Grade Center. Tests that have not been made available to students will not appear in the Grade Center yet. Read section 4.1.3 to learn how to add non-Blackboard created items to the Grade Center.

Most instructors also want to weight various graded items in a class (for example - 40% of the final grade based on homework and 60% on tests). If you want to weight grades, read section 4.1.8 about setting up grade weighting.

It is recommended that your Grade Center be set up as much as possible prior to beginning the course. It is good practice to place gradebook items in the gradebook in the order that they are assigned during the term.

To manage the position of items in the Grade Center (including hide/show and freeze/unfreeze columns):

1. From the Grade Center, click the Manage button in the Action Bar.

2. Click Organize Grade Center.

3. Select the row that you want to work with by clicking the check box at the start of that row.

3. MOVING A COLUMN: Using your mouse, left click on the row name and drag the row to the new location. A dark bar will appear indicating where the row is moving. Release the mouse button.

4. HIDE/UNHIDE: Choose the Show/Hide button from the Action Bar and select the appropriate command.  Note:  This will only hide it from the instructor spreadsheet.  It does NOT hide it from your students.  To hide a column from the students, click the down chevrons on the column header and choose Modify Column.  Then change the setting for Show This Column in My Grades to NO.

5. FREEZE/UNFREEZE: All rows located above the dark gray bar in the upper section will appear at all times in the Grade Center - they will be frozen. If the desired row is in the upper section, drag the dark gray bar up or down to freeze or unfreeze it. If the desired row is elsewhere, follow the instructions on moving a column to move it up above the dark gray bar.

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QUICK SORT your Grade Center from the full Grade Center view: Click the column header by which you want to sort. Clicking once will place the student records in ascending order (i.e. A-Z order if a text field or lowest to highest grade if a numeric field). Clicking the column header again will place them in descending order. You will notice a yellow triangle appear in the column header to indicate that the Grade Center has been sorted by that field. An upward pointing arrow means ascending order - a downward pointing arrow means descending order.

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4.1.2 Symbols in the Grade Center

During a course you may see any of the following symbols appear in the Grade Center.

Click the link labeled "Icon Legend" in the lower right corner to see this list of icons.

4.1.3 Adding an Item (Column) to the Grade Center

Follow these instructions to add a manually-graded item to the gradebook. Remember, if you have created an assignment using Blackboard's Add Assignment function, a gradebook entry will have been automatically created.

1. Enter the Control Panel and access the Grade Center in the Assessments group.

2. Click on the Add Grade Column button from the Action Bar at the top.

3. The "Add Grade Column" window opens.

• Section 1: Column Information
  • Column Name: Type a name for the new item. (limit of 15 characters)
  • Grade Center Display Name: Type the name you want displayed in the grade center.
  • Description: Add a description of the item, if desired.
  • Primary Display: Select how you want grades to display in the gradebook (Score, Text, Percentage, Letter, Complete/Incomplete)
    • Score - Displays the raw number of points earned on the assignment. (This is the default setting.)
    • Text - Allows instructor to enter any letter, number, or symbol in the gradebook. Text grades cannot be used for calculations in the Grade Center because there is no numeric value associated with them.
    • Percentage - Displays percentage of points received based on total points available for that assignment.
    • Letter - Grade shows as letter grade based on standard grading scale used by Blackboard. Note that when grading an assignment the instructor must enter a numeric value that Blackboard then calculates as a percent. The grade center then displays the letter associated with that percent. The 'will calculate as' number (which can be found under the Manage button>Grading Schemas) associated with that letter grade is then used in total calculations in the Grade Center. Use of this option is generally discouraged unless you have carefully considered the potential problems you could encounter when using it in total calculations.
    • Complete/Incomplete - shows as a checkmark if completed.
  • Secondary Display: Select any additional way you want the grade displayed for this item. This secondary display will not show in the student view.
  • Category: Select the category that this item will be included in. You must select a category if you are weighting grades by category.
  • Points Possible: Enter number of points.
• Section 2: Dates
  • Indicate the due date, if any.
• Section 2: Options
  • Include Item in Gradebook Score Calculations: "Yes" is default. Only select No if the item will never be used to calculate student grades.
  • Show this column in My Grades: "Yes" is default. This allows the column to be visible to students.
  • Show Statistics: "No" is default. Clicking ‘Yes' will show students the average and median scores that the class received on this item.
• Section 3: Click Submit.

 

4.1.4 Removing an Item (Column) from the Grade Center

If the item was created in Blackboard, you must first remove it from the location that it resides and then remove it from the Grade Center. If you do not remove it from the location that it resides in the course, you will not have the option to remove it from the Grade Center.

If the item was not created in Blackboard, start at step 4 below, and follow the directions.

1. From the Control Panel, open the Content Area that contains the graded item.

2. Click the Edit View button.

3. Click the Remove button next to the item. Click OK when the warning message appears.

4. From the Control Panel, open the Grade Center.

5. Locate the column to delete, click the down chevrons in the column header, and choose Delete Column.

 

4.1.5 Enter, Change, or Delete a Grade

Enter a grade by simply typing it directly into the desired cell.

Grades can be deleted by selecting the cell and using delete or the backspace key to remove the entry.

Change a grade by selecting the desired cell, deleting the contents, and typing the new grade. A modified indicator (small orange triangle) will appear in the upper left corner of the cell.

 

4.1.6 Clear an Attempt

Use these steps to change the grade value to null (-) for a specific attempt. This is useful if a student began a test and then was unable to complete it for whatever reason. Clearing an attempt allows to student to take the test again, without having the interruption count. Note that any other attempts are unaffected, and for items that have multiple attempts, the latest attempt becomes the current grade.

1. From the Grade Center spreadsheet, click on the Action Link (down chevrons) in the desired cell and choose Grade Details.
2. Under Attempts, choose the row that you want to clear and click the Clear Attempt button to erase that attempt.
3. Click OK to return to the Grade Center spreadsheet.

 

4.1.7 Exempt a Grade

Use this feature to exempt a student from any graded item. Exempted items are not added into any statistical or total grade calculations. Existing grades that have been exempted are not removed but just ignored for all calculations. Exempting a grade prevents it from being added into any statistical or total grade calculations.

To exempt a grade from the Grade Center:

• Move the cursor over the grade to be exempted and click the Action Link (down chevrons).
• Choose Exempt Grade.
• A blue icon will now appear in that cell indicating that the grade was exempted.

To remove the exemption and return to the previous score:

• Move the cursor over the cell with the exempted grade and click the Action Link.
• Choose Clear Exemption.

 

4.1.8 Weighting Grades

By default, a Weighted Total and Total column is shown in new Grade Centers. You may wish to delete the default weighted total column to prevent confusion as you create your own weighted total.

Grades can be set up to be weighted by item or by category.

Weighting by Item is the most straightforward method when using Blackboard. Basically, the instructor determines how much each graded item will count toward the final grade. At the end of the course the weights of all items added together should equal 100%. This method is most practical if you have only a few graded items.

Weighting by Category allows instructors to assign graded items to particular categories (i.e. homework, tests, discussion, etc.) and then weight only the categories. This is often useful if you have a large number of graded events during a term.

Within each category items can be weighted equally or in proportion to the number of points they are worth. If set up correctly, weighting by category can be useful if the instructor intends to frequently add and remove graded items during the course because these changes will be taken into account automatically and weighting shouldn't need to be re-adjusted.

1. Determine what graded events you have in the class, their individual point values, and (if weighting by category) what categories you would place them in.

2. From the Control Panel, access the Grade Center.

3. If Weighting by Category (if weighting by item skip to step 4) check the available categories. From the Action Bar, click the chevrons on the Manage button and choose Categories.

• Determine if the categories you would like to use are available in Blackboard by looking at this list. If not, you can create a new category, as follows:
  • Click the Add Category button from the top menu of the Categories window.
  • Type a Name for the category.
  • Type a Description of the category, if desired.
  • Click Submit.
• Click OK and return to the main Grade Center window.

4. Click the double chevrons next to the Add Calculated Column button and choose Weighted.

5. The Add Weighted Column window opens.

• Section 1: Column Information
  • Column Name
  • Grade Center Display Name- will be the same as the column name unless you specify something else.
  • Description
  • Primary Display
  • Secondary Display - will appear in parentheses in the column
• Section 2: Dates - system notes creation date
• Section 3: Select Columns
  • If weighting by item, select all of the items from the left side that you want included in the grade and click the right arrow (>) to move them to the right side.
    • Now assign a percentage to each item on the right side. All percentages must add to 100%.
  • If weighting by category, select all of the categories from the left side and click the right arrow (>) to move them to the right side.
    • Now assign a percentage to each category on the right side. All percentages must add to 100%.
    • Indicate for each category if you want items in that category weighted equally or in proportion to the point value of each.
    • Also indicate if you want the system to drop or only use certain grades from that category.
  • You may optionally select any combination of categories and columns for a hybrid version of these two weighting methods.
  • To remove an item or category from consideration, click the red "x".
• Section 4: Options
  • Include this Column in Grade Center Calculations - choose Yes or No
  • Show this column in My Grades - Default "Yes" allows students to see this column in their view of the Grade Center.
  • Show statistics for this column in My Grades - Default "No" prevents class statistics from being show in the student view of the Grade Center.

6. When complete, click Submit.

 

4.1.9 Add a Calculated Column

You can add a total, average, minimum or maximum column to your Grade Center. These columns can be created to reflect only the graded items that you specify.

By default, a Weighted Total and Total column is shown in the Grade Center. You may wish to delete these columns to prevent confusion as you create your own.

To add a Total, Average, Minimum or Maximum Column:

• From the Control Panel enter the Grade Center.
• From the Action Bar, select the Add Calculated Column button. Choose the type of calculated column you want.
• Section 1: Column Information
  • Column Name: Enter a name for the column.
  • Grade Center Display Name: Enter a name that would display in the column header in the Grade Center. This defaults to the Column Name if you don't enter anything.
  • Description: Type in a description of the column.
  • Primary Display: Choose a format for the grade to display in the column.
    • Score - displays the raw number of points earned
    • Text - displays a letter, number, or symbol
    • Percentage - proportion of points earned against total points possible
    • Letter - a letter grade that equals a specific range of percentages
    • Complete / Incomplete
  • Secondary Display: Allows you to choose another format for the grade. Will appear in parentheses next to primary display.
• Section 2: The system notes the creation date.
• Section 3: Select Columns
  • Choose whether to include all grade columns or selected columns.
  • If selecting columns or categories: Select each item and use the right arrow button to move it to the large text box on the right.
  • Calculate as running total: Default is ‘yes' which means that the calculation will only include items that have grades already. Choosing ‘no' means that the system will make this calculation using a ‘0' for any items for which a grade has not been entered.
• Section 4: Options
  • Include this column in Grade Center calculations: Default is "Yes". Selecting "No" excludes this column from Grade Center calculations.
  • Show this column in My Grades: Default is "Yes". Selecting "No" will hide this column from the student view of the gradebook.
  • Show Statistics for this column in My Grades: Default is "No". Selecting "Yes" will display column statistics in the student view of the gradebook.
• Section 5: click Submit.

 

4.1.10 Create a Smart View

A Smart View is a way of querying or filtering the Grade Center so that you can view only those student records that match certain criteria that you set.

1. From the Grade Center, click on the Manage button and choose Smart Views.

2. Click on the Add Smart View button.

3. The Add Smart View screen opens.

• Section 1: Smart View Information
  • Name
  • Description
• Section 2: Selection Criteria
  • Type of View - choose to query by group name, performance criteria, specific individuals or other student attributes.
  • Select Criteria - depending on which type of view, specify the conditions that you want to query from the Grade Center. (For example, Grade on Weighted Total equal to or less than 60.)
  • Filter Results - Choose what information (columns from the Grade Center) you want shown in the results of the query.
• Section 3: Submit.

4. Click on the new Smart View in the list to open it. (To return to the full grade center view, click the down-chevrons next to Current View - just below the action bar- and choose "Full Grade Center".)

4.1.11 Create a Report

1. From the Grade Center, click the Reports button in the Action Bar.

2. The Generate Reports window opens.

• Section 1: Header Information - place a checkmark in front of the items that you would like included in the header of each student's report. A report name is required.
• Section 2: Users - Select which students will be included in the report. Hold down the Ctrl key to select multiple students from the list. Indicate whether students have been hidden in the Grade Center are to be included.
• Section 3: User Information - Indicate how the students are to be identified in the report and what additional information about them would be included (first name, last name, username, student ID, Last Access).
• Section 4: Columns - Select what columns from the Grade Center to include in the report.
• Section 5: Column Information - Name and Grade are included by default in the reports. Indicate if you would like the column description, due date, or any statistics about the column included too.
• Section 6: Footer Information - place a checkmark in front of the items to include in the footer of each student's report. Choose from custom text, a signature line, date, and course identification.
• Section 7: Click Preview to look at a sample of the report. Click Submit when ready to create.

3. The document generates with a page break between each student's report. Click on the Print icon in the upper left corner to send the document to your printer.

 

4.1.12 Downloading the Grade Center

Download your grades periodically, to create a backup file for yourself.

1. From the Grade Center spreadsheet, click the Manage button from the Action Bar.

2. Click Download.

3. In the Download Grades screen:

• Section 1: Determine what part of the information you want downloaded
• Section 2: Determine the delimiter type (choose Tab if you want to open the data directly into Excel); Also choose whether to include any hidden columns.
• Section 3: Indicate where to save the file. (If you leave the default, My Computer, you will be prompted to choose a specific location later.) Click Submit.

4. Click Download.

5. Choose Save when prompted about what to do with the file.

6. In the Save As dialog box, choose the location to save the file and rename it if desired.

 

4.1.13 Uploading the Grade Center

It is recommended that grades or columns be added and uploaded only from a previously downloaded copy of a Blackboard Grade Center.

1. From the Grade Center spreadsheet, click the Manage button on the Action Bar.

2. Click Upload from the Action Link menu.

3. Browse for the file.

4. Select the delimiter type: Comma, tab, or auto. Excel files are tab delimited. Auto will attempt to automatically detect the delimiter used.

5. Click Submit.

6. Review the list of available columns that can be uploaded. Uncheck any columns that you do not want to upload. Check only the columns you wish to upload.

7. Click Submit.

8. The new column(s) will be added to the spreadsheet. NOTE: Columns added to the Grade Center from an external file will be added as TEXT columns with ZERO points possible. You will need to modify the column after the upload to choose a different primary display and number of points possible. (If you leave the column as text, it cannot be included in any calculated columns.)

 

4.1.14 Extra Credit

To add a column that tracks extra credit earned, follow the instructions for adding a column but set the points possible value to zero. This ensures that students not submitting extra credit do not have it count against them. You can then enter extra credit points in this column for students that earn it.

Finally, be sure to modify any Total or Weighted Total columns so that the new extra credit column is included in the total calculations.

1. Click the down chevrons in the Total column header.

2. Choose Modify Column.

3. Scroll to Section 3. Choose Selected Grade Columns, Calculated Columns and Categories.

4. Select the Extra Credit column and move it to the right side. (You will need to move all other columns that you want included in the total grade as well, if you haven't already set up your Total column this way. Note: As an alternative you could move all categories, if you have set up your Grade Center by category.)

5. Select "No" for "Calculate as Running Total" so that the system will not ignore columns with zero points.

6. Click Submit.

 

4.1.15 Submitting Final Grades to the Registrar

To upload final grades and submit them to the Registrar via Blackboard follow these instructions. (Additional information about Final Grading can be found at http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/faculty/manual/grading.htm)

In the Grade Center:

1. Add a grade column using the following settings:

• Name the column "Final Grade"
• Primary display should be set to "Text"
• Category should be set to "Final Grade"
• Points Possible: Enter total points possible for the course grade

2. Manually enter the final grade values for each student (A-F,I, etc.)

3. Click on the tab "My Oregon State" at the top of your course window to return to your portal page. Select InfOSU (OSU Online Services) in the left column.

4. Login to the system and follow these links:

• Select Faculty & Advisors
• Select the Final Grades Menu
• Choose Final Grades - Upload from Blackboard
• Choose the correct term and select your course.
• Modify grades, if needed, and Submit.

 

4.2 PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD

The Performance Dashboard gives you a 'snapshot' of student activity in your course at any particular time. This tool provides you with a means of measuring student activity in the course in a variety of ways.

1. Enter the Control Panel and click Performance Dashboard from the Assessments group.

2. All students in the course are listed and the following information is available by student:

• Last Name
• First Name
• Username
• Role
• Last Course Access - date/time student last accessed the course
• Days Since Last Course Access
• Review Status - Shows the number of items that a student has marked as reviewed. When clicked, this displays a window that shows which content item a student marked as reviewed. (Review status must be enabled by the instructor for each piece of content they wish to track. See Section 1.0 Content)
• Adaptive Release - When clicked, a course map opens up that shows which content items are currently visible to the student. (Adaptive release rules must be set by the instructor.)
• Discussion Board - The number indicates the number of posts a student has made. When clicked, this opens up to show additional statistics about a student's discussion board activity. (See details in step 3.)
• Early Warning - Shows the number of warnings and rules that may trigger a warning. Clicking on this will open the Early Warning System (see item 4.3 for more detail.)
• View Grades - When the icon is clicked, options for viewing the student's grades are available.

3. Discussion Board Window - Look here to quickly identify students who are outside the average range of participation. Here you can see each student's:

• Total Posts
• Date of Last Post
• Average Post Length (number of characters)
• Minimum Post Length
• Maximum Post Length
• Average Post Position
• Grade for each Post

4. Click OK when you are finished viewing the dashboard.

 

Blackboard 8.0