The Blackboard Gradebook

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The Blackboard Gradebook

• Pamela Dewey

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Workshop Description

• Throw away your little red grade book and move to
  a better system! Using the Blackboard gradebook
  feature, instructors can access their gradebook
  from any computer with Internet. In addition,
  students have 24/7 access to view their
  assignment grades compared to the class average
  and even their running grade in the course.
  This one-hour workshop will focus on the features
  of the Blackboard gradebook, including weighting
  grades, allowing students to see a letter grade
  running total, and downloading grades

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Workshop Outline 1 of 3

• Initial set up of a Gradebook in Blackboard
• Using gradebook settings
• Spreadsheet settings
• Adding gradebook categories
• Manage display options
• How to add items
• Name
• Category (you may add category in Gradebook
  Settings, Manage Gradebook Categories)
• Description
• date
• Points possible, score
• Visible to student/ points included in GB

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Workshop Outline 2 of 3

• Manage items
• Changing order of appearance in Gradebook
• Removing items
• Modifying itemschanging some of the above
• Weight grades both by category and item
• Use the running total letter grade
• Download grades
• Upload grades

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Workshop Outline 3 of 3

• Sorting
• Filtering
• Lock and exclamation point
• Talk a little about other aspects of Assessment
  including Pool Manager, Test Manager, Assessment
  Manager
• Wrap up / Questions

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1 Initial Set-Up

• Your students will be there waiting for you.
• Go to Control PanelgtBlackboard
• Because students can see their grades, this opens
  up your time and transfers some responsibility to
  the students to make sure correct

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2-Using gradebook settings

• Spreadsheet settings for how you see the
  students names
• Adding gradebook categories. This will come into
  play if you are weighting grades
• Manage display options lets you set what a grade
  stands for A

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3- Adding Items

• Namekeep it short to keep your display close
  together. You can add description
• Category not there? Go back to setting. This is
  very important for weighting
• Description gives more information
• DateUsually the due date
• Points possibleThis is how to weight
• Score/Complete/Text/Letter/Percentage
• Visible to students/points included in Gradebook.
  For example, play paper would not be included for
  midterm grade

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Manually add grades

• Click on the item itself
• Then Item Grade List to enter your grades.
• Click on submit

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4-Manage items

• Changing order of appearance in Gradebook
• Removing items
• Modifying itemschanging some of above

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5-Weight gradescannot undo

• Categoryimportant to have the correct category.
  You will get warning if does not equal 100. If
  you choose weight by category the percentage of
  the weight is automatically divided among the
  items listed in the same category as you add new
  items
• Itemif you dont have very many items, you can
  use this.
• When you use weights in your course, let your
  learners know that the Weighted Total Column
  displays their final course grades. You might
  want to make the Weighted Total Column
  unavailable to learners until the end of the
  semester

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6-Running total / Running Weighted Total

• Points
• Letter
• Percentage

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7-Download grades

• Choose your type. Then right click on download
  and save Target As
• If you use the comma feature, it will be easier
  to download as excel spreadsheet as CSV.
• If you use the tab feature, it will download as a
  text file.
• Make your changes

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8-Upload grades

• If you download the grades and make changes, you
  will need to upload the grades. Keep the same
  format to keep it easier.
• Hit submit and you will be offered choices of
  existing and new

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9- Sorting

•  Sort your spreadsheet by grades within an
  assignment by clicking on the small arrow above
  the column. The default order is by last name,
  but you can sort by assignment grades. When you
  press the button the lowest grade is on top and
  the highest grade on bottom. The tiny arrow will
  now turn orange.
• You can sort the way the gradebook items appear
  by title, weight, category, date added, date,
  points possible or position. The last is the way
  the items appear under Manage Items. You must
  decide press the go button to sort.

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10-Filtering

• Filtering allows you to see only part of your
  gradebook.
• Filter by category and only look at tests
  homework or assignments
• Filter by student name and see only the part of
  the gradebook with those lettersfor large
  classes
• Filtering would be for dropping grades. Lets say

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11-Symbols

• Lock
• Exclamation Point

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12- other aspects of assessment

• Pool manager
• Test manager
• Assessment manager

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Wrap up and questions