A weighted column can be created in the Grade Centre that generates a grade based on the result of selected grade columns and their respective percentages. These are normally used to generate an indicative overall mark of all assessment tasks that students undertake in a module (assuming that provisional grades for all assessment tasks are published in the Grade Centre).
Setting up and managing the Blackboard Grade Centre
A weighted column can be created in the Grade Centre that generates a grade based on the result of selected grade columns and their respective percentages. These are normally used to generate an indicative overall mark of all assessment tasks (e.g. two assessment tasks, one weighted at 70% and the other at 30%) that students undertake in a module (assuming that provisional grades for all assessment tasks are published in the Grade Centre).
Statistical information can be helpful to module leaders when producing end of year module reports. There is a number of things that can be found on the statistics page including, the range, average, median and grade distribution.
A mean module mark can be determined from Blackboard Grade Centre using a Weighted Total column that includes the grades from assessment tasks and weightings that are used to calculate the overall module mark. The Column Statistics for the Weighted Total column will automatically calculate the mean mark.
A smart view allows you to customise how the grade centre is displayed when you open it. Two examples of its use are; Setting up a smart view for each tutor on a large module site so tutors see only their students. Setting up a smart view to quickly see if any students have failed an assessment task.
Grading Schemas allow you to match mark boundaries with an alternative display on Grade Centre. This feature allows you to give non-numerical feedback such as letter grading scales, and can support the use of Grade Based Assessment. For example if you give 62% on an assignment, Blackboard will automatically convert it to the equivalent grade point and display this as 10 in the Grade Centre and to the student in My Grades. Similarly you can manually type in the grade point and Blackboard will associate it with the equivalent perecentage or category.
You have several options available to you around organising your grade centre to either help you mark/add grades or so students see the marks in the order you want them to see things in.
Module Leaders must collate all marks for their module and clearly indicate the marks for each task identifying the tasks and the weightings as per the module descriptor. Complete sets of internally moderated marks must be submitted on a spreadsheet to Academic Administration by the marks submission deadline. The spreadsheet must be in Excel format and preferably downloaded from the Grade Centre in Blackboard.
Where a student undertakes a series of tasks (e.g. quizzes) that contribute to an overall score, you may wish only to include the highest scores and exclude the lowest ones. For example, students may be required to complete five quizzes but only the four highest scores are included in the overall score and the lowest one is 'dropped'.
To achieve the requires the columns containing the scores from the individual tasks to be categorised before including the these columns in a calculated column.
Module Leaders must collate all marks for their module and clearly indicate the marks for each task identifying the tasks and the weightings as per the module descriptor. Complete sets of internally moderated marks must be submitted on a spreadsheet to Student Records Service by the marks submission deadline. The spreadsheet must be in Excel format and preferably downloaded from the Grade Centre in Blackboard. This comprehensive guide includes detailed step by step instructions for each stage of the process and the support available.
Module Leaders must collate all marks for their module and clearly indicate the marks for each task identifying the tasks and the weightings as per the module descriptor. Complete sets of internally moderated marks must be submitted on a spreadsheet to Student Records Service by the marks submission deadline. The spreadsheet must be in Excel format, adhering to requirements set out below, and preferably downloaded from the Grade Centre in Blackboard. This guide provides a summary of the information that Student Records Service require in the marks spreadsheet.