Understanding the WorldClass
D2L (v.10.2) grade book
January 2014
Nicole Ellison
RHCHP Learning Technologies
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Before you set up a grade book you should know:
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What grade items do you plan to evaluate users on? Have your syllabus or student guide handy.
How much will each grade item be worth? (point value, are you using specific rubrics)
How much will each grade item be weighted? Or go towards final grade?
Let’s do it!
Access the Grades tool
Click on Grades from the WorldClass nav bar.
Grade book set up
Step 1: Choose Grading System by going to the Settings
Of the three choices of settings, go to the one on the far right “calculation options.”
Choose a grading system
You can choose one of these 3
grading systems:
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•
Weighted
Points
• Formula
Most may choose to use a weighted
system but some may wish to use a
point system. It is unlikely that you will
need to use a formula system but if you
find that neither of the other two
systems workout for you it would be
worth investigating.
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Grading system descriptions
Weighted
Grade items and categories are calculated as a percentage of a final grade worth 100%. The Max. Points
assigned to individual grade items can be any value, but their contribution towards the final grade is
always their assigned percentage value.
Points
Grade items are calculated using a points system in which the points assigned to each grade item are
totaled for the final grade.
Formula
Grade items are calculated using the points system, but a formula is used to set conditions around how
grade items contribute to the final grade.
Final Grade Release
The type of final grade to release determines whether an adjusted final grade is released to users.
Option
Description
Calculated Final Grade The final grade calculated by the grade book.
Adjusted Final Grade
A modified or adjusted final grade entered manually by you.
If you are unsure which final grade calculation to choose, in most cases it would be best to choose
“calculated final grade.” This will automatically continue to calculate final grade as the course
progresses. You can always make individual adjustments as needed before you consider the final grade
final.
With the adjusted final grade it doesn’t calculate continuously because it assumes you will be making
some adjustments along the way.
For example in these types of situations:
• A beginner graphic design course teaches users to use publishing software. You use the same
criteria to grade each user on individual assignments, but can adjust users’ final grades to
account for previous knowledge with the programs and improvement.
• You review users’ grades before releasing them and round up users that are close to achieving a
benchmark, such as rounding 79% to 80% so a user receives honors, or rounding 47% to 50% so
a user passes the course.
• You apply a bell curve to users’ final grades to raise the class average, but you leave individual
grade items unadjusted so you can compare results to previous years.
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Grade Calculations settings
For ungraded items you can choose from “drop ungraded
items” or “Treat ungraded items as zero.”
Important Note: If you choose treat ungraded as zero and
show the final grade to students as the begin
and progress through the course, this could
potentially freak a student out early in the
course as it will show that their calculated
grade thus far is basically an F. If you choose to
select Drop ungraded items (recommended) and if you
actually have an item that did not get graded or submitted
by a student, you will need to enter in a ZERO (0) for that
assignment or it will not count against the student.
Auto update: You can check the box here to
automatically keep the final grade updated. (Recommended)
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Now you are ready to build your grade book.
The next step is to decide whether you want to use categories or not. It is easier if you just set
up items without categories but categories might be necessary on occasion.
If you use categories remember these 2 important things: 1) if you make a
category you must have an item inside of it. (categories don’t stand alone) and
2) all of the items in the category (if you are using weights) must add up to
100%, not the overall weight of the category.
Create Categories
Depending on which system you have chosen for your grade book, the exact choices
within the category set up may differ slightly.
Please pay special attention on the distribution.
If you happen to have multiple items that will fall
in this category, you may or may not wish to
distribute points across all items. It is up to you.
If you want to drop the lowest grade(s) in a category, enter the
number of lowest non-bonus items to drop for each user.
With a weighted category, for example, the screen shot shows
an example category worth 10% of total grade,
You can choose from 3 types of distribution:
• Manually assign weights to items in the category
• Distribute weights by points across all items in the
category OR
• Distribute weight evenly across all items.
Create Items
Remember, the item is what represents the actual column in the grade book where you
enter grades.
Click NEW ITEM, and then choose numeric. (You are almost ALWAYS going to choose
numeric.)
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Give your item a name.
If you would like the item to go into a certain category that you created, then choose it from the
category dropdown.
In the grading area you will see a box to enter the point value and if you are using a weighted system
you will ALSO see the weight box. If you checked to distribute weights evenly the weight box will be
greyed out. Enter in the appropriate values. Click SAVE and Close when you are finished with each item.
REMEMBER that if you are using weights with categories, the item(s) in the category must add up to
100, not the overall weight of the category. So if you just have one item in the category it would be 100
for weight. If you have two equal items in a category it would be 50/50. If you have 3 items each would
be 33.3. etc.
When you are finished creating all of the grade items that you need, and if you are using a weighted
system, check back at the grades list view and make sure you do not have any errors or notes that
indicate your numbers do not add up.
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Categories are grey
Items are white
Items in a category are indented and
under the category.
Items that are linked to either
dropbox, discussion or quizzes will
show in the Association column. If
you click on the (i) it will reveal
exactly what it is linked to.
Please note that you cannot delete
an item out of gradebook until the
association is unlinked.
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Linking a Dropbox folder to the Gradebook
After your gradebook is built, go to the dropbox and link up the folders that you need tied to the
gradebook.
1. Click on Dropbox
2. Click the little dropdown triangle next to a dropbox that has already
been created and choose Edit OR
Create a new dropbox.
3. Next to Grade item, you will find the item
you created in the gradebook in the
dropdown. (Please note that you can only
tie one dropbox to one item in the grade
book; you can tie a group dropbox to the
gradebook however.)
Be sure to include the Out of score. It
should match whatever you put in the
gradebook for point value.
4. SAVE
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Linking a discussion topic to the Gradebook
1. Click on Discussions from the nav bar.
2.
Find the discussion TOPIC in the list and click on the dropdown triangle to Edit TOPIC.
3.
Look for the Assessment tab and click on it.
4.
Next to grade item, choose the grade item you already created in the gradebook.
5.
Include an Out of value. Important: It should match whatever you assigned the value in the
gradebook.
6. SAVE
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A brief explanation of this grade book example
In the screen shot above,
• It is using a weighted system, notice the column for weights.
• The first two items are standing alone, in other words, they are not in a category
• The first item, major paper, is tied to the dropbox, notice the association column.
o The first item, major paper, is worth 35% of total grade and has a value of 100 points.
• The second item, “discussion 2” is tied to the discussion area. It is worth 10 points and 5% of
total grade.
• Notice the Exams with the grey bar, this is a category. The two items under it are actually in that
category because they are indented and under it.
o The two exam items are weighted unevenly because exam 1 was worth more than exam
2 but overall the 2 exams are still worth 30% of the final grade.
• The last item is the Windsheild Survey and it is NOT in a category. It has a value of 10 points and
worth 10% of final grade.
• Notice that there is a note at the top indicating that the gradebook doesn’t add up properly. We
are missing 20% of the grade somewhere. Perhaps we made an error or we are just not finished
yet. When you are done always make sure you don’t have any notes or errors.
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More Grades tool Settings explained
Click on Grades, then on the right side, Settings
Personal Display options
You can control some personal display options for the grades tool.
In the dropdown for “default grades area” you can choose which
display you would like to open each time you click on the grades
tool. You might want to experiment with each one and decide
which display will suit you best. When you are finished building
the grade book and actively teaching you may want it to go
directly to the ENTER grades area.
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Org Unit display settings
This provides some controls of how the students will experience the gradebook.
This screen shot displays the recommended settings.
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D2L Gradebook
What exactly do the students see?
Students can see their grades by clicking on the Grades tool. Students will ONLY see their own grades.
Generally it will appear as a list of items in columns that include: Points score/out of pts possible,
Weight achieved out of weight possible, grade as %, and comments if there are any.
The screenshot above is for a grade book set up as a weighted system.
The screenshot above is for a grade book set up as a points system.
Note: With either system it does not show an item that represents current total standing overall,
UNLESS you Release the Final Calculated grade under Grades Settings, Org Unit Display Options, you
check the box for “display final grade calculations to users.”
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In addition to the Org Unit setting to display the final grade calculation to users, you
must release the final grade as well.
You can release the grades at the start of the class in order for the student to see a
running total as the course progresses.
Enter the grades tool, while in the “enter grades” area, choose “grade all” from the dropdown next to
Final Calculated grade,
Select all users and then Choose RELEASE
Click here to select all
students
Click SAVE.
Once you RELEASE your final grades from
the final grades column the student will
see it at the top of their grade book. (See
the screen shot to the right.)
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More to keep in mind
When providing feedback to students via
the grade book, you will notice 2 boxes, one
labeled “Comments for users” and another
“User Leading a course only comments”.
In the first box “comments for users”, the
students WILL be able to view and see this
feedback.
However, the bottom box labeled, “user
leading a course only comments” WILL NOT
appear to the student. This is an area for
instructor notes.
If you leave feedback in the dropbox for a
student, if the dropbox is linked to the
gradebook item then the feedback will appear
in both places for the student.
If you attach something back to the student
via the dropbox, the student must find that
attachment via the dropbox. (therefore, it is
advised you include a note in the feedback
box that you have attached something there
for them to take a look at.)
Regarding grading scales and schemes: Please note that D2L will NOT
round up even if a student’s total is 99.98%, however, you can go in and
adjust the grade if you wish to do so.
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