PRESENTS
GRADE CENTER
TOPICS
Exploring the Grade Center
Adding Grade Columns
Entering Grades
Deleting Grades
Downloading / Uploading Grades
Manage Categories
Organizing Grade Center
Weighted Grades
Import Grades from Blackboard to Joe’SS
EXPLORING THE GRADE CENTER
• Click Grade Center on Control Panel.
– New options available:
• Needs Grading: only view columns where items
need to be graded.
• Full Grade Center: all columns
• Assignments: only view columns in the
“Assignments” category (only shows up when
assignments are created)
• Tests: only view columns in the “Tests” category
(only shows up when tests are created)
EXPLORING THE GRADE CENTER
• Click Grade Center on Control Panel.
Action Bar:
EXPLORING THE GRADE CENTER
Grade Center Rows:
Filter Options:
EXPLORING THE GRADE CENTER
Grade Information Bar:
Icon Legend:
Work Offline:
ADDING GRADE COLUMNS
Types of Columns:
• Standard column: Basic grade entry
– Columns are created automatically when
assessments are created.
(tests, assignments, surveys, etc.)
• Calculated column
– Average
– Minimum/Maximum
– Total (exists by default)
– Weighted (exists by default)
ADDING GRADE COLUMNS
Add New Column:
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Click Create Column in action bar.
Type in a column Name.
Type in a Description.
Select a Primary Display (score, percent, etc.).
Select a Category.
Type in Points Possible.
Select options for viewing and calculating
grades.
• Click Submit.
ADDING GRADE COLUMNS
Add Calculated Column:
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Click Create Calculated Column in action bar.
Select a column type.
Type in a column Name and Description.
Select Primary and Secondary Display options.
Select columns to include in calculation.
– Each column type has slightly different options
available.
• Select options for viewing / calculating grades.
• Click Submit.
ENTERING GRADES
Manually Entering Grades:
In Grade Center:
• Place cursor in desired cell and click.
• Type in the value for the grade.
• Press ENTER.
– Cursor will move to next student in the column.
– Continue adding grades as needed.
ENTERING GRADES
Manually Entering Grades:
In Grade Details:
• Place cursor in desired cell.
• Click action link to activate menu.
• Click View Grade Details OR select the desired
Attempt (if multiple attempts are allowed).
• Click Grade Attempt.
• Type in a grade.
• Add any feedback to user.
• Click Save and Exit.
ENTERING GRADES
Manually Entering Grades:
More options:
• View all attempts for the assignment
• View Grade History
• “Ignore” an attempt
• Allow additional attempts
• Exempt an attempt
• Manual override (useful for automatically graded
items such as tests)
ENTERING GRADES
Needs Grading:
Assignments that need to be graded can also be
found under the “Needs Grading” option of the
Control Panel > Grade Center menu.
• Click Needs Grading.
• Click drop-down arrow next to name of
assignment to be graded.
• Choose a grading option (will vary based on
type of assignment)
– Grade All Users is the most likely option
ENTERING GRADES
Needs Grading:
If Grade All Users is selected:
• Provide the appropriate grade for each attempt and for
each student
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Download submitted files
Point value
Feedback to User
Attach files (solution guide / graded paper / etc.)
• Click Save and Next to move to the next student/attempt
ENTERING GRADES
Automatically Entered Grades:
• Applies mainly to tests that contain easily
gradable questions.
– Multiple choice, multiple answer, numeric
answer, etc.
• Grades can still be modified manually.
• Some test question types require manual
grading.
– Essay, fill-in-the-blank, short answer, etc.
DELETING GRADES
Deleting a Grade:
In Grade Center:
• Move cursor over grade to be deleted and
click in cell.
• Press DELETE or BACKSPACE.
• Press ENTER.
• Click OK to confirm.
DELETING GRADES
Deleting a Grade:
In Grade Details page:
• Move cursor over grade to be deleted and
click action link.
• Click View Grade Details.
• In the Actions column, click Clear Grade.
• Click OK.
DELETING GRADES
IMPORTANT NOTE:
If TOTAL column is set to calculate a
running total, columns marked with a null
value ( - ) will NOT be tabulated.
You will need to enter a grade of “0” for any
assignment that was not completed in
order for the TOTAL column to include that
assignment.
DOWNLOADING / UPLOADING GRADES
• Grade Center has a “Work Offline”
function.
• Grades can be downloaded to Excel or a
comma-separated value (*.csv) file.
• Grades can be uploaded from Excel or a
*.csv file.
DOWNLOADING / UPLOADING GRADES
Downloading Grades:
• Click Work Offline.
• Select Download from action link menu.
• Select the data to be downloaded.
• Select delimiter type (comma or tab).
• Click Submit.
• Click Download.
• Click OK to return to Grade Center.
DOWNLOADING / UPLOADING GRADES
Notes on Downloading Grades:
• Tab-delimited works best because file can
be opened directly in Excel.
• Individual columns can be downloaded
instead of entire Grade Center.
• Grades can be modified and then
uploaded back into Grade Center.
DOWNLOADING / UPLOADING GRADES
IMPORTANT NOTE:
DO NOT modify existing column headers in
downloaded file.
Modifying existing column headers WILL
cause an error when file is uploaded into
Grade Center.
New columns can be added to file and will
upload into Grade Center just fine.
DOWNLOADING / UPLOADING GRADES
Uploading Grades:
• Click Work Offline.
• Select Upload from action link menu.
• Browse for the file.
• Select delimiter type (comma, tab, auto).
• Click Submit.
• Review data to be uploaded.
• Click Submit to finalize process.
DOWNLOADING / UPLOADING GRADES
Notes on Uploading Grades:
• Tab-delimited works best for Excel files.
• Large files may take a few minutes to
upload.
• Data preview only shows a sample of the
data to be uploaded.
• Only grades that have changed in Excel
will be uploaded!
MANAGE CATEGORIES
• Categories are useful for organizing
different columns in Grade Center.
• A few basic categories:
– Assignment
– Discussion
– Survey
– Test
• Basic categories can’t be deleted or
modified.
MANAGE CATEGORIES
• Instructors can create user-defined
categories.
• Common user-defined categories:
– Quiz
– Lab
– Clicker
• User-defined categories can be deleted or
modified.
– Categories with columns attached to them
can’t be deleted or modified.
MANAGE CATEGORIES
Create New Category:
• Select Manage in action bar.
• Click Categories.
• Click Create Category.
• Type in a Name and Description.
• Click Submit.
MANAGE CATEGORIES
Modify a Category:
• Select Manage in action bar.
• Click Categories.
• Click action link next to the category to be
modified.
• Click Edit.
• Type in a new Name or Description.
• Click Submit.
MANAGE CATEGORIES
Delete a Category:
• Select Manage in action bar.
• Click Categories.
• Click action link next to category to be
deleted.
• Click Delete.
• Click OK to confirm.
MANAGE CATEGORIES
Notes on Deleting a Category:
• Categories CANNOT be deleted if they are
associated with a Grade Center column.
– Any columns will have to be reassigned to a
different category or no category.
• Some categories CANNOT be deleted:
– Assignment
– Test
– Survey
– Discussion
ORGANIZING GRADE CENTER
• Columns can be rearranged in Grade
Center for ease of use.
• Columns can be:
– Moved
– Frozen
– Hidden
– Shown
– Modified
– Color-coded for reference [NEW!]
ORGANIZING GRADE CENTER
Moving Columns:
• Select Manage in action bar.
• Click Column Organization.
• Click-and-drag crossed arrow icon on
left of each row (i.e. Grade Center column)
to where it should be in Grade Center.
– Columns can be sorted (i.e. rearranged) by
clicking the action link icons at top of table of
columns.
ORGANIZING GRADE CENTER
Freeze or Unfreeze Columns:
• Select Manage in action bar.
• Click Column Organization.
• To freeze column:
– Click-and-drag row above dark gray bar.
• To unfreeze column:
– Click-and-drag row below dark gray bar.
ORGANIZING GRADE CENTER
Hide or Show Columns:
• To hide a column:
– Select checkbox of column to be hidden.
– Click Show/Hide.
– Click Hide Selected Columns.
– Click Submit.
• To show a column:
– Click Show Selected Columns instead.
ORGANIZING GRADE CENTER
Modify Column Category:
• Click checkbox of column to be modified.
• Mouse-over Change Category to…
• Click category name (e.g. Quiz).
ORGANIZING GRADE CENTER
Color-coding Columns:
• Select Manage in action bar.
• Click Grading Color Codes.
• Click checkbox for Enable Grading Color
Codes.
ORGANIZING GRADE CENTER
Color-coding Columns:
• Under Grading Status, choose colors for
grading status
– In Progress
– Needs Grading
– Exempt
ORGANIZING GRADE CENTER
Color-coding Columns:
• Under Grade Ranges, click Add Criteria.
• Choose appropriate grade ranges for your
course criterion (e.g. between 70-80%).
• Select a background color and text color.
– Background and text should be “high contrast”
– Click Delete Criteria to remove that criterion
• Add additional criteria as needed.
WEIGHTED GRADES
• Weighted grades are one type of calculated
column available.
• Grades can be weighted by category or by
column or any combination of the two.
• Weights can drop lowest scores or highest
scores or any combination.
• WARNING! Weight total MUST equal
100%!
– If weights do not add up to 100%, Blackboard
WILL calculate incorrect values.
WEIGHTED GRADES
Column Configuration Options:
• Select Create Calculated Column.
• Click Weighted Column.
• Type in a column Name and Description.
• Select Primary and Secondary display
options.
WEIGHTED GRADES
Select Columns for Weighting:
• Select items to be weighted.
– This can be columns or categories.
• Type in weights for each item.
• If a category has been selected additional
options are available:
– Weight columns Equally or Proportionally.
– Drop Grades (# lowest/highest)
– Use only (lowest/highest) value.
WEIGHTED GRADES
Select Final Options:
• Calculate as running total?
– If Yes, only columns that have been graded
will be included in calculations.
• Include columns in Grade Center
calculations? (most likely “NO”).
• Show column to students?
• Show statistics to students?
IMPORT GRADES TO JOE’SS
How Process Works:
• Two dedicated columns in Grade Center:
– JoeSS Midterm
– JoeSS Final Grade
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Type in grades in dedicated columns.
Login to Joe’SS (http://joess.mst.edu).
Navigate to course in Joe’SS.
Click retrieve grades from blackboard.
– Grades can still be modified in Joe’SS.
IMPORT GRADES TO JOE’SS
Enter Grades into Blackboard:
• Go to Grade Center.
• Find either JoeSS Midterm or JoeSS
Final Grade columns.
• TYPE in value of grade for each student.
– Only standard grades are allowable.
– Check with Register for valid grade sets.
based on student status (undergrad / grad).
– Invalid grades will show up as blank in
Joe’SS.
IMPORT GRADES TO JOE’SS
Import Grades from Blackboard:
• Login to Joe’SS (http://joess.mst.edu).
• Click SA Self Service.
• Click Faculty Center.
• Select term and course.
• Click Grade Roster icon .
• Select mid-term or final grades.
IMPORT GRADES TO JOE’SS
Import Grades from Blackboard:
• Click retrieve grades from blackboard.
– If a grade is blank in Joe’SS, it can be
overridden in Joe’SS.
• Double-check all grades.
• Click Save.
• Select Approve from the approval status
drop-down menu.
– TA’s may not have ability to approve grades
based on department policies.
IMPORT GRADES TO JOE’SS
Notes on Combined Sections:
• Type in all grades within combined
section.
– Blackboard still knows the source section.
• Within Joe’SS, go to each of the original
sections of the course.
• Underneath button for retrieving grades
from Blackboard is a drop-down list.
• Select combined section.
IMPORT GRADES TO JOE’SS
Notes on Combined Sections:
• Click retrieve grades from Blackboard.
• Grades will be pulled from combined
section in Blackboard.
PROBLEMS WITH BLACKBOARD?
• Contact the Help Desk at (573) 341-HELP or online at
http://help.mst.edu
• Please have the following information available:
– Which Operating System are you using?
– Which Web Browser are you using?
– What is the Course ID / Reference Number /
Instructor of the course that you are having
problems with?
• What steps did you go through when the problem
occurred?
• Blackboard Support Information can be found online
at: http://edtech.mst.edu/support/blackboard
102 Centennial Hall
Rolla, MO 65409
EMAIL: edtech@mst.edu
PHONE: 573-341-4131