1.2.4.2 Setting up your grading breakdown (3m05s)

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1.2.4.2 Setting up your grading breakdown

Take a look at the grading breakdown in your syllabus. The top-level grading categories may be something like Quizzes, Participation, Papers, Final Exam, with each of these categories assigned a percentage to indicate how much they weight in the total course grade. While the number of quizzes, or papers you will assign within each of these top-level categories may well change in the course of the semester, the number of your top-level categories and their weight in the total should be set in stone from the beginning. 

Here is how to set up your syllabus grading breakdown “in stone” in the Blackboard Grade Center.

First, we’ll create weighted columns for each of the top-level grading categories. In the Full Grade Center view, go to the “Create Calculated Column” and choose “Weighted Column.” For now, ignore all options; as for naming the column: to mark that this column is weighted, let the name start with the percentage sign (%).  It may feel and look quirky but you won’t regret it when working in the Grade Center later on. [BEEP] Again, ignore all other options, scroll down and click on "Submit," then on "OK" in the pop up window. You will need to do this for each of the top-level categories in your grading breakdown. [BEEP] The grades in these top-level columns will tell students how they are doing in each of the grading category at any point of the semester. You cannot directly enter grades in these top-level weighted columns as the grades in each of these columns are calculated based on the assignments belonging to this category. As you start to add individual grade columns for assignments, you will make them count in these respective top-level weighted columns.

Now let’s see how to set up the Weighted Total column. If setting up correctly, the grade in this column will reflect where students stand at any point in the semester. Back in the Full Grade Center, go to Blackboard’s default “Weighted Total” column. Click on the action button on the right of the column, scroll down and click “Edit Column Information.” Scroll down to the Select Columns section and in the box on the left, select, one by one, the weighted columns you created—the ones with the percentage sign-- then use the arrow to move them to the Selected Columns box on the right. [BEEP]  Now, enter the percentage you assigned to each of them as per your syllabus. [BEEP] When done, click once outside the percentage box to see the final total weight percentage. It should be 100%, of course!  What you see in the Selected Column box should now be a look-alike of the grading breakdown in your syllabus! To finish, for now, leave the default options selected and move straight to the Submit button. Done!