Adding Grade Columns to the Grade Center

Overview

Instructors can add gradable items to the Grade Center automatically, manually, or through uploading. For more information on uploading, see Uploading External Grade Center Items. Gradable items that are added to the Course Content such as an exam or test automatically generate a column in the Grade Center. Gradable items that are not added from the Course Content need to have a column created manually in Grade Center. Instructors can manually create Tests, Quizzes, and Class Participation columns, for example. These columns then may be displayed to the Students and Observers.

Once created, columns and their parameters can be modified by the Instructor. For example, columns can be renamed, be associated with a different Grading Period or a different Grading Schema. Instructors also control whether columns are displayed to Students and Observers.

Automatically Generated Grade Center Columns

All gradable items created for a Course through the Blackboard Learning System automatically generate columns in the Course’s Grade Center. These columns are eligible for use in all of the Grade Center operations. The following gradable items automatically generate a column:

• Discussion Boards – Must have the forum settings set to grade the forum or forum thread.
• Assignments – Assignments are added to Course Content and are graded manually.
• Surveys – Surveys are automatically scored. Surveys can be included or excluded in summary Grade Center calculations.
• Assessments – Assessments can be automatically scored online, in which case the grade is automatically entered in the Grade Center column. Assessments may also contain questions that need to be scored manually, such as an essay question, and require the grade to be entered manually.

Manually Creating Grade Center Columns

To create a column in the Grade Center, follow these steps from the Grade Center page:

1. Click Add Grade Column in the Action Bar of the Grade Center.
2. Enter a Column Name. This is a formal name for the column, and is displayed in the Grade Center if no Grade Center Display Name is entered. This field will only accept 15 characters.
3. Enter a GradeCenter Display Name. This appears as the column header in the Grade Center. This field will accept 15 characters in the column header. The Grade Center is the only area where this name is used.
4. Enter a Description. A description will help Instructors and other graders identify the column.
5. Select a Primary Display option from the drop-down menu. The default choice is Score. The format chosen is the primary or only (if no Secondary Grade is selected) format displayed for this Grade Item in the Grade Center. The selections are based on the Grading Schema, and there are default selections. For more information on Grading Schema, see Creating Grading Schemas. The following is the list of default selections:

Score PercentageText Complete/Incomplete Default Schema (Letter)

6. Select a Secondary Display from the drop-down menu. This selection displays the secondary format for this Grade Item in the Grade Center. The Secondary Display is denoted by parentheses. The options, including the default or the options created by Grading Schema, are the same as the primary display choices.

Tip: Simply entering a Score for Grade Column that uses the Primary Display of Percentage will not calculate the Percentage. To calculate a Score’s Percentage select Score from the Primary Display drop-down menu and select Percentage from the Secondary Display drop-down menu.

7. Select a Category from the drop-down menu.This associates the column to a Category. The default choice is No Category.

Note: Default Categories are included in the Grade Center. User defined Categories must first be created before they can be associated with a column. For more information on Categories, see Creating Grade Categories.

8. Enter Points Possible. Denote the number of points assigned to this column. Non-numeric entries are not accepted.
9. Select a Grading Period.This will associate the column to a Grading Period. For more information on Grading Periods, see Creating Grading Periods.

Note: Grading Period and the drop-down menu will not display unless Grading Periods have previously been created. For more information on Grading Periods, see Creating Grading Periods.

10. Creation Date This system-added field displays the date the Grade Item was created and cannot be edited.
11. Enter a Due Date. Select from the following:

• None – there will be no due date for the Grade Item.
• Due On –specify the duedate for the Grade Item, including month, day, and year.

12. Set additional Options for the column by selecting the Yes or No radio button for the following:

• Include Column in GradeCenter calculations –  the column is included in the possible selections of items when creating Calculated Columns, such as Weighted Grades Columns or Total Point Columns.
• Show this Column in My Grades – Grades will appear in My Grades, View Grades, and the Report Card module when available.
• Show Statistics (average and mean) for this column in My Grades – Includes statistical information with the grade value when shown to students.

13. Click Submit to save.