Uploading External Grade Center Items

Overview

To eliminate double entry of Grade Center data in several tools, Instructors can do off-line grading, and then import grades into Grade Center. Instructors can upload grades from external sources such as an Excel spreadsheet or a Comma-separated Value file. Data must be formatted very specifically to upload correctly and be synched with existing Grade Center data.

Formatting External Files for Uploading

To synch external data to Grade Center data, unique identifiers are necessary for each Student and for each column in the Grade Center. The unique identifier used for each Student is the Student's User Name. The unique identifier for each column is a Column ID number. Column ID numbers are generated by the system and should not be changed or removed. Columns that do not have Column ID numbers in an uploaded file will create new columns in the Grade Center.

Warning: Columns that are added to the Grade Center from an external file are added as text columns with points possible equaling zero (0). Text columns can not be included in Calculated Columns such as Weighted Grade, Total Points, Average Grade, and Minimum/Maximum grades (for more information, see Calculating Grades). Convert text columns to other columns types and add points possible by modifying the column after the upload. For information on modifying columns see Modifying Grade CenterColumns.

Each data file uploaded to the Grade Center requires a header row with one record per line subsequently.

The format of the data file uploaded to the Grade Center is determined by the type of delimiter that is used to parse the data into separate columns. Data files can be tab delimited with a file extension of .xls, or comma delimited with a file extension of .csv.

Data in each column of comma-delimited files (file extension of .csv) must be contained within a quote character, the most common being quotation marks ( " " ). Data in each column of tab-delimited files does not require a quote character.

Tip: Blackboard recommends using tab-delimited files for uploading onto the Grade Center to avoid having to use quote characters and because tab-delimited files open directly in Microsoft Excel.

Tip: Blackboard recommends downloading tab-delimited files as it will open directly in Microsoft Excel.

Tip: To obtain a file that is formatted correctly for uploading, download the full Grade Center first and open it in a text editor or spreadsheet application. Existing columns will have Column ID numbers that must be included in future uploads. For instructions on how to download the Grade Center see Downloading Grades from the Grade Center.

In the sample files below, columns that already exist in the Grade Center have a Column ID number as part of the column name. The column Attendance does not have a Column ID so it will be created as a new column in the Grade Center. There is also no corresponding data for the new column, represented by a double set of quotation marks in the .csv file. Entries for attendance can be added manually from the Grade Center, or can be uploaded for another file.

Tab Delimited .xls File Sample

User NameLast Name      First NameHomework|188    Project|190   Final|191   Attendance

aanchorAnchor        Anne        10     25           5

bbutterworthButterworth   Bob         7     20          12          

ccharterCharter        Chuck         3     23           2

ddoongDoong         Dan         9         17           19

Comma Delimited .csv File sample

"User Name","Last Name","First Name","Homework|188","Mid-term|189","Project|190","Final|191","Attendance"

"aanchor","Anchor',"Anne","10","25","25","25",""

"bbutterworth","Butterworth","Bob","7","20","12","24",""

"ccharter","Chuck","Charter","3","20","23","22",""

"ddoong","Dan","Doong","9","15","17","19",""

Uploading a File to the Grade Center

To upload a file to the Grade Center, follow these steps:

1. Click Manage in the Action Bar of the Grade Center.
2. Select Upload from the Action Link menu.
3. Browse for the file. Files can be uploaded from a local computer or if available, from the Content System.
4. Select the Delimiter Type, Comma, Tab, or Auto. Auto will attempt to automatically detect the delimiter used in the selected file.
5. Click Submit to upload the selected file.
6. Review the list of data from the file to be uploaded. Use the check boxes to de-select any data to be excluded from the upload. Using this method, it is possible to upload only the desired columns of data from the file.

Review the Data Preview Column to ensure the correct data is being uploaded. Data that appears incorrect can denote an improperly formatted file. The Data Preview will only show a sample of the data in each column in the file.

Large files take significant time to process and a warning message will be displayed for any files that need extra time to process. To avoid long processing times, break up large files into separate uploads.

7. Click Submit to confirm and upload the file.

Note: Any file uploaded that contains Incomplete for a grade entry will be set to null, with no grade or text displayed. Any file uploaded that contains Complete for a grade entry will be set to an Override Grade of the maximum points possible (100% for a Grade Item) in a column that has the Primary Display of Complete/Incomplete. Any file uploaded that contains a numeric entry will be a numeric entry.

Downloading Grades from the Grade Center

To download grades for the Grade Center follow these steps:

1. Click Manage in the Action Bar of the Grade Center.
2. Select Download from the Action Link menu.
3. Using the radio buttons, select the data to download:

4. Select the file delimiter, Comma or Tab.
5. Select whether to Include Hidden Information in the downloaded data. Hidden information includes columns and students that have been hidden from the view in the downloaded file.
6. Select the location for the download. Files downloaded to the Content System need to be saved in a folder in the Content System. Click Browse to select the folder.
7. Click Submit to finish the download.