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Grading

• Overview
• Enter a Grade for an Activity
• Set Weights
• Drop the X Number of Lowest Scores for a Category
• Assign Bonus Points to a Category
• Change the Letter Grade Scale
• Create a Custom Scale
• Curve Grades
• Mark an Activity as Extra Credit
• Exclude a Student from Grading
• Display Weighted Totals and/or Letter Grades
• Download Grades to Excel

Overview

The Moodle gradebook has these features:

• Course total points
• Sorting (by name or score)
• Grade statistics
• Grade weighting and categorization
• Extra credit
• Letter grades (ABCDF, C/NC, etc.)
• Dropping lowest scores
• Excluding individuals from being graded on particular items

To open the gradebook, in the Administration block, click on Grades, shown circled below.

By default, the gradebook displays in normal mode, shown below.

The normal mode shows all students and their grades for each activity, along with point totals for each student.

Note: Activities are automatically added to the gradebook when you create them using the Add an Activity drop-down box on your course home page.

To view grades for a single student, click on the student's name.

To view course statistics, click on the desired Stats link.

Categories, weights, dropping scores, bonus points, changing the letter grade scale, curving grades, extra credit, and excluding students from grading are all advanced features.

To turn on the advanced features in the gradebook, click on the Set Preferences tab and then click on the Use Advanced Features button. After you do this, you will see four additional tabs at the top of the gradebook, as shown below.

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Enter a Grade for an Activity

To enter a grade for an activity:

1. On the course home page, click on the activity to open it.

2. Click on the activity's View [number] of submitted assignments link, as shown circled below.

3. Click on the student's Grade link, as shown circled below.

4. Click on the Grade down arrow, shown circled below, and select the desired value.

5. If desired, enter a comment.
    
6. Click on the Save changes button.

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Set Weights

To set weights, you first create categories (e.g., papers, quizzes, exams, etc.) Then, you assign each of your activities to the appropriate category (e.g., you assign each quiz to the Quiz category). Finally, you assign weights to each category.

To create categories:

1. Click on the Set Categories tab.
   
   Note: If you do not see this tab, then turn on the gradebook's advanced features by clicking on the Use Advanced Features button on the Set Preferences tab.
    
2. In the Add Category field, shown circled below, enter the category name (e.g., Papers, Quizzes, Exams, etc.)

3. Click on the Add Category button.
    
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each category that you want to create.

To assign an activity to a category:

1. Click on each activity's Category down arrow and select the desired category, as shown below.

2. Click on the Save Changes button.

To set category weights:

1. Click on the Set Weights tab.
   
   Note: If you do not see this tab, then turn on the gradebook's advanced features by clicking on the Use Advanced Features button on the Set Preferences tab.
    
2. In each category's weight field, enter the desired values.
    
3. Click on the Save Changes button.

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Drop the X Number of Lowest Scores for a Category

IMPORTANT! The point totals for all activities in the category must the same or unpredictable results may occur.

To drop the X number of lowest scores for a category:

1. Click on the Set Weights tab.
   
   Note: If you do not see this tab, then turn on the gradebook's advanced features by clicking on the Use Advanced Features button on the Set Preferences tab.
    
2. In the category's Drop X Lowest Score field, enter the desired value.
    
3. Click on the Save Changes button.

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Assign Bonus Points to a Category

Bonus points are extra points that do not change the point total for a category. They can be used to adjust for unfair questions or similar. These will be applied equally to all students. If you want to selectively provide extra credit, then add a new graded activity and set it to extra credit in "Set Categories."

To assign bonus points:

1. Click on the Set Weights tab.
   
   Note: If you do not see this tab, then turn on the gradebook's advanced features by clicking on the Use Advanced Features button on the Set Preferences tab.
    
2. In the category's Bonus Points field, enter the desired value.
    
3. Click on the Save Changes button.

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Change the Letter Grade Scale

To change the letter grade scale:

1. Click on the Set Grade Letters tab.
   
   Note: If you do not see this tab, then turn on the gradebook's advanced features by clicking on the Use Advanced Features button on the Set Preferences tab.
    
2. In the Grade Value, Lowest, and Highest fields, enter the desired values.
   
   Note: To delete a grade letter, delete the values out of its Grade Value, Lowest, and Highest fields.
    
3. Click on the Save Changes button.

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Create a Custom Scale

Scales are a non-numeric way of evaluating students' performance. For example, instead of giving an activity a number from 1 to 100 as a grade, you can give the student a word or a small phrase as standard feedback. Scales may be used in forums, glossaries (for rating) and assignments (for grading).

After you create a custom scale, it will appear in the Grade drop-down list when you create a new activity.

To create a scale:

1. In the Administration block, click on Scales, shown circled below.

2. Click on the Add a new scale button.
    
3. In the Name field, enter a name for the scale.
    
4. In the Scale field, enter the scale.
   
   Note: Enter the most negative feedback first, and separate each scale item with a comma, as shown below.
   
   
    
5. In the Description field, enter a description of the scale.
    
6. Click on the Save changes button.

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Curve Grades

To curve grades:

1. Click on the Set Categories tab.
   
   Note: If you do not see this tab, then turn on the gradebook's advanced features by clicking on the Use Advanced Features button on the Set Preferences tab.
    
2. Enter the desired values in the Curve To fields.
    
3. Click on the Save Changes button.

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Mark an Activity as Extra Credit

To mark an activity as extra credit:

1. Click on the Set Categories tab.
   
   Note: If you do not see this tab, then turn on the gradebook's advanced features by clicking on the Use Advanced Features button on the Set Preferences tab.
    
2. Put checkmarks in the desired Extra Credit checkboxes.
    
3. Click on the Save Changes button.

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Exclude a Student from Grading

When you exclude a student from grading, the grade for the activity will not be counted in determining his or her grade for the course. Excluding a student from grading is useful for extenuating circumstances, such as sickness, injury, etc.

To exclude a student from being graded on an activity:

1. Click on the Grade Exceptions tab.
   
   Note: If you do not see this tab, then turn on the gradebook's advanced features by clicking on the Use Advanced Features button on the Set Preferences tab.
    
2. In the Grade Items column, click on the activity from which you want to exclude the student.
    
3. In the Included in Grading column, click on the student's name.
   
   Note: You can select multiple students by holding down the Ctrl key when you click on their names.
    
4. At the bottom of the Included in Grading column, click on the Exclude from Grading button.

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Display Weighted Totals and/or Letter Grades

To display weighted totals and/or letter grades in the gradebook:

1. Click on the Set Preferences tab.
    
2. Click on the Display Weighted Grades and/or Display Letter Grades down arrow and select to Teacher's only or to everyone.
    
3. Click on the Save Preferences button.

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Download Grades to Excel

You should periodically download your gradebook to Excel so that you have a backup file of it.

To download grades to an Excel spreadsheet, on the View Grades tab, click on the Download in Excel format button.

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