Set up the categories for custom grade calculation
Step 1 - View your current Gradebook structure
From Class Administration in the Administration block on the left, click ‘Gradebook setup’.
Next, check all your assessments are shown in the Gradebook. For information on adding entries for assessments submitted or performed outside Myplace or recording exam marks, please see the relevant Myplace Support pages.If you already have a summative category in your gradebook, skip to Step 3. Otherwise, go to Step 2.
Step 2 - Create a category for the assessments
At the bottom of the page, click ‘Add category’ and name it 'Assessments'. You don't need to worry about any of the other settings.
Step 3 - Move all assessments into 'Assessments' (or summative) category
This can be done by selecting the checkboxes beside the assessments you want to move then selecting the drop down menu at the bottom left of the screen and choosing the Assessments or Summative category. For more information see moving graded activities into categories
Step 4 - Create categories for the class codes
At the bottom of the page, click ‘Add category’. Name the category to match the class code. You don't need to worry about any of the other settings.
Click ‘Save changes’ to return to the Gradebook setup screen. Your category has now been created.
Step 5 - Hide the class code categories
It may be confusing for students to see several possible class totals, even if they are labelled correctly with the applicable class code so we recommend hiding them from view. Next to your new category name in bold, under Actions, click ‘Edit’, then ‘Hide’.
Perform steps 4 and 5 for each of the class codes.
Step 7 - Delete any unused categories
To make your Gradebook less confusing and tidier, remove any categories you are not using by selecting edit, then delete.
The grade calculation
Step 1 - Open the grade calculation screen
Find the class code category.
Select the 'Edit' button beside the category total (as shown below), then click ‘Edit calculation’.
Step 2 - Identify which graded items you will need
Firstly ignore the calculation box at the top of the grade calculation screen.
You will need to define an ID number or name for each of the assessment activities you want to use for calculating grades.
Let’s say there is one each for coursework, practical, project work and an exam. You may like to call them ‘cw’, ‘prac’, ‘proj’ and ‘exam’.
You can set the ID here. If you need to change it you will have to go to the Common module settings in the settings for the activity itself.
Click 'Add ID Numbers' when you have created IDs for the relevant pieces of assessment. You only have to do this once.
Step 3 - Define the grade calculation
You are now ready to define the grade calculation. It is not dissimilar to making calculations in Excel. Start with an = symbol, then describe the calculation in terms of functions, with assessment activities in double square brackets referred to by their ID number.
Example 1
For example, if you want the calculation to be simply the mean average of the four activities, you would use the average() function and put:
=average( [[cw]], [[proj]], [[prac]], [[exam]] )
Example 2
If you wanted coursework and project work to be weighted at 20% each, the practical at 25% and the exam at 35%, use the sum() function to add together the grades, each grade scaled appropriately using the multiplication symbol * like so:
=sum( [[cw]] * 0.2, [[proj]] * 0.2, [[prac]] * 0.25, [[exam]] * 0.35 )
Example 3
You might even want to take the highest and lowest grades, found with the max() and min() functions and average them.
=average( max([[cw]], [[proj]], [[prac]], [[exam]]), min([[cw]], [[proj]], [[prac]], [[exam]]) )
Step 4 - Save changes
Click save changes.
You can then repeat this process for all other class codes, although you should not have to set IDs again.
Further help
Many variations are possible with this powerful tool. Further detailed documentation can be found here:, and if you need any further assistance you can contact learning-technologies@strath.ac.uk .
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