Categories in the gradebook
- Iain MacLellan
- Ian Shaw (Unlicensed)
- Natalie Hugo
This page discusses what categories in the gradebook are and how to create them.
Introduction to Categories
Categories in the gradebook are used to organise and to calculate. In terms of organisation, they can be thought of as folders for assessed activities. They can hold assessments or other folders, just as you might store documents on a computer. Each category also calculates a total. It can calculate the total in a number of different ways, for example, according to the weight you have assigned to each item or by assuming all items in the category have equal weight.
The top category is the name of the class. The hierarchy of the categories is shown by their indentation on the page.
Older classes in Myplace will not have any categories unless someone has chosen to create them. More recent classes are automatically given three categories - summative, formative and administrative - in order to help users organise their gradebook at a high level. These three categories can be changed, removed or added to; they are not mandatory.
Creating Categories
Step 1 - Go to gradebook setup
Find the link in the administration tab on the left hand side
Step 2 - Add the category
Click the add category button at the bottom of the page
Step 3 - Set up the category
Give the category a name and set the Aggregation method. If you want to be able to weight the items within the category, set the aggregation to 'weighted mean of grades'.
Category Aggregation Methods
The aggregation method is simply the way the category will calculate its total from the marks held within it.
The default aggregation method is simple weighted mean of grades which means that each available mark within the category has equal weight. This is not the same as mean of grades where each total activity mark has equal weight.
There is more information about the different aggregation methods on the Moodle website.
Exclude empty grades - Choose whether to include empty grades in the category's calculation or exclude them. If you choose to exclude them, it may give a false impression of the progress made towards completing the required assessments.
Drop the lowest - Choose how many low scoring assessments in this category you wish to drop from the category calculation.
Step 4 (optional) - Set the Parent Category
If you are creating a category which you wish to place inside another category, you can do that in the Parent Category settings.
Choose the existing category that you wish to place the category you are creating within.
Moving categories in the gradebook
If you wish to move a category after you have created it, you can easily do that in the gradebook in exactly the same way as you move activities into categories.
Step 5 - Save the category
Click the save changes button at the bottom to add the category.
