Discipline-Specific Gradebook
- Natalie Hugo
How to set up your gradebook with categories that are specific to your discipline. For example, language classes might use: speaking, listening, reading and writing.
The steps below demonstrate structuring a class gradebook around category names of your choice so that a class total is correctly calculated for each student.
We have used an example class in the steps below with an assessment regime as follows:
- Speaking (15%), Listening (15%), Reading (35%), Writing (35%).
- Speaking is made up of a presentation (10%) and an exam (5%)
- Listening is made of a piece of coursework (5%) and an exam (10%)
- Reading is made up of three pieces of coursework all of equal weight
- Writing is a single exam
Step 1 - Create your categories
1) Go to the Gradebook
From the Administration block on the left, select Gradebook setup.
Check whether you have a Summative category.
To create a Summative category, click 'Add a category' at the bottom of your gradebook.
Name the category Summative.
Select aggregation method 'Weighted mean of grades'.
Ignore the other settings and click 'Save changes'.
3) Create your own categories
Create your own categories. For our example class above, this will be: speaking, listening, reading and writing.
Click 'Add category'.
Give the category a name (for our example class, this will be 'Speaking').
Select the aggregation method 'Weighted mean of grades'.
Click the triangle next to the Parent category heading to expand the section.
Set the Parent category to Summative.
Then click 'Save changes'.
Repeat the process for each category you wish to create.
Click the 'Save changes' button at the bottom of your gradebook to ensure your new categories are saved.
Step 2 - Organise your categories as you want them to appear
Our example class will now look like the image on the right.
If you wish to move the order in which your categories appear, click the up and down arrow next to its name and then select its new position.
Click the 'Save changes' button at the bottom of your gradebook to ensure your new categories are saved.
Step 3 - Weight your categories
In the box next to each category you have created, enter the weight that it contributes to the class total. In our example class, the speaking and listening categories are each worth 15% of the class total, and the reading and writing categories are each worth 35% of the class total.
Click the 'Save changes' button at the bottom of your gradebook to ensure your new categories are saved.
Step 4 - Move your activities into the correct categories
Click the box on the far right of each assessment item you would like to move to your first category. For our example class, we will start with the Reading category.
Use the 'Move selected items to' dropdown list to select the category into which you would like to move them.
The items will then appear in the category you have chosen.
Click the 'Save changes' button at the bottom of your gradebook to ensure your new categories are saved.
Step 5 - Weight the assessment items
In the box next to each item, enter the weight that it contributes to the class total.
To the right of the category's name, click Edit and select 'Edit settings'.
Select Mean of grades and then click 'Save changes'.
Our example class would now look like the image on the right.
Click the 'Save changes' button at the bottom of your gradebook to ensure your new categories are saved.
Your gradebook is now complete.