Blackboard has its own Online Gradebook, a tool for managing and distributing grades
to students individually and privately. To access the Gradebook, click the
Control Panel button in the Navigation bar of your classroom,
and then click the Gradebook option in the Assessment section.
Grades for Discussion Board posts must be entered manually by the instructor or
a teaching assistant. (Note: Quiz scores are entered into the Gradebook automatically
when students complete them.)
The Gradebook provides a spreadsheet listing of all the students' names and grades
for your class. The following table lists and describes the features available in
the Gradebook:
|
Feature |
Description |
|
Add Item |
Lets you insert a Gradebook item by entering the name, type (assignment, quiz, essay,
etc.) and total possible points for the grade item. You can also specify whether
you want the grade item currently visible to students. |
|
Manage Items |
Lets you rearrange the order grade items appear in the columns across the top of
the spreadsheet. You can also modify an item or add a new item.
|
|
Gradebook Settings |
Spreadsheet Settings: change the way student information is displayed in
the spreadsheet.
Manage Gradebook Categories: create new categories into which gradebook items
can be grouped.
Manage Display Options: create and modify grade display options and set their
values. |
|
Weight Grades |
Lets you specify a weighting percentage for each grade item. |
|
Download Grades |
Lets you download and save your Gradebook to your local computer. You can use Excel
to view and manipulate a downloaded Gradebook. (Tip: Use this option weekly to backup
your Gradebook in case the Blackboard server crashes.) |
|
Upload Grades |
Lets you upload a Gradebook saved to your local computer. You can use Excel to view
and manipulate the Gradebook before uploading it. |
|
Sort Items by |
Category: sorts spreadsheet item columns based on type of assessment, in
alphabetical order, left to right.
Date Added: sorts spreadsheet item columns based on the date the items were
created, from the oldest on the left to the newest on the right.
Date: sorts spreadsheet item columns based on the date.
Position: sorts spreadsheet item columns based on the order you established
(Tip: After using the filters below, select Position to rearrange columns in the
order created or the order you established).
Points Possible: sorts spreadsheet item columns based on the total points
possible for each item.
Title: sorts spreadsheet item columns in alphabetic order based on grade
item title names.
Weight: sorts spreadsheet item columns based on assigned item weights. |
|
Filter Users by Category |
Lets you see all students, or only those that have completed such categories as
assignments, labs, presentations, final exams, etc. |
|
Filter Users by Last Name |
Lets you see all students, or only those whose name begins with A, B, C, etc.
|
Clicking a student's name in the Gradebook spreadsheet displays three options:
User Information (email and phone for the student), User Grade List
(grade items for the student), and User Detail (average assessment
and total points for the student). The User Grade List option
lets you quickly check and alter all the grade items for a particular student.
Clicking an item title in the Gradebook spreadsheet displays three options:
Item Grade List (lists the students alphabetically and the points earned
for the grade item), Item Information (displays the Add/Modify
Gradebook Item form), and Item Detail (shows statistics for the
item, such as high and low scores). The Item Grade List
option lets you quickly enter or check all student grades for a particular item.
The Assessment section in the Control Panel of Blackboard also includes a
Test Manager (lets you create or import quizzes), Survey Manager
(lets you create course and instructor evaluations), Pool Manager
(lets you create or import a collection of quiz questions), Gradebook Views
(displays grades by item or user), and Course Statistics
(shows a variety of usage statistics for the Blackboard course).
Resource Links
Blackboard Assessment Tools:
http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/Bbassessrevised.pdf
|