1. What is included in the Grade Center?
2. What are the advantages of the Blackboard Grade Center?
3. Is the Blackboard Grade Center related to MyAccess?
4. How do I back up the Grade Center?
5. How do I print the Grade Center?
6. How do students access their grades in Blackboard?
7. Can I exclude specific grades from the student view?
8. Are grades kept in Blackboard after a student graduates?
9. Which columns appear by default in the Grade Center?
10. What is an External Grade?
11. How do I enter new grades in the Grade Center?
12. How are tests or assignments graded in Blackboard?
13. How do I clear a student's attempt in a Blackboard test or assignment?
14. How do I modify a student's attempt in a Blackboard test or assignment?
15. What are calculated columns?
16. How do I weight grades and calculate the total grade?
17. How do I drop the lowest grade and exclude it from a grade calculation?
18. How do I create an Extra Credit column?
19. Can I display points and letter grades simultaneously?
20. What are the differences between the interactive and the non-interactive views of the Grade Center?
21. How can I re-order Grade Center columns?
22. How can I lock or freeze Grade Center columns?
23. How can I hide Grade Center columns?
24. What are Smart Views and how can I use them?
25. How can I enter multiple grades for a single student or group of students?
26. What are grade categories and how can I use them?
27. What is a Grading Schema?
28. How do I set the Grading Schema (or modify the Letter Grade Point Breakdown or the Grading Scale)?
29. Can I add comments to grades?
30. How do I send email from within the Grade Center?
31. How can I use Grade Center Reports?
32. How can I use the Grade History?

What is included in the Grade Center?

Blackboard 8's Grade Center is a powerful tool for storing, displaying, and processing student performance data and for assessing student work.

Like a paper gradebook, Blackboard's Grade Center includes student names and grades for a variety of assignments, tests, exams, and other assessment criteria, e. g., class participation. Some grades are entered in the Grade Center by the instructor while others are added as students complete tests created in Blackboard or computed based on criteria set by the instructor.

The Grade Center is composed of a spreadsheet with rows and columns, an Action Bar, through which most tools and functions of the Center are accessible, an Information Bar containing information about a selected column, and an Icon Legend, which defines the meaning of icons that appear in the spreadsheet cells. Grades can be entered through in-line editing (click and type). Additional functionality can be accessed through pop-up windows within each column and each cell.

Download a quick guide on the new Grade Center (PDF).

What are the advantages of the Blackboard Grade Center?

The Grade Center is more than a form to record students' grades. It includes dynamic features to compute grades, to organize student assessment, to monitor student progress, and to communicate with students.

The Grade Center includes many features found in spreadsheet software, such as the ability to enter grades directly in the page (click and type) and the ability to compute average and weighted grades. In addition to those features, Blackboard's Grade Center is fully integrated with the course roster and with course assignments, tests, and threaded discussions.

The Grade Center also includes advanced features that are hard to replicate in spreadsheet software. Instructors can use categories of assignments and of assessment rubrics to compute grades. They can use schemas to establish an equivalence between numerical and letter grades. They can make grades and comments visible to students so that students can monitor their grades and receive feedback.

Instructors can create "smart views" to display select sets of Grade Center data, such as recent performance data or data based on a certain assessment criterion (e. g., collaborative work), on student groups, etc.

The Grade Center is also linked with Blackboard's adaptive release feature, which can make content available to students based on performance benchmarks.

Even though the Grade Center includes many features not found in spreadsheet software, we recommend that instructors make regular backups of the Grade Center by using the download feature to save the grades in a spreadsheet file.

Is the Blackboard Grade Center related to MyAccess?

No. The Blackboard Grade Center has no correlation with the MyAccess grade book. In order for a student's Blackboard grade to enter in the official university records, the faculty member must report the grade to the Registrar.

How do I back up the Grade Center?

• Click on the Control Panel.
• Under "Assessment" click on "Grade Center."
• Mouse over the "Manage" button and select "Download" from drop down menu.
• On the "Download Grades" screen, select these options:
• Full Grade Center
• Tab Delimiter type and Include Hidden Information
• Click on "Submit".
• On the Download Grades page, click on the "Download" button to download the file to your computer. Save this file as a backup of your grade center. The file can be uploaded back to Blackboard, if needed, or it can be opened in Microsoft Excel.

How do I print the Grade Center?

There are two ways you can print grades from the Grade Center.

 

To print the spreadsheet view:

• Go to the Action Bar and click the Manage option. On the drop-down menu, click Download.
• Download the report and open it in Excel.
• Format the data in Excel and print.

 

To print the Report view:

• Go to the Action Bar and click the Reports option.
• On the Generate Reports page, generate a report and view it.
• Select the Print option.

How do students access their grades in Blackboard?

Students can view their individual grades in a course site by clicking on the Course Tools link and then clicking "My Grades." However, instructors must make sure that they have enabled this tool in their course site. To do so:

• Click on the Control Panel.
• Under "Course Options," click on "Manage Tools."
• Click on "Tool Availability" and make sure "My Grades" has been made "available."

Note: Only Grade Center entries that you have chosen to make available will be visible to students checking their grades. Instructors see all grades regardless of availability.

Can I exclude specific grades from the student view?

Yes. Grades can be made unavailable to students. To do so:

• Click on the Control Panel.
• Select a particular grade column and click on the chevron, then on Modify Column.
• On the displayed "Modify Column" page, under "3 Options", select "No" next to "Show this column in My Grades.
• Click on Submit.

Are grades kept in Blackboard after a student graduates?

No. Once a student graduates or otherwise leaves Georgetown, faculty will no longer have access to the student's grades, assignments, and/or any other work in Blackboard.

Which columns appear by default in the Grade Center?

The following columns appear in the Grade Center by default:

Last Name, First Name, Username, Student ID, Last Access, Availability, Weighted Total, Total.

What is an External Grade?

The term "external grade" refers to a final grade that could be linked from Blackboard to another ("external") system. At Georgetown University there is no such link between the Grade Center and external systems. By default, the Total column functions as the external grade column. The Total column's default calculation is to add the scores from all columns without any further computation. Instructors may hide the Total column if this type of calculation is not useful (see "How can I hide Grade Center columns?").

Each course site's Grade Center must have one column designated as the external grade, whether that column is displayed or hidden. To designate a column as the external grade column:

• Click on the chevron icon next to the heading of the column you wish to designate as external grade.
• Select "Set as External Grade."

You should now see a green check mark icon beside the selected column's heading. The column previously designated as the external grade should be without this check mark icon.

Note that the external grade designation has no particular effect on what the column does or on how it is included in Grade Center calculations.

How do I enter new grades in the Grade Center?

Some items are automatically entered into the Grade Center as they are created in the course (e.g. Assignments, Tests, and Surveys). Other items can be included, but they need to be added manually. To create a new grade column:

• Click on the Control Panel.
• Under "Assessment," click on "Grade Center."
• Click on "Add Grade Column."
• On the "Add Grade Column" page, under "Column Information," enter Column Name and Description.
• Use the drop-down menu to choose a Primary Display method (score, percentage, letter, complete/incomplete, text).
• Enter the total Points Possible for the item.
• To enter a due date, use the drop-down menus.
• Under "Options", answer "yes" or "no" to each question and click "Submit."

Note: The new column will automatically be placed in the last position. If you would like to adjust the position of this column, see "How can I re-order grade columns?"

How are tests or assignments graded in Blackboard?

• Click on Control Panel.
• Click on Assessment > Grade Center.
• Mouse over the cell with "!" symbol under appropriate test and appropriate user.
• Click on the chevron symbol and select Grade Details.
• Under "Attempts", click on "View Attempt."
• Fill in the appropriate score and feedback fields.
• Click "Submit".
• Click "OK."

How do I clear a student's attempt in a Blackboard test or assignment?

• Click on Control Panel.
• Click on Assessment > Grade Center.
• Mouse over the cell with "!" symbol under appropriate test and appropriate user.
• Click on the chevron symbol and select Grade Details.
• Under "Attempts", click on "Clear Attempt."
• A warning will pop up: "https://campus.georgetown.edu; Remove this attempt? This action is final and cannot be undone."
• Click "OK". "Grade Details" page will reload with the attempt cleared.

How do I modify a student's attempt in a Blackboard test or assignment?

• Click on Control Panel.
• Click on Assessment > Grade Center.
• Mouse over a cell under appropriate test and appropriate user. The chevron symbol will become visible.
• Click on the chevron symbol and select Grade Details.
• Under "Attempts", click on "Modify Attempt."
• User's current grade will be displayed. Under attempts, you can change value of the grade for the user, leave feedback for the user, and write grading notes.
• Click on "Save". "Grade Details" page will reload with the new data added.
• Click "OK" to return to the Grade Center.

What are calculated columns?

Calculated columns carry out calculations on other columns, whether those other columns are individual grade columns or are themselves calculated columns. Many instructors only use one calculated column: the Weighted Total, which appears in each Grade Center by default. However, instructors may create additional calculated columns to perform specific calculations, such as totaling raw scores, weighting grades for one type of work, determining averages, and displaying high/low scores.

There are four types of calculated columns: Total, Average, Weighted, and Minimum/Maximum.

• Totaling is adding raw scores without any further computation.
• Averaging is calculating an average without any weighting.
• Weighting is averaging while assigning more relative importance to some grades than to others.
• "Minimum/Maximum" allows instructors to display either the highest or the lowest grades from among all grades or from a set of grades.

To create a calculated column:

• Click the "Add Calculated Column" button.
• From the menu, choose to create either a Weighted, a Total, a Average, or a Minimum/Maximum calculated column.
• Under Column Information, complete the information that you want to include for your column.
• Under Select Columns, choose either the items that you wish to include in the calculation. Depending on which type of calculated column you select, you will be given specific choices under Select Columns for the particular calculated column type you are creating.
• Under Options, choose whether you want to include this column in the calculations of another Grade Center column and whether you want to make the score visible to students.
• Click Submit.

How do I weight grades and calculate the total grade?

Weighting is the operation of averaging grades by taking into account their importance (their weight) in the total grade. Weighting is often directly correlated to the final grade components in the course syllabus. Blackboard's Grade Center can weight by category of grades or by individual grade columns. (To learn about categories, see "What are grade categories and how can I use them?") Instructors can set up the Grade Center to continuously calculate each student's total grade for the duration of the term. By default, the Grade Center has a Weighted Total column, which is ready to be configured to perform this calculation.

Weighting by category is easiest because it is most "hands off." Once you have established the categories you use in your assessment (see "What are categories and how can I use them?"), you just have to associate any new grades with a category: the Weighted Total column will automatically include those new grades in the weighted total.

To configure the Weighted Total column:

• Mouse over the "Weighted Total" column to reveal the chevron symbol. Click on the chevron symbol and click on "Modify Column."
• If needed, modify the Column Name and enter any optional information.
• Under Primary Display, choose the way in which you want the weighted total grade displayed: as a score, as a percentage, or as a letter grade. Note that a score out of 100 and a percentage are essentially the same. If you choose to display the score as a letter, be sure to read "What is a Grading Schema?"
• If you choose to weight by categories, highlight the categories in the left column "Categories to Select" and click the arrow to add the categories to the "Selected Columns" area.
• If you choose to weight by individual grades, highlight grade columns in the "Columns to Select" area and click the arrow to add the columns to the "Selected Columns" area. Note that if you weight by grade columns, you need to make sure that any time you enter a new grade in the Grade Center, you add this grade to the "Selected Columns" area to include it in the grade weighting. The total number of columns cannot exceed 28.
• Enter a percentage for each. The total will be displayed below the "Selected Columns" area. It must equal 100%.
• Click Submit.

How do I drop the lowest grade and exclude it from a grade calculation?

You can exclude a grade from all calculations by exempting it. The exemption can be reverted at any time. You can also drop a grade by using a Weighted Column to automatically drop the lowest grade out of a particular category, such as the lowest grade on weekly quizzes. You must create Categories in order to drop grades automatically.

In order to exempt a single grade:

• Click on the Control Panel.
• Under "Assessment," click on "Grade Center."
• Mouse over the selected grade and click on the chevron symbol to select "Exempt Grade."

Note: You can revert back to the grade by mousing over the exempted grade and selecting "Clear Exemption."

To drop grades automatically:

• Click on the Control Panel.
• Under "Assessment," click on "Grade Center."
• Create a Category by clicking on "Manage" then, "Categories" and "Add Category" (e.g. Weekly Quizzes).
• Create a Weighted Column (see How can I weight grades in the Blackboard Grade Center? and select the Weekly Quizzes category. An option will appear to exclude the highest or lowest grades.
• Enter a 1 in the Lowest field to drop the lowest grade in the category.

How do I create an Extra Credit column?

Instructors can create an extra credit column in the Grade Center which will be used for an optional assignment that can earn students a certain number of points. In order to be considered "extra credit," the column must be set up with a value of "0" points possible. Because the Grade Center's Total column has a quirk that skips columns with 0 possible points, the instructor must manually set the Grade Center's Total column to include the Extra Credit column.

Instructors must complete two steps before an extra credit column can be included in the Grade Center.

1. Set up Extra Credit column:

• Click on the Control Panel.
• Under "Assessment" click on "Grade Center."
• Click "Add Grade Column."
• On the Add Grade Column screen, enter a name such as "Extra Credit." A description can be added, but is optional.
• Select "Score" for Primary Display. An additional option may be selected from Secondary Display but this is optional and students will not see it.
• Select "Extra Credit" from the Category drop down box.
• Enter the score 0 in the blank field for Points Possible.
• In the "Options" section, select "Yes" for Include this column in Grade Center calculations.
• Select "Yes" to Show this column in My Grades.
• Select "No" to Show Statistics (average and median) for this column in My Grades.
• Click "Submit."

The new column will appear in the Grade Center. It is automatically placed in the last position. If you want to adjust the position of this column (or any column), go to Manage and select Organize Grade Center.

2. Include the Extra Credit column in the Grade Center's Total column:

• Click the Total column menu and select Modify Column.
• On the Modify Total Column screen choose "Selected Grade Columns, Calculated Columns and Categories" in Section 3: Select Columns.
• Under Columns to Select, all Grade Center columns are listed (even ones that are hidden). (Weighted Total is hidden and should not be included in final grade calculations). Select each needed column by clicking on it and then clicking the small arrow to the right.
• Once all needed columns have been selected, click "Submit."

Now the extra credit points will be properly included in the Total points calculation.

Can I display points and letter grades simultaneously?

By default, every course comes with two grade columns: Total and Weighted Total. In order to see both the points and letter grade (either could be used) displayed, the Total grade column must be modified.

• Click on the Control Panel.
• Under "Assessment" click on "Grade Center."
• Click on the double arrows next to the Total grade column. Select Modify Column.
• On the Modify Total Column page, next to Primary Display, choose "Score" from the drop-down menu.
• Next to Secondary Display, select "Letter" from the drop-down menu.
• Under Section 3, select "Yes" next to Calculate as running total.
• Set other options as desired.
• Click "Submit."

The students' running score and a letter grade based on that running total is now visible.*

Note: Students only see the primary display; in this case, the score.

* Caution! Be careful with running Total and running Weighted Total. At the end of the semester, turn running Total and running Weighted Total off. Otherwise, if a student has missed an assessment or assignment and does not have a grade for that item in the Grade Center, the Running Total and/or running Weighted Total will be higher than deserved. If you decide to use running Totals at the end of the semester, you must enter a grade of 0 for any missed item.

What are the differences between the interactive and the non-interactive views of the Grade Center?

The Grade Center now has two different options - Interactive and Non-Interactive. The Interactive View is the default setting.

Non-Interactive View: Displays the Grade Center data in a simple grid. There is no inline editing and no ability to freeze columns, making it easier to navigate by keystroke and to accommodate screen readers. When the Grade Center is first accessed by users with screen readers, users are immediately given a choice whether to enter Non-Interactive View before progressing any further.

Interactive View: Allows columns to be frozen and has inline editing capabilities.

To switch between Interactive and Non-interactive views of the Grade Center, click on the icon found to the far right of the "Sort Columns By: Layout Position" button.

How can I re-order Grade Center columns?

• Click on the Control Panel.
• Under "Assessment" click on "Grade Center."
• Mouse over the "Manage" button and select "Organize Grade Center" from the menu.
• On the "Organize Grade Center" page, place the cursor over the item and hold down the mouse button to drag the item to a new position in the list.
• Release the mouse button when the item reaches the position where it should be dropped.
• When done, click "Submit."
• The grade columns will display in the new order on the main Grade Center page.

How can I lock or freeze Grade Center columns?

Grade Center columns can be locked in place so they remain visible as you scroll through other columns in the spreadsheet. This helps instructors easily match up individual students with their scores across the width of the Grade Center. Instructors can freeze and unfreeze any of the columns in the Grade Center page.

To freeze a column:

• Go to the "Grade Center."
• Click the "Manage" button and select "Organize Grade Center" from the menu.
• On the "Organize Grade Center" page, notice the dark gray bar. Everything above the bar is frozen.
• Click and drag the dark gray bar to freeze or unfreeze columns. The word "Frozen" will appear in parentheses next to the item name.
• When finished, click "Submit."

Note: Once the dark gray bar is moved to freeze or unfreeze columns, the background color of the bar will change to white.

How can I hide Grade Center columns?

If a Grade Center has a lot of columns, it may be easier to enter grades if some columns are temporarily hidden. Also, you may want to hide grading columns that appear in Blackboard by default that you will never use (e.g. Username, Student ID, or Availability). Keep in mind that the instructions given below only affect the instructor's view of the Grade Center, not the student's view. Students do not see student information (such as Name, ID, Availability, Username, etc.) in their view of the Grade Center.

To temporarily hide a column in the Grade Center:

• Go to the Grade Center.
• Click the "Manage" button and select "Organize Grade Center" from the menu.
• On the "Organize Grade Center" page, decide which item(s) should be hidden. Place a check mark in each check box that should be hidden.
• Scroll to the top of the page and select the menu for Show/Hide. Click "Hide Selected Columns" from the menu. The page will immediately update. The selected column names turn gray and the word "Hidden" will appear in parentheses.
• When done, click "Submit."

On the main Grade Center page, the selected columns will no longer display. Because the columns are only "hidden," they can be displayed again. To "show" items, return to the Organize Grade Center page and place a check mark in each check box for each hidden item that should be displayed. Scroll to the top of the page and select the menu for Show/Hide. Click Show Selected Columns from the menu.

What are Smart Views and how can I use them?

Smart Views allow the Grade Center to be organized based on specific criteria. There are four categories of Smart Views:

• Group: the students are organized based on Groupings configued in the User Management area of the Control Panel.
• Benchmark: the students are organized based on performance (i.e. criteria used can be a grade on a certain test or a total score, and conditions can be "greater than", "less than" or "between" certain score values).
• Focus: students are selected individually.
• Investigate: the students can be categorized by any of their attributes (e.g. grades received on certain tests, weighted total, etc) at the Instructor's discretion.

To create a Smart View:

• Go to the Grade Center.
• Mouse over "Manage" on the Action Bar and select "Smart Views".
• Click on "Add Smart View".
• Fill in the options according to one of the four categories above.
• Click on Submit.

It is also possible to set a Smart View as the default view of the Grade Center. To do so:

• On the Grade Center page mouse over "Current View: Full Grade Center" button.
• Select from the list of Smart Views that you have created and which will appear below "Full Grade Center".
• Click on "Set as Default"

To remove a Smart View:

• Select "Manage" from the Action Bar of the Grade Center and click on "Smart Views".
• A list of Smart Views that you have created will appear. Click on "Remove" to the right of each Smart View that you would like to remove. Click "OK" on the pop-up window.

How can I enter multiple grades for a single student or group of students?

In order to enter multiple grades for a student or for a group of students, you can create custom views or "Smart Views" in the Grade Center. Please refer to "What are Smart Views and how can I use them?"

What are grade categories and how can I use them?

A Grade Center category is a means to group grades that typically corresponds to the final grade components for the course. For instance, quizzes, class participation, research papers, or final project are possible categories. Categories can be used to easily and continuously calculate the final grade (see "How do I weight grades and calculate the total grade?"). They may also be used to create Smart Views comprised of columns associated with specific types of work.

To create a category:

• Select "Manage", then select "Categories".
• On the "Categories" page, click on the "Add Category" button.
• Enter the Category name. (This name is for your reference and will not be displayed to students.)
• Click "Submit".

After the category is created, you can associate grades with the category (1) during the creation of a new grade column; (2) through the Modify Column menu option; (3) through the Manage menu:

• Select "Manage", then select "Organize Grade Center".
• Select all grade columns to be included in the category by placing check-marks next to the desired items.
• Click on "Modify Category" and select the desired category.
• Click on "Submit".

What is a Grading Schema?

A Grading Schema is a mapping of percentage ranges to specific grade displays. For example, a student's raw numeric score on a quiz that has 100 possible points is an 88. In a Grading Schema in which a percentage of 87.5 to 89.5 equals a B+, this score results in a B+. If the grade display Letter option is chosen, the B+ will display to the Student.

How do I set the Grading Schema (or modify the Letter Grade Point Breakdown or the Grading Scale)?

To set the letter grade point breakdown in your course site, go to the Control Panel:

• Click on the Grade Center.
• Click Manage and Select Grading Schemas.
• Click the Modify button next to the word Letter and follow the instructions and make the necessary scale changes.
• Click on "Submit".

Can I add comments to grades?

Adding comments to a grade provides a way for instructors to give additional feedback to students regarding their performance. Any grade entry in the Grade Center may have comments added to it. "Feedback to User" comments are visible to students when they access their "My Grades" area. "Grading Notes" are not visible to students, but may be useful for sharing grading decisions among multiple instructors. Comments are added through the Grade Center Spreadsheet View or the Grade Details page.

Entering Comments through the Spreadsheet View:

• From the course Control Panel, select Grade Center
• On the Grade Center screen, locate the student and grade item you wish to add a comment to. (Note: It is necessary to have a grade entered before you can add a comment).
• Move the cursor to the right of the entered grade and click the in-cell Action Link to select Add Comment from the contextual menu that appears.
• In the pop-up window, enter comments to share with the student in the "Feedback to User" textbox.
• In the "Grading Notes" text box, enter internal instructor notes. These will not be visible to students.
• Click on "Submit" to save your comments.

Entering Comments through the Grade Detail page:

• Move the cursor to the right of the entered grade and click the in-cell Action Link to select Grade Detail from the contextual menu that appears.
• When the Grade Detail page appears, click Override in the Current Grade area or click Modify Attempt under the Actions column.
• Enter comments to share with the student in the Feedback to User textbox.
• In the Grading Notes textbox, enter internal instructor notes. These will not be visible to students.
• Click on "Save" to save your comments.

How do I send email from within the Grade Center?

• Click on the Control Panel.
• Under "Assessment" click on "Grade Center."
• Mouse over the "Check Mark" to the left of the "Last Name" column (left-most column) to reveal the chevron symbol. Click on the chevron symbol, then click on "Select All" to automatically put check marks next to all names in the list (To send an email to an individual or a select group of users as opposed to all users, you can simply place check marks next to each of the select user's Last Name without mousing over the "check mark" icon in the top-left corner of the Grade Center).
• Mouse over the "Email" button on the "Grade Center's" Action Bar to access the drop-down contextual menu for "Email". Choose "Email Selected Users" (at least one user must have a check mark) and click on it.
• "Send Email" page displays, with the Last Name and First Name of the email recipient(s) in the "To" field, separated by commas.
• Compose the email with Subject, Message, and optional Attachments, and click on "Submit".
• Upon successful completion of the task, the Grade Center page displays with "Success" message at the top of the page (including the names of the email recipients). Click on "Close" to diminish the "Success" message.

How can I use Grade Center Reports?

Printable Reports, like a progress report, are available by clicking Reports on the Action Bar and defining the report data. Reports print the data for one Student per page. Reports can display all or a number of Students or Groups; Grade Columns or Calculated Columns; a Grading Period; or all of the columns in a Category. Reports can be customized in a variety of ways, including Report header and footer information. Reports can also include a signature line, date, Course Information, and many other data elements.

To generate a report:

• Click on the Control Panel.
• Click on Reports.
• On the Generate Reports page, enter a name for the report (e.g. Weeks 1-5; Papers; Quizzes; etc). For the rest of options, select/deselect fields as needed to be included or excluded from the report.
• Click on "Submit". The report will be generated and displayed in a new browser window. A printer icon on the report page allows you to print the report. Close the browser window once finished.

How can I use the Grade History?

The Grade History in the Grade Center records all of the changes that occur to grades within a Course. The Grade History page displays all the data for grade submissions within a set date range. It is possible to manipulate the view in the Grade History and export the information.

There is a "Grade History" button on the Grade Center's Action Bar. By clicking on the "Grade History" button, an instructor can view/Download the grade history, Clear All Grade History, and Disable Grade History if desired.

To access Grade History:

• Click on the Control Panel.
• Click on the Grade Center.
• Click on Grade History.