Gradebook
- Sandy Mustico
Table of Contents
The Gradebook in your blackboard course can be used to record and calculate final grades. However, blackboard is not linked to MySlice where instructors must post the official grade of record. Instructors can download the Blackboard gradebook and upload it to MySlice. Please refer to the registrar’s published information for instructors on how to post official grades to MySlice.
Access the Gradebook
Select the gradebook tab from the top navigation menu.
Gradebook Tab Indicators
If you have submissions that need grading, the number of items to grade appears next to the Gradebook tab as a numerical indicator.
An exclamation point indicates that all submissions are graded, but grades for one or more submissions needs to be posted or reconciled.
Gradebook Views
Overview Tab
View items that need reconciling, grading and/or posting in the overview tab. This section will allow you to quickly see and prioritize grading tasks. Tasks will be grouped by “Needs reconciling”, ‘Needs Grading’ and ‘Needs Posting’ with a numerical indicator to show how many items need attention. Note that students can only view grades after they have been posted.
Gradable Items Tab
Select this tab to view all gradable items. Use the column header filters to sort by item, category, due date, grading status and the item’s post status.
Rearrange course items using the move arrows. Click and drag the item using the opposing arrows. Release mouse to drop. How the gradable items are arranged here will reflect the same order it will appear in the grades view.
Manage your gradable item using the three dot menu. Options will vary depending on the type of item you’re managing.
Select the gray post grades button to post grades. If you did not select to post grades automatically when creating your assignment/exam, you will need to manually post the grades before students can see their grade and any feedback.
View student submission receipts by selecting the following icon. Enter the submission receipt number to find the item.
Work with gradebook data offline using the upload and download buttons.
Select the gear icon to open the gradebook settings panel to set up grade schemas, overall grade, grade categories and rubrics. View this page for a more detailed overview of the gradebook settings.
Grades Tab
Grades view displays a row for each student and columns for each gradable item. An item's total points and grading status are displayed at the top. A label, " New Submission," is displayed in cells where students have submitted work and if you have enabled automatic zeros for past due work in the gradebook settings, the cell will show a score of 0 and will be labeled ‘Automatic zero’ in red.
Click on the item icon at the top of the Grades View to open a menu with options such as send reminder, edit and download results. Options will vary depending on the type of item it is.
Assign a grade by clicking anywhere in a cell, enter your grade and click anywhere outside the grade area to save it. Clicking in the cell allows you manage the submission. Select the appropriate action from the menu. It’s important to remember that you must post grades in order for students to see their grade and any associated feedback. Learn more about add or edit exceptions and exemptions here.
Use the arrow buttons to sort columns into ascending or descending order.
Filter by course section, student, assignment or a combination of these.
View student submission receipts by selecting the following icon. Enter the submission receipt number to find the item.
Work with gradebook data offline using the upload and download buttons.
Select the gear icon to open the gradebook settings panel to set up grade schemas, overall grade, grade categories and rubrics. View this page for a more detailed overview of the gradebook settings.
Students Tab
You can use the search feature to narrow your view to a specific student’s attempts/grades. Type one or more characters in the search box and select the student’s name. You can now review and share grades with that student. The grades for the other students are hidden and protected. To exit out of the single student view, click on the x in the search box.
Click the arrows next to the column header to filter items by ascending or descending order.
If you have a large number of students, you can select to show up to 100 students per page. You can use the directional arrows to move between additional pages.
To add an accommodation, go to the Students view of the gradebook. Select the three dot menu at the end of a student row, and then select Accommodations to open the Accommodations panel. Once an accommodation has been applied, you will see an accommodation flag next to the student’s name.
You can also send a direct message to the student by selecting Message student from the ellipsis menu options.
View student submission receipts by selecting the following icon. Enter the submission receipt number to find the item.
Work with gradebook data offline using the upload and download buttons.
Select the gear icon to open the gradebook settings panel to set up grade schemas, overall grade, grade categories and rubrics. View this page for a more detailed overview of the gradebook settings.
Student Overview
From the student’s tab, you can access the Student Overview by selecting a student’s name. You will see four tab options; Grades, Progress, Notes and Activity Log.
Grades Tab
In this view, you will have the ability to view Student Activity, Set Accommodations and Send a Message to the student by selecting the appropriate tool option from the top right of the student page.
A list of student’s submissions with due date, status, grade and feedback can be easily viewed. Use the sort handles next to the column header to sort items in ascending or descending order.
If you have already added feedback to the item, you will see a feedback icon. Select it to open the grade and feedback panel. In the feedback panel, you can select the ellipsis menu to post the grade for the student, or select the pencil icon to add/edit student feedback. Select save to capture the changes.
Select the ellipsis menu that appears to the right of the item’s row. Here you can view an attempt log for tests and assignments, or select to add or edit exceptions and exemptions.
Progress Tab
If you have turned on progress tracking in the Details & Actions menu, you can view individual student progress on items in the course here. To expand a folder or module, select the appropriate arrow to the right of the item’s row. If the progress icon is empty, the student has not accessed the content. The status will show that it is ‘unopened’. After a student has accessed an item, the progress icon is a half-filled circle. The status shows ‘started’ with a time and date stamp. For items that have been submitted, the progress icon displays a green checkmark. The status will show ‘Completed’ with a time and date stamp of completion. A green lock denotes that the item is not visible to students.
Notes Tab
The notes tab is a dedicated space in the gradebook where instructors, TAs and graders can log notes pertaining to a student in the course. These notes are private and the most recent notes appear at the top of the list. Each note will show the author's name and a timestamp of when it was added. If a note is edited, a separate timestamp for the edit is added.
Activity Log Tab
Instructors can view a student’s activity log. The activity log can be filtered by start/end date within the past 120 days. Any activity beyond 120 days will no longer be stored. You can also filter by event. Select the events down arrow to expand the events menu.
An example of what you might see in the activity log with “All” Events selected.