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Blackboard Ultra: Faculty Resource: Gradebook Settings

 

Blackboard Ultra: Faculty Resource

Gradebook Settings

You can add or make changes to your existing settings from your course grade book to fit your grading methods. Select the Settings icon to access the Gradebook Settings panel.

Gradebook Settings Icon

  1.  Student Performance

In this section, you can adjust the activity performance criteria required to receive alerts in your activity stream, such as days of inactivity or limit percentage grades, and, in turn, send those alerts to students. The link to View class performance behavioral graphic is visible only for those courses with enough data to populate it.  Select View class performance to open the corresponding graphic and the list of students for the course. You can, in turn, select any student to check on an individual performance.

Gradebook settings zero performance

  1. Grade Schemas

In this section, you can make changes to the default grading schema. You can also view the grade book categories and create and manage rubrics. Also, you can manage grade notations to override a student's overall grade and assign automatic zeros.

Grade Schemas

 

  1. View Gradebook Categories

You can use categories when you create calculated items, such as an assignments average.

You can create new categories to customize how coursework is grouped in your course. You can use custom categories when you set up the overall grade.

To create a new grade book category, select the Settings icon. In the Gradebook Settings panel, select Add New Category and type a name.

Each time you create a graded item in your course, you have the option to change the grade category, so the item is grouped into one of the custom grade book categories. On the Gradebook Settings panel, select the custom category in the Grade Categories menu.

Gradebook Categories 

  1. Overall grade notations   

Create a grade notation in the Gradebook Settings panel. Go to Settings and click on Add Overall Grade Notation. Enter the notation and description and click Add Overall Grade Notation again to save it. Note: it cannot be a number, it must be unique, and cannot match a grade level in your course grade schema

Go back to the gradebook in grid view and select within a student's overall grade cell to apply a grade notation. In the menu, choose the notation. The cell will turn gray to indicate that you overrode the overall grade. To remove the override, select the student's overall grade cell and select Undo Override. The overall grade reverts to the overall grade calculation you defined for the course.

Image of Overall Grade Notation

  1.  Assign Automatic Zeros

You can choose to automatically assign zeros to missing work past the due date. Students and groups can still submit work after an automatic zero is assigned. Then, you can grade as normal.

After you enable this setting, you do not have to go through your grade book to assign zeros manually. The automatic zeros setting applies to these graded items:

  • Assignments and group assignments

  • Tests and group tests

  • Graded individual and group discussions

The automatic zeros setting does not apply when you collect submissions offline. You manually create the student attempts and submission dates and times.  More on collecting submissions offline

In new Ultra courses, the automatic zeros setting is enabled by default.

Gradebook Setting Automatic Zeros

Automatic Zeros in the Gradebook Page

  1. Students' grade pills display "0" in the list view when no submissions exist and the due date has passed. The label Automatic zero appears next to the grade pills. The label Complete also appears as you have nothing to grade. Automatic zeros are posted automatically.

Automatic Zeros in Gradebook

When a student submits after the due date, the automatic zero is removed. A late label appears with the submission date and time.

Zero removed after attempt

Students with due date accommodations are not affected by this setting. You can add a due date accommodation to revoke an automatic zero. Automatic zeros are assigned to past due work when you add a new student or group to your course.  More on due date accommodations

  1. In grid view, the column titles are in red when the due date has passed. In student cells, "0" and Automatic zero appear.

Automatic Zero Grid view

Disable automatic zeros

You can disable the automatic zeros setting at any time. In the Gradebook Settings panel, clear the automatic zeros check box. Next, select:

  • Keep existing automatic zeros
  • Clear existing automatic zeros

Don't assign automatic zeros

Automatic zeros will no longer be assigned. If you cleared the automatic zeros, affected students' point totals are updated.

 

Change the due date

You can change the due date of an item that already has automatic zeros assigned in the grade book. You receive a confirmation about the consequences:

  • Change due date to a date in the future: Existing automatic zeros for past due work will be cleared.
  • Change due date to a date in the past: The item is now past due, and zeros will be assigned.

If you select Cancel, the due date reverts to the original due date.

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