Gradebook Overview

Gradebook Overview

Fall 2010 Updates:

• The Gradebook Dashboard columns now automatically display assignments in their appropriate columns without having to wait for a "trigger" (e.g., grade entry, approved grade, etc.)
• The column titles on the Dashboard have been changed to represent the grading "actions" in the aforementioned display changes.
• The "Approve All" button on the Assignments page is now more distinguishalbe from the "Save Changes" button.

Spring 2010 Updates:

• Students can now see make-up grades.
• Actual and original/make-up grades will automatically display to students (settings are configurable).
• Make-up grades can now be exported via spreadsheet.
• When assigning make-up grades, the make-up grade field now auto-populates the "actual" grade field.
• Actual and make-up grades are not averaged.
• Instructional text boxes have been made more visible.

The following conditions apply when using the Stellar Gradebook:

• When a student selects the Gradebook navigation link, they will only see their own Grade Report.
• A student cannot view another student's grades.
• Students see only the grades that have been approved by Instructors/TAs.
• The Gradebook must be configured to hide grades. By default, grades are displayed.
• Unauthorized users will see an error message if they try to access the Gradebook.
• Graders can not configure the gradebook, approve grades or see assignments that have not been explicitly made available to them.

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The Gradebook provides online management of grades for assignments and exams. Stellar can perform weighted calculations for these grades, display cumulative scores, and create a private Grade Report for each student. In addition to creating assignments in the gradebook, you can also import assignments from Homework into the Gradebook. This means you can enter all grades for online and offline submissions in one location, and Stellar can perform grade calculations for all class submissions and exams.

See our Updates for Spring 2010

Activating the Gradebook for your class

• Login to your Stellar class site
  
• Click the Website Settings link at the bottom of the left navigation bar
  
• Click the "Edit Navigation Bar" option
  ** Basic Mode page is displayed
  
• Under the "show" column, check the box next to "Gradebook"
  ** Tip: If the Gradebook link is not listed, look for the link in "Advanced Mode".
  
• Click "Submit" at the bottom of the page
  

  Gradebook Basics

• Add or import assignments into the Gradebook.
• Enter and approve grades.
  

  Beyond the basics, you can:

• Change the configuration settings that determine whether the Gradebook displays weight percentages and determines which scores are displayed in a student's Grade Report.
• Edit or delete assignments.
• Change grades.
• View a grade's history.
• View grade summaries.
• Export grade information to an .xls or .csv file.

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The Dashboard is the landing page for the Gradebook and displays which assignments require grading, approving of grades, and which assignments have been completely graded and approved. Directions on how to add assignments to the Gradebook can he be found here.

The Grading Task Lists

The three columns on the dashboard list the assignments that require grading and approving and the assignments where all grades have been entered and approved.

Needs Grading - Lists assignments/exams that have no grades assigned or have grades that are overdue. Click the assignment/exam title to jump to the grading table where you can finalize outstanding scores.

Needs Approving - Lists assignments/exams that have grades entered but not yet approved. Click the assignment/exam title to jump to the grading table where you can approve grades that are ready to be finalized.

All Done - Lists assignments/exams that have been graded, approved, and released to students. Click the assignment/exam title to jump to the grading table where you can view all released grades.

The Find Student Field

Clicking on the 'Find Student field will bring up a list of enrolled students:

The Download Dropdown Menu

The 'Download' dropdown menu allows you to export various portions of the Gradebook:

• Roster XLS / CSV- Downloads the Students page in either XLS or CSV format. This includes student's names, username, MIT ID, Section, letter grade, cumulative grade, and the grades for each assignment. 
• Roster XLS with makeup grades- Downloads the Students page in XLS format. This includes student's names, username, MIT ID, Section, letter grade, cumulative grade, the Actual Grade, Original Grade and Makeup Grade for each assignment.
• Assignments XLS- Downloads the Assignments page in XLS format. This includes the title, short name, due date, max points, whether the assignment is accessible to graders, and whether it has been removed. 
• Letter Grades XLS- Exports the 'Letter Grades' page in XLS format. This includes student's names, username, MIT ID, Section, letter grade, cumulative grade, and whether the grades have been approved. 
• Grade History XLS- Downloads the grade history in XLS format. This includes the assignment, student name, student username, student's MIT ID, the date, the grader's name, the grader's username, the grader's role, the grade type, and the actual grade.

The Import Menu

The 'Import' menu allows you to import various portions of the Gradebook:

• Import Excel - You can upload assignments, letter grades, the complete grade history, and the student roster here.
  Note: When importing an excel sheet into the gradebook, you must use the same file you exported - you cannot copy and paste the data into another spreadsheet. There is hidden information contained within the exported spreadsheet that is required for the file to be recognized by the gradebook.
  
  

Stellar automatically adds the students to the Gradebook, and your Access Control settings determine who has access to the Gradebook.

Gradebook Navigation

Clicking Gradebook in the navigation bar displays the Student/Grade List. From there, use the tabs to display different pages of the Gradebook:

• Dashboard: The Dashboard is the home page for the Gradebook. The Dashboard details the UNFINISHED, UNAPPROVED, and RELEASED SCORES information so Instructors/Graders can easily review "to-do" items, pending assignments, and assignment/exam scores that remains open or unresolved.
• Students: Displays the Student/Grade List page, from which you can drill down to a student's grade list.
• Assignments: Displays pages where you enter and approve grades and edit assignments.
• Add/Import Assignments: Displays the page for adding and importing assignments to the Gradebook.
• Letter Grades: Click Letter Grades to jump to the LETTER GRADING TABLE form where Instructors/Graders can assign a Letter Grade to each Student.
• Configure Gradebook: Displays the configuration options that specify whether assignment grades are weighted and whether weighting, actual scores, and cumulative scores are displayed in the students' Grade Reports.

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The CONFIGURE page is where the Gradebook properties are set, including those affecting Grade Calculation, Student Grade Display and administrative grading permissions:

From the CONFIGURE page, you can also:
* Preview a sample Grade Report
* Assign specific Gradebook permissions to TAs and Graders. Click here for general information about Access Control.

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