The Gradebook in Blackboard Ultra is a dynamic and interactive tool, allowing you to record data, calculate grades and monitor student progress.
In the Gradebook, you can manage individual student grades for assignments, tests, discussion posts and journals. You can also create grade columns for any activities or requirements you want to grade, such as lab tests and field trip activities.
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Accessing the Gradebook
To learn how to access the grade book you can use this page - Access the Gradebook. This page also explains the different views within the Gradebook and how to navigate between them.
Gradebook options
When you navigate to the Gradebook, you have some additional options.
List View options:
Allows you to toggle between ‘Grid view’ and ‘List view’.
Allows you to toggle between your list of ‘Markable Items’ (Assessments) or your list of ‘Students’.
Allows you to enter ‘Student Preview’ and see what your students can see. To check all grades are hidden, use this and you will see what the student will see.
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Note that all columns have been hidden in the Gradebook in this image below. |
Here you can:
Search the Gradebook by submission receipt
Upload your Gradebook (if you have worked offline)
Download your Gradebook
Edit your Gradebook settings.
Grid view options:
Toggle between ‘List view’ and ‘Grid View’ and ‘Search’ for a specific student
Here you can:
Filter the Gradeboook (see below)
Search the Gradebook by submission receipt
Upload your Gradebook (if you have worked offline)
Download your Gradebook
Edit your Gradebook settings.
Gradebook filters:
Here you can filter the Gradebook by:
Students - look for a specific student
Groups - Similar to the old ‘Smart Views’ where you can simply filter by the preset groups in Ultra you have been tasked to mark
Markable item - filter by one specific assessment (Markable item)
Assessment Type - Formative or Summative
Assessment Category - You can set these on assignments when you are setting them up.
Grid View options
In the grid, you can select a student’s gradable item to open a menu with these options:
View — Go directly to the assignment submission and start grading.
Feedback — Enter feedback for overridden test/assignment grades and automatic zeros.
Post — Post a grade that’s been assigned but not yet posted.
Add or edit exceptions — If an assignment is timed or has a due date, you can add exceptions here, as well as allow multiple attempts.
Add or edit exemptions — You can remove an assignment from being counted towards a student’s overall grade.
The student grid contains color-coded text:
Green — Posted grades
Red — Automatic zeros
Purple — New submissions
Creating Mark Categories
A Gradebook Mark Category is a group of similar coursework. You can add custom categories to the gradebook.
The Gradebook has nine default Mark Categories: Assignment, Test, Discussion, Journal, Exam, Homework, Presentation and Quiz that cannot be removed or edited.
Mark Categories can be created to organise the Gradebook. It is best practice to Create mark categories before creating Gradebook items. Eg if you have a series of tests such as Lab1, Lab2, Lab3 etc, it would appropriate to set up a category called Laboratory Tests.
📘 Instructions
Login to Blackboard.
In the Module area select Gradebook.
Select the Settings Cog to expand the settings panel.
Scroll down the settings list and click Add New Category.
On the Categories page that loads select the Create Category button.
In the Name box, type a name for the category.
This will autosave.
Creating a column - blank or calculated
Gradebook columns represent any Student effort that is measured. Columns are added to the Gradebook automatically for work created within the system in Assignments and Tests. Work done that is not automatically graded can be measured in the Gradebook by creating a Grade column. You could use this feature to input marks for off-line activities such as practicals or lab tests. Students can access their marks online along with all their other assessments.
📘 Instructions
Login to Blackboard.
Select Gradebook from the module area you want to create the column within.
Either within List View or Grid view click the purple plus icon.
Choose from the options that appear which option you would like.
Add item - creates a blank column where you can:
Name the column,
add a due date (if applicable),
choose how marks are displayed,
allocate a total score for the assessment (we recommend 100 for all),
allocate it to a category (if applicable); and
give it a description.
Add calculation - creates a pop up for you to name your column and create your calculation you wish.
Add total calculation - this brings up additional options where you can set the overall mark for the module either through weighting multiple assessments or by adding the total points of two assessments together.
Save your column to create it.
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Remember - Check the visibility of the column to ensure what students can/cannot see. |
For further information on how to create Calculated/ Total columns, Blackboard have a very comprehensive set of instructions available - https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Ultra/Grade/Grading_Tasks/Calculate_Grades
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