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 journalsallows you to quickly access submissions, review and manage assessments, search, add or download marks. You can also create grade columns for any activities or requirements you want to grademark, 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:
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Gradebook views
When you select the Gradebook option in the Course toolbar, you’ll see there are four views or tabs: Overview, Markable items, Marks and Students.
Overview
The Overview option provides a snapshot of assessment items that need marking or posting in the module.
Markable items view
Under Markable Items you see a list of all your assessments in your course
Click on an assessment name will take you to the Submissions view of that assessment, which displays a list of all your students' submissions allowing you to work through your marking.
Marks view
Marks view is a bit like the old Grade centre. You’ll see a list of all your students in the first column and a column for each of the assessments in your course. Any new submissions, marked submissions and missing submissions will be highlighted.
In Marks view, click on the the text box beside a student’s name this gives you a drop-down menu of options
View — Go directly to the assignment submission and start
marking.
Feedback & Notes— Enter feedback or internal marking notes for overridden test/assignment grades and automatic zeros.
Post — Post a
mark so the student can see their result.
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. |
Clicking View takes you into the submission with your feedback and marking tools.
Students
Under Students you will see a list of all the students enrolled in the module.
Click on the ellipsis (three dots) along side the student name to set an accommodation or message the student.
or click on the Student’s name to see their marks in each assignment
Gradebook functions
In the top right corner of Markable, Marks and Students views there are a number of Gradebook functions.
These allow you to:
a. Search the Gradebook by submission receipt
b. Upload your Gradebook marks (if you have worked offline)
c. Download your Gradebook marks
d. Edit your Gradebook settings.
Gradebook settings
Clicking on the cog, in the top right corner will open up the Gradebook settings panel.
Here you can manage Grade schemas, Student performance, assign automatic zeros, set up Overall mark, set Student visibility, set up Mark categories, create and manage rubrics
Student Performance
Student performance allows you to set alerts for student behaviour such as a falling below a particular mark, missing due dates or limited access to the course. When a student falls below this set level they will have a flag against their name and you’ll receive a notification in your activity stream.
Automatic Zeros
Allows you to assign automatic zeros for overdue work, students can submit late to update their marks, students with accommodations aren't affected.
Overall mark
Overall mark allows you to set up a column that shows the overall mark based on points, weighted average or a calculated formula, see section below on how to set up your overall mark.
Course Rubrics
Course rubrics allows you to create, duplicate edit or delete rubrics for Blackboard assignments. See creating rubrics for Blackboard assignments for more information.
Filter function
In Markable items view you have an additional Filter function.
Click on Filter to open the Filter panel, which allows you to search your students and submissions according to particular criteria:
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 Items - 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.
Overall mark
You also have a panel to the left that allows you to set up the overall mark, which is optional.
This option allows you to set up a column that shows the overall mark based on points, weighted average or a calculated formula.
For calculating the overall mark for two pieces of coursework e.g one worth 60% and one 40% use a weighted overall mark.
In the Overall Mark screen, select Weighted and Proportionally
Then deselect items in the list that won’t contribute to overall mark by selecting the 
Unlink the items in the list that contribute to the mark by clicking 
so will move to the top of the list of items.
Enter the percentage value each assessment will contribute to the overall mark.
Select percentage or points and whether to show it to students and then save
Watch this video on creating an overall mark based on a weighted average:
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