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Blackboard Tools Tutorial

The Grade Center The Blackboard Grade Center allows you to manage your course

gradebook. This tutorial will cover working in the Full Grade Center,

Needs Grading and My Grades.

The Grade Center links are located in the Course Management area of the course menu

pane.

Needs Grading accesses student work waiting to be graded.

The Full Grade Center link opens the course gradebook.

You may see additional links to Assignments and Tests that opens filtered versions of

the gradebook.

Working in the Full Grade Center

The Full Grade Center displays the course gradebook.

1. The rows contain student names and grades, and each column contains a specific

assessment (see image.)

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2. The default grading system is points based. For information on using a weighted

system, please refer to the Office of Instructional Technology website,

http://scccoit.com/blackboard, scroll down to the section heading, Assessment and

Evaluations, and click on Weighted Grades.

3. If you have used one or more of Blackboard’s assessment tools to create, for

example, assignments, tests, or discussions, then the related grade item columns will

be automatically setup in the grade center. Mousing over the column headings of

each grade column displays additional information such as the number of points the

items are worth along with the categories they are associated with. To see additional

columns that are not currently displayed, drag the scroll bar, located at the bottom of

the list of rows, to the right.

Please note: Some browsers do not display the scroll bar. The workaround is to click on Edit

Rows Displayed, increase the number of rows to display, then click on Go.

2. To manually create grade columns select Create Column from the action bar. This is

useful when you need

to add grade columns

for additional

assessments, such as

class participation.

Additional Information

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Grade Center Name (1) allows you customize the item name that appears in the

grade book. There is a 15 character limitation.

Entering a Description (2) is optional.

The Primary Display (1) is the grade format displayed to both instructors and

students.

The Secondary Display (2) option allows you to add a second grade format that is

displayed only to the instructor.

Score attempts using (3) provides several options for grading multiple student

attempts.

Category (4) allows you to change the category for that item. For example, all

assignments can be grouped within the category named Assignment.

You are required to enter a number in the Points Possible (5) field. Use a 0 for a

non-credit item.

Associated Rubrics (6) can be included for each grade item.

1

21

121

1

221

1

3221

1 21

1

4221

1 21

1

54221

1 21

1

221

1 21

1

64221

1 21

1

221

1 21

1

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The Dates and Grading Options sections are used infrequently in higher

education.

The Options section has three settings relating to grading and displaying the

column. These settings need to be reviewed by the instructor.

Submit when done.

Editing a Grade Column

The grade column settings are accessed by clicking on the down arrow next to a grade

column heading and selecting Edit Column Information.

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Hiding a Grade Column

Click on the down arrow next to a grade column heading and select Hide from Students.

Moving Grade Columns

1. From the Full Grade Center select Manage from the Action bar and then click on

Column Organization.

Change the order of the columns by using the double headed arrows, next to any

column name to drag up or down.

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You can also show a column to or hide a column from students by checking the box

to the left of the column and mousing over the Show/Hide button to view the

available options. Note: You may have to scroll to the top or bottom of the page to

view this button.

Select Submit when done.

Manually Entering a Grade

1. To manually enter a grade locate the grade column item and then click twice inside

the grade cell for a specific student.

2. Press Enter.

Needs Grading Screen

1. Go back to the course menu and under Grade Center select Needs Grading.

2. Click on the name of the student to view and /or grade a submission.

You can filter items that need grading by Category, Item, User and/or Date

submitted. This is useful when there are a lot of items waiting to be graded.

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Click on the Filter button (1).

Choose one or more filters and then click on Go (2).

In the image on the next page, we selected the category Discussions and then

selected a student whose discussion posts we wanted to view. (To grade that

student’s postings for a specific discussion, click on the name of the student to

access the Grade panel).

My Grades Link

1. Students view their grades by selecting the My Grades link located in the Course

Menu.

When students click on the My Grades menu link, they will only see the columns that

you want them to see. They can filter their view based on Graded, Upcoming, and

Submitted.

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2. An instructor can move, rename, hide, or delete the link.

Restoring a deleted My Grades link

1. Click on the plus symbol (+) located on the upper left of the

course menu and select Tool Link.

Name the link My Grades (1).

Check the box to make it Available to Users

(2).

In the Type field choose the My Grades tool

(3).

Scroll down and click on Submit.

2. To move the link you just created.

Mouse over the link.

Select the double arrows on the left and drag the

link into position.

Source: https://help.blackboard.com/en-us/Learn/9.1_SP_12_and_SP_13/Instructor/110_Grade_Center/000_About_the_Grade_Center