Step-By-Step
Downloading and Uploading Grades
(Text version)

1. Blackboard allows instructors and TAs to download a copy of their Blackboard gradebook. This downloaded copy can be edited in Microsoft Excel and uploaded back to the gradebook.

2. To download a copy of your Blackboard gradebook:

• Log into the Blackboard course site as usual.
• Go to Control Panel / Gradebook. This displays the Gradebook Spreadsheet.
• Click on the "Download Grades" button located at the top of the spreadsheet. A Download Spreadsheet page will be displayed with downloading instructions.
• Click on the "Download" button. This will display your computer's Download dialogue box. Click on "Save". This will display your computer's Save As dialogue box. Locate a folder on your hard drive to save the file. You can rename it if you want. Click on "Save". The file will be downloaded and placed on your hard drive.
• The file is automatically saved as a .csv file which can be opened and edited in Microsoft Excel.
• It is a very good idea to download a copy of your gradebook every time you update your grades.
• At the end of the semester all of the student accounts are normally removed from the course site. When accounts are removed form the course site all of the grade information is deleted as well. Make sure you download a copy of your gradebook before the student accounts are removed from the course site.

3. To edit your downloaded gradebook in Microsoft Excel:

• Open Microsoft Excel on your computer.
• Open The downloaded file. This will display the gradebook information in the Excel spreadsheet.(You may have to charge the Files of Type to "All Files" on the Excel Open dialogue box to locate your gradebook file.)
• The far left column will contain the names of the students having accounts in the course site. This is followed by a column for each graded item. The last two columns are "Total" and "Weighted Total".
  
• If you plan to calculate your grades in Excel and upload them to the Blackboard gradebook, it is best to set up the gradebook in Blackboard initially including all of the items to be graded. Download a copy of this gradebook after the student accounts have been added to the course site. You can then edit or add grades to any of the existing cells. You can also use Excel's many equations to calculate the grades. You may want to first include gradebook items that reflect "Running" grade or "Final Grade" or "Midterm Grade" as you will be able to calculate the results for these columns in Excel. Do not create any new columns in Excel, even though Blackboard allows you to import new columns. This function seems to not work and Blackboard has not yet fixed the problem.
• Since you will perform all grade calculations in Excel, it is best to turn off the display of the "Total" and "Weighted Total" columns in the student's gradebook view. You can do this by clicking on the title "Weighted Total" at the top of its column. This will display the Item Options for the "Weighted Total". Click on the "Item Information" link. This displays the Add/Modify Gradebook Item form. Select "No" for "Make item visible to students". Follow the same procedure for the "Total" column.
• If you plan to calculate your grades in Excel and upload them to the Blackboard gradebook, it is best not to use the any Blackboard grading functionality (except adding grades to an item) as all needed functionality can be incorporated into your Excel spreadsheet. To do this, make sure that when you create an item to be graded (Control Panel / Gradebook / Add Item) that the radio button is set to "No" for "Include item in gradebook score calculations".
  
• If you use the Excel formulas for calculating a column of grades, and those grades are in percentage format, make sure the cells are formatted for percentage without any decimal places.
  
• When you have made the necessary changes in your Excel file save it to your hard drive.

4. To upload your Excel gradebook:

• Log into the Blackboard course site as usual.
• Go to Control Panel / Gradebook. This displays the Gradebook spreadsheet.
• Click on the "Upload Grades" button at the top of the spreadsheet. This will display the Upload Grades page with instructions.
• Click on the "Browse" button. This will display your computer's file locater dialogue box. Locate the gradebook file (.csv) on your computer. Select the file and click "Open". The file locator box will disappear and the path to the file will be located in the box next to the "Browse" button.
• Click on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page. This will open the Choose Column to Import form. Listed on the form are all of the columns available in your Excel file under section #1 and all of the existing columns in the Blackboard gradebook under column #2.
• You can only upload one column at a time. Under section #1, select the column from your Excel file that you want to upload by clicking on the radio button to the left of the column's tile.
• Under section #2, select the column from the Blackboard gradebook as the destination for the uploaded Excel column. Do not use the "Create New Gradebook Item" radio button. This function does not work and has not yet been fixed by Blackboard. If you need a new column. Create it first in Blackboard (with all radio buttons set to "NO") and download it first.
  
• Click on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page. This will display the Choose Rows to Import form. This lists the names of all the rows of information in your Excel file.
• Checkmark the rows you wish to import.
• Click on the "Submit" button. A receipt will be displayed telling you that the gradebook has been updated. Click on the "OK" button. This will display the gradebook spreadsheet with the column added.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this Step-By-Step procedure contact the Tufts Blackboard Administrator at: nhirsig@tufts.edu