Step-By-Step
Pre-Configuring the Gradebook
(Text version)

1. Blackboard provides instructors and TAs a Gradebook function which allows them to track, calculate and post student grades. To access the Blackboard gradebook;

• Log into the Blackboard course site as usual.
• Go to Control Panel / Gradebook. This will display the Gradebook's View Spreadsheet form

2. The Gradebook spreadsheet is divided into columns and rows. The far left column contains the names of each student holding an account on the course site. The columns to the right hold the grades for the various items that are graded. The Blackboard Gradebook is not a real spreadsheet program. There are two default columns on the right called "Total" and "Weighted Total". The only mathematical calculations a Blackboard Gradebook can perform is (1) add the total number of points awarded to each student in each column and display that score in the "Total" column and (2) display a total number of points based on the weighted settings in the "Weighted Total" column.

3. Students do not have access to the spreadsheet. Students view their grades via Tools / View Grades. Students can view only their own grades and instructors can control the display of each grade.

4. Grades can be displayed in the spreadsheet and in the student's view as either: "Complete/Incomplete" (displayed as a checkmark or no checkmark), "Score" (displayed as any number from 0 to 99,999), "Percentage" (displayed as a percentage from 0% to 100%), "Letter" (displayed as "F" through "A+") or "Text" (displayed as any text or numbers up to 30 characters).

5. If you plan to use Blackboard's Gradebook function to simply record grades and display them for students without using the "Total" or "Weighted Total" column to calculate a final grade, you do not need to pre-configure the gradebook. You will be able to enter grades of any display type and allow those grades to be viewed or not viewed by the students.

6. If you plan to use the gradebook's "Total" or "Weighted Total" in determining a final grade, some pre-configuration of the gradebook is in order.

• Since the final grade eventually needs to be displayed as a "Letter" grade, Blackboard has pre-configured the gradebook to establish a relationship between "Letter" grades and "Percentage" grades. To see this pre-configured relationship, click on the "Gradebook Settings" button at the top of the spreadsheet. This will display the Gradebook Settings menu. Click on the "Manage Display Options" link. This will display the Manage Display Options page. Note that the 5 types of displays for grades are listed at the left. Click on the "Modify" button to the right of the "Letter" grade. This displays the Add/Modify Grade Display Options for the "Letter" grade. This form defines the relationship between "Percentage" grades and "Letter" grades.
• For instance, if you enter 82% as a "Percentage" grade for a graded item, it is the equivalent of a "B-" in "Letter" grade format. If you enter a "B-" as a "Letter" grade for a graded item, it is the equivalent of a "81.5%" in "Percentage" grade format.
• The pre-configured relationship between "Percentage" and "Letter" grades is very standard, however, you can adjust this relationship to your liking by entering new values, "Adding" or "Removing" breakpoints. If you make any changes to this page, click on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page and the relationship will be updated.
  
• There is no relationship between "Letter" grades and "Complete/Incomplete", "Score" or "Text" grade formats.
  
• Because of this relationship between "Letter" and "Percentage" it is strongly suggested that if you intend to use the "Total" or Weighted Total" columns to calculate or display a final grade, you should assign 100 points to each graded item and display the item grade as either a "Percentage" or a "Letter" grade. This method also allows you to use the "Total" or Weighted Total" to calculate or display a current grade up to any point - in effect a "running" final grade based on the items graded to date.

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