Step-By-Step
Using "Total" and "Weighted Total"
(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. There are 2 default columns on the right called "Total" and "Weighted Total". You can use these columns to calculate and display a "running" grade for all items graded to date throughout the semester or a final grade.

3. If each item in the gradebook carries the same "weight", you can use the "Total" column to calculate and display a "running" or final grade. If each item in the gradebook does not carry the same "weight", you must use both the "Weighted Total" column and the "Total" column to calculate and display a "running" and final grade.

To use the "Total" column to calculate and display a "running" or final grade:

• Go to Control Panel / Gradebook. This will display the Gradebook's View Spreadsheet form
  
• Click on the title "Weighted Total" at the top of its column. This will display the Item Options for the "Weighted Total".
• Since we are not using this option, we will turn it off. Click on the "Item Information" link. This displays the Add/Modify Gradebook Item form. Select "No" for "Make item visible to students" and use the dropdown box under "Display As" and choose "Text". Click on the "Submit" button. A receipt will be displayed telling you that the item has been updated. Return to Control Panel / Gradebook displaying the spreadsheet. Note that the "Weighted Total" column has "0" for the column values and students will not be able to see this column on their "View Grades" page.
  
• Click on the title "Total" at the top of that column. This will display the Item Options for the "Total". Click on the "Item Information" link. This displays the Add/Modify Gradebook Item form. Make sure the "Display As" is set to "Percentage or "Letter". "Percentage will display a percentage value for the "running" or final grade. Letter will display a letter grade for the "running" or final grade. Make sure that the "Yes" radio button is selected for "Make item visible to students". This will display the "running" or final grade on the student's View Grade page. Click on the "Submit button at the bottom of the page. Return to Control Panel / Gradebook displaying the spreadsheet.
  
• As you add new items to gradebook, make sure that the "Points Possible" is always 100, the "Display As" is either "Percentage" or "Letter" (these can be used interchangeably), "Make item visible to students" radio button is set to "No" and "Include item in gradebook score calculations" is set to "No". You can always reach these settings by clicking on the name of the item at the top of the column and choosing "Item Information". To grade the items click on the name of the item at the top of the column and choose "Item Grade List ".
  
• After you are finished grading an item, change the "Make item visible to students" radio button to "Yes" and "Include item in gradebook score calculations" is set to "Yes". As each item is graded and added to the gradebook calculations, the "Total" column will reflect a "running grade" because each item has the same weight and each item has 100 Possible Points. When all of the items are added, graded and displayed, the grade listed in the "Total" column is the student's final grade.
  
• Remember that using the "Total" column to calculate the "running" and final grade only works if each item carries the same "weight", each item is assigned a "Percentage" or "Letter" grade display and each item has 100 Possible Points. To make the "running" grade accurate you must leave the "Include item in gradebook score calculations" is set to "No" until that item is graded, then change it to "Yes".
  
• You can include items in the Gradebook that are not considered in the "running" or final grade by selecting the "No" radio button next to "Include item in gradebook score calculations" for that item. This is convenient for policies such as "dropping the lowest grade".

4. To use the "Weighted Total" and "Total" column in tandem to calculate and display a "running" or final grade:

• Go to Control Panel / Gradebook. This will display the Gradebook's View Spreadsheet form
  
• Click on the title "Total" at the top of its column. This will display the Item Options for the "Total".
• Click on the "Item Information" link. This displays the Add/Modify Gradebook Item form. Select "Yes" for "Make item visible to students" and use the dropdown box under "Display As" and choose either "Percentage" or "Letter" . Click on the "Submit" button. A receipt will be displayed telling you that the item has been updated. Return to Control Panel / Gradebook displaying the spreadsheet.
  
• Click on the title "Weighted Total" at the top of that 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. Make sure the "Display As" is set to "Percentage". "Percentage will display a percentage value for the "running" or final grade. Make sure that the "Yes" radio button is selected for "Make item visible to students". Click on the "Submit button at the bottom of the page. Return to Control Panel / Gradebook displaying the spreadsheet.

5. We must now assign the "weights" to the graded items. Click on the "Weight Grades" button at the top of the Gradebook spreadsheet. This displays the "Weight Grades" form. You can choose to weight grades by category or by item.

• To weight by category, select the "weight by category" radio button and full in the categories column with the specific weights. Note that when you created an item to grade you were required to select a "category" for that item. Assigning weights by category is convenient if there are multiple items that together have a single weight. For instance, If you require 12 weekly lab reports for the semester, and these reports together are worth 25% of the final grade, you can categorize all 12 items as "Lab" and assign assign a weight of 25% to the Lab category.
• The weight for each item in a category is calculated by taking the weight for the category it’s in and dividing that by the number of items in the category.
• Each item in a category is worth the same weight, regardless of total points. For example, if labs are worth 25% as a category, a lab worth 100 points will not be weighted more then a quiz worth 50 points.
• The Weight by Category feature uses the following formula:
  
  Sum (( category weight / number of items the category ) * (item score / points possible)
  
  In other words, the weighted total for each item is calculated by taking the the category and dividing that by the number of items in that category.
• The total weights in the weight by category must equal 100.
• Click on the "Submit" button. A receipt will be displayed telling you the the weight grades has been updated. Click "OK" to return to the gradebook spreadsheet

6. To weight by item:

• Select the "weight by item" radio button and full in the items column with the specific weights.
• The total of the weights must equal 100%.
• Click on the "Submit" button. A receipt will be displayed telling you the the weight grades has been updated. Click "OK" to return to the gradebook spreadsheet

7. If you use "weight by item" it is usually easier to have all of the items listed in the gradebook (but not visible to students) before the class begins. If you are using "weight by category", you can set the weight assignments to the categories and add the items to be graded later.

8. As you add new items to grade, make sure that the "Points Possible" is always 100, the "Display As" is either "Percentage" or "Letter" (these can be used interchangeably), "Make item visible to students" radio button is set to "No" and "Include item in gradebook score calculations" is set to "No". You can always reach these settings by clicking on the name of the item at the top of the column and choosing "Item Information". To grade the items click on the name of the item at the top of the column and choose "Item Grade List ".

9. After you are finished grading an item, change the "Make item visible to students" radio button to "Yes" and "Include item in gradebook score calculations" is set to "Yes". As each item is graded and added to the gradebook calculations, the "Total" column will reflect a "running" grade. This "running" grade is a simple average of all of the items graded. It include no "weight" information. If you do not want the students to see this "Total" grade, click on the title "Total" at the top of that column in the spreadsheet. This will display the Item Options for the "Total". Click on the "Item Information" link. This displays the Add/Modify Gradebook Item form. Select the "No" radio button for "Make item visible to students". This will remove the "Total" column from the student's view of their grades.

10. As each item is graded and added to the gradebook calculations, the "Weighted Total" column in the gradebook spreadsheet will also reflect a "running" grade. This "running" grade is a "percentage attained to date" grade. It reflects the percentage of the total grade earned based on the items that have been graded to date allowing for the weight assigned to any individual grade (or category of grades). When all of the items are added, graded and displayed, the grade listed in the "Weighted Total" column is the student's final grade. If you do not want the students to see this "Weighted Total" grade, click on the title "Weighted Total" at the top of that column in the spreadsheet. 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 the "No" radio button for "Make item visible to students". This will remove the "Weighted Total" column from the student's view of their grades.

11.You can include items in the Gradebook that are not considered in the "running" or final grade by selecting the "No" radio button next to "Include item in gradebook score calculations" for that item. This is convenient for policies such as "dropping the lowest grade".

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