GRADE CENTRE BEST PRACTICE FOR A4L

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1 GRADE CENTRE BEST PRACTICE FOR A4L Overview A large number of reports use information from the Grade Centre to draw correlations between activity and student success (see appendix). This document serves as a guide on the set up of the Grade Centre with a particular focus on the effect it will have on the following integrated reports available to staff and students in their course site: - Student at a glance - Course at glance - Activity Matrix - Activity and Scatter Plot In order to get the most out of the reports we need to ensure effective use of the grade centre and take into consideration how it s use might effect the A4L reports. 1. EXTERNAL GRADE COLUMN In order to draw a correlation between a student s Grade Centre grade and activity the underlying data model needs to identify one column in the Grade Centre to draw marks from. To account for variations in set up and multiple total columns A4L draws the grade from the column marked as external grade. This can be identified in the Grade Centre by the green tick a. Setting the External Grade marker In new courses, the default Total column is the default external grade column, and the external grade icon appears in the column header. To move the External Grace centre marker access the contextual menu in the column header for the column you want to set as the external grade column and select Set as External Grade. The check mark appears in the column header you chose and no check mark appears in the default total column header. Only one column can be set as the external Grade Centre column

2 b. Removing the external grade marker You cannot delete the default total column until you set another column as the external grade. 2. CALCULATIONS A4L will display Grade Centre scores in reports as a percentage. The nature of the external grade column means it may be a simple summation of other columns that totals over 100. In such cases a students Grade Centre score will be calculated as a percentage of the total possible points (e.g. a student on 250 out of a possible 500 would receive 50%) The total possible points is calculated from: A column that is populated with a grade and The Column counts towards the Grade Centre Calculations The column is a numerical value The column worth is greater than 0 a. Weighted Columns In the case of unweighted total columns the percentage used in Analytics reports can be misleading to students as it may not indicate a true reflection of students grade. As such it is recommended that the external grade is setup using a weighted total column 1. On the action bar, point to Create Calculated Column and select Weighted Column. 2. Type a Column Name. The Column Name is the formal name for the Item, and is displayed in the Grade Center if no Grade Center Display Name is entered. This field will only display the first 15 characters in the column header. 4. Type a Description. A description will help Instructors and other graders identify the Column.

3 5. Select a Primary Display option from the drop-down list. The format chosen is the primary or only (if no Secondary Display is selected) format displayed for this Weighted Grade Item in the Grade Center. 6. Select the items to be included in the Weighted Grade Column, and enter the percentages for each column or Category to be included in the Weighted Grade. 1. Columns to Select A list of all columns in the Grade Center. Select the Column and click the arrow to add it to the Weighted Grade column. 9. Type the percentage for each selection. To delete a selected Grade Item or Category from consideration, click the red "x". 10. Calculate as a running total Select Yes to calculate the weight as a running total to include only the Columns that have been graded. Select No to include all items. 11. Share Weighted Grade column with users. The following permissions are selected to add the column to My Grades: 12. Click Submit. o Include this Column in Grade Center Calculations Makes the Column available for use in other calculations. 3. SHOW/HIDE COLUMNS a. What happens if I hide the external grade to students (i.e. in My Grades)? CAUTION - A student s grade centre percentage will still be visible to students in the Student-At-A-Glance report irrespective of the hiding rules in the Grade Centre Indicates hidden to student Converted Percentage still visible in Student- At-A-Glance Reports

4 For course that want to restrict student visibility to grades until a certain time it is recommended that a specific column is created for Analytics and that this column be marked as the external grade. This column would need to be updated manually (i.e. include new columns into the summation) only when the student is allowed to see the result. b. What happens if I hide the external grade in the gradecentre? Similarly, if the external Grade Centre column is hidden completely in the Grade Centre results will still be visible in the Analytics reports. 4. NO GRADE CENTRE USAGE If the Grade Centre is not used or the external Grade column is empty many reports (Reports that are focused on direct correlations with student s grades) will not function properly. Other reports will have fields missing. Report: Course at A Glance Outcome: Report generates, Learn Grade Centre Score column is empty. Report: Course Access Scatter Plot Outcome: Student will only be plotted against their course accesses (X Axis) all student will appear with a score of zero All users appear on 0% Grades are 0% Report: Course Activity Matrix Outcome: Report will not display any activity information. This report is dependent on Grade Centre usage. Report: Submission History Outcome: No effect

5 Report can not generate Report: Student at a Glance Outcome: Grade Centre field will display Not Used if no activity in the grade center or 0% if external column is empty Student Grade is 0% TIPS Where possible mark out of the weighting or use a weighted total for the external grade column Think carefully about what is added to the grade center calculations (e.g. practice tests need not calculate to the total) Columns that are add to the total calculation should not be worth 0 Check for hidden columns