Introduction
Below is a description, written by our staff that provide consulting services for faculty, of the issues with providing default values for the course grade scale. We will use this space to work out the requirements for this functionality as well as to post the design once it is complete.
Known Issue
The default values for the grading scale do not fit the needs for many and for others are catching them by surprise - at times after final grades have been submitted. There is no known official university grading scale.
Solution
The grading scale in the Gradebook tool should be blank, requiring the instructor to complete it.
What ramification would result if the Oncourse grade scale has not been filled in?
As in original Oncourse, grades can be entered into the gradebook but a student's overall class grade will not be calculated. Information within the gradebook items page will inform the instructor that no calculation can take place until a grade scale has been entered into the gradebook. Currently a message appears within the Gradebook Items page that informs the instructor if 'Display course grade to students now' is not checked.
If a grade scale has not been created, can an instructor create any gradebook items?
Yes. All functionality should be present sans the overall class grade calculation. The checkbox within the respective gradebook item (if checked) should have a message indicating the grade scale must be created before grade calculations will appear.
If a grade scale has not been created, can an instructor enter any grades into the gradebook?
Yes. Any and all grades can be entered but no class grade will be generated.
In the Oncourse CL gradebook, what is shown in the overall grade calculation?
The grade calculation area would either be left blank, or a message stating that a grade scale needs to be entered for overall grade calculation. In addition, there would be no "Average Course Grade" displayed in the course grade page. A dash would be displayed in the course grade column and all other columns would have the appropriate data, including the boxes for a grade override. If a points-based gradebook is used, the points column can have total points listed but a dash would appear in the course grade column.
What happens if the instructor tries to send final grades?
If the Oncourse CL Gradebook is used, an instructor can opt to bring in course grades into the "Official Final Grades" tool. However, if no grade scale has been defined, course grades cannot be obtained. If the instructor selects the option to obtain course grades from the Oncourse gradebook, but no grade scale exists, a message should be displayed in the "Official Final Grades" tool indicating that the instructor must return to the gradebook to complete the grade scale or enter the grades manually.
If the instructor has manually placed grades in the grade override column in the course grades screen of the gradebook, these grades can be automatically brought in to the "Official Final Grades" tool.
Another area of consideration is the all grades screen. There should be no "Average Course Grade" listed. Instead, a message should be displayed stating that "a grade scale must be defined" before any grade calculation can take place. A dash should be displayed in the course grade column and a standard message appear indicating that a grade scale must be defined before the course grade can be calculated, with a link to the course grade options screen.
Comments (3)
Apr 25, 2008
Kristol Hancock says:
What if we take a different approach and change the view when an instructor firs...What if we take a different approach and change the view when an instructor first accesses the Gradebook to show them the Course Grade Scale screen and require them to fill in the values before they can continue on?
This approach would ensure that a Course Grade Scale has been set prior to the instructor entering data. Once the user has completed and saved the Course Grade Scale, the landing page from then on would be as it is now.
Apr 25, 2008
Oliver Heyer says:
What if the instructor doesn't want to calculate the final grade? You force them...What if the instructor doesn't want to calculate the final grade? You force them to enter info that is not needed. It does seem better to leave blank or fill in default values, and then force them to enter or review/modify defaults at the point the calculation is done. Do you have any time to go to the end users?
Apr 25, 2008
Rita K Pavolka says:
I like the idea that the first time an instructor accesses the Gradebook, with t...I like the idea that the first time an instructor accesses the Gradebook, with the option clearly spelled out that would "allow them" but not require them to fill in default values. This would begin down the path of a "wizard" that would facilitate the first time or infrequent use of the Gradebook tool.