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LXD Style Guide

iPD’s Guide for Course Design & Development

SLS Gradebook Setup

Standard

The standard with which Michigan Virtual courses need to comply.

Plus courses have a consistent grade book setup.

Alignment

Quality Matters

3.5 C Expectations for successfully completing the course, earning course credit, and calculating grades are clearly defined for the learner and instructor.

 

Requirements

What exactly do course developers need to include in order to comply with this standard?

In order to ensure that students are able to track their progress in a class, it is important to set up the grade book properly. The grade book must be transparent and easy for students to understand while also actively tracking the work a student is doing throughout the class. Utilize the most up to date SLS gradebook settings, which can be found below.

 

Implementation

How can course developers implement this standard? What is the process for doing so?

To begin, access the gradebook by selecting Grades from the Course Tools dropdown in the course toolbar menu. Then, select Setup Wizard to launch the Setup Wizard, which is used to apply gradebook settings. Ensure that the following settings are applied:

  • Grading System
    • Points
  • Final Grade to Release
    • Release the Calculated Final Grade
    • Automatically release the final grade
  • Grade Calculations
    • Treat ungraded items as 0
    • Automatically keep final grades updated
  • Default Grade Scheme
    • Default LS Scheme
  • Managing View Display Options
    • Display 2 decimal places for grade item values
  • Student View Display Options
    • Display points grade values
    • Do not display grade scheme symbols
    • Display grade scheme colors
      • Note: system-wide performance thresholds indicated by color fill in individual cells of the grade book table are as follows:
        • Color 1 (red) = 0%
        • Color 2 (yellow) = 1% to 59%
        • Color 3 (green) = 60% to 100%
    • Display 2 decimal places for grade item values
    • Display 50 characters for Text type grade item values
    • Do not display the final grade calculation to users

After ensuring that the correct settings have been applied by the Setup Wizard, check that all necessary items appear in the gradebook. Grade items can be added to the grade book through two methods:

  • Grade items can be added directly to the grade book
    1. Manage Grades
    2. New item, then generate a grade item. This generated item would then need to be attached to an assignment (Quiz, Discussion, Assignment).
  • Grade items can be generated while creating an assignment (Quiz, Discussion, Assignment) through the assignment creation settings.

Ensure that each item in the gradebook is attached to an assignment by reviewing the Association column on the Manage Grades page.

Regardless of the method chosen, ensure that the grade item is listed under the proper category within the grade book. More information about creating categories can be found in the following style guide entry: Style Guide: Brightspace: Gradebook Progress Checks

 

Resources

What resources would help a developer implement this standard appropriately?