Learning Systems

Step 1. Create Categories

The first step is to create categories in my gradebook and assign weights. I will create two categories: one for Assignments, and one for Tests.

Note: if you have a small number of grade items, you may not need to create categories.

1. Enter the gradebook by clicking on the Grades link in the Administration block (left column of your course page).
2. Click on the Categories and items tab near the top of the screen. Note: click on the image below to enlarge it for easier viewing.
   
3. Find the drop-down menu to the right of your course name (see the image below). Change this to weighted mean of grades. Click Save changes at the bottom of the screen.
   
4. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click the Add category button.
5. Fill in the Category name. In this example, I will type Assignments.
   Note: click on the image at the right to enlarge it for easier viewing.
6. Change Aggregation to Weighted mean of grades.
7. Leave Aggregate only non-empty grades as checked.
   Note: if you do not see this setting, click on the Show Advanced button to the right.
8. Leave all other settings at the defaults, and don't touch the Category total section at the bottom!
9. Click Save changes at the bottom of the screen.
10. The category (folder) will be created.
11. Continue to create other categories by repeating Steps #4-10 above. I will create a second category called Tests.

Step 2. Add Grade Items

Now that we have created our categories, we will create our grade items. Remember: if you have created activities through the Add an Activity drop-down menu on your course page (e.g. Quiz, Dropbox, etc) these will have been automatically added to Moodle's gradebook. In this case, you will just need to move them to the correct category.

In this case, I have not created Assignments through Moodle. In my Math 100 class, these are submitted in class, and I just want to display the grades for students through Moodle.

To add a Grade Item:

1. Within the Categories and items tab, click the Add grade item button (at the bottom).
2. Fill in the Item name. In this case, I will type Assignment 1.
   Note: click on the image at the right to enlarge it for easier viewing.
3. Typically, you can leave most other settings at the default.
4. Ensure that Grade type is set as Value.
5. Enter the Maximum grade for the item. In this case, Assignment 1 is marked out of 9.
6. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen to find Grade category. From the drop-down menu, select the correct category. In this case, Assignments.
7. Click Save changes.
8. The grade item will be created within the category that you selected.
9. Continue to create other grade items by repeating Steps #1-8 above. In this case I will create five more grade items: Assignments 2, 3, and 4, Midterm, and Final Exam.
10. Back on the main Categories and items page, click Save changes at the bottom.

When I am done, it should look something like this ... but we are not finished yet!!

 Note: click on the above image to enlarge it for easier viewing.

Step 3. Assign Weights

Now it is time to assign weights to determine how much everything will be worth.

1. Assignments are worth 40% of this course, so under the column titled Weight, I will type in 40 beside the Assignments category/folder.
2. Each assignment (1-4) is worth 10%, so I will type in 10 beside each assignment, under the Weight column.
3. Tests are worth 60%, so I will enter this beside the Tests category/folder, under the Weight column.
4. The Midterm is worth 20%, so I enter 20 beside this item, under the Weight column.
5. The Final Exam is worth 40%, so I enter 40 beside this item, under the Weight column.
6. Don't forget to click Save changes at the bottom of the page!!!

Note: All weights must add up to 100.

I will leave the Category and Course totals as 100. This way Moodle will display a total out of 100 (instead of a total out of the maximum number of points).

My gradebook now looks like this:

Step 4. Enter marks and test calculations

It's time to go to the View tab, and see how the gradebook is looking. Here, we will see a list of students in the course, and the grade items that I added will appear as columns. Here, I can manually enter grades for my students - if I was using assignment submission within Moodle (e.g. Drop box assignment), I could grade the assignments through the individual assignment activities in Moodle.

To manually enter grades for a student:

1. From the View tab of the gradebook, click the Turn editing on button (top right corner). You will notice that boxes appear for each student under the various grade item columns.
   Note: this Turn editing on button is not associated with the button on the main course page that allows you to edit course content.
2. To simply enter a numerical grade for a student, type the grade into the box. After entering a few grades, click Update at the bottom of the screen to ensure that you do not lose any changes!
   
3. Clicking Update will save the grades and Moodle will calculate the Category totals and Course total. We strongly recommend that you check and ensure that the grades that Moodle is calculating are what you expect (before you reveal any grades to your students! You may wish to keep the grades hidden at first!) Verify Moodle's calculations against your primary gradebook.
4. It can often be helpful to enter sample grades for a demo student, and then check Moodle's calculations against your own. Please contact Moodle Support if you would like to have access to a demo student account. You can then enroll this student in your course, enter sample grades, and verify Moodle's calculations. The demo student account is reset every two hours and removed from all enrolled courses.

Note: click on the above image to enlarge it for easier viewing.

Step 5. Check what your students see

It is always a good idea to check that what your students see is what you expect them to see. You may have hidden certain grades/assignments/totals from students - you can check their view using the User Report.

1. Click on the View tab within the grades area. The View tab in Moodle allows you to switch back and forth between the instructor view (grader report) and student view (user report).
   Note: click on the image below to enlarge it for easier viewing.
   
2. Just below the tabs at the top, click on User report (see the above image). Only you, as the instructor, have this view and can switch between instructor and student view. Students access their grades by clicking on the Grades link in the Administration block. They only see their own grades and not those of other students (and only if you have made grades accessible to your students).
3. You will see the Select all or one user drop-down menu at the right of the screen. Choose a student from your class.
4. The User Report will display the grades that this particular students sees for the course. Find out more about how to use the User Report.

Note: click on the image above to enlarge it for easier viewing.