What is the Gradebook?
The Gradebook collects items that have been graded from the various parts of Moodle that are assessed, and allows you to view and change them as well as sort them out into categories and calculate totals in various ways.
When first setting up your course it is suggested that you set up you Gradebook before anything else. This will give you a better understanding of the course and how you want it graded and displayed.
1. First, select the course you want to add a Gradebook in.
2. In the Administration block, click "Gradebook setup"
Gradebook Weights
The first thing you'll need to consider when setting up your Gradebook is how the assignments in your class are weighted. Do you grade on a total points basis, or do different items have different weights?
For example, are quizzes 20% of the grade and discussions 20%? Are you teaching a course where students submit certain assignments offline to you? Understanding your basic grading structure before you set up the Gradebook is a must.
There are many different setting options when setting up your Gradebook. It is important to know the functions of each option so you can effectively set up your Gradebook. It is important that you have a syllabus before setting up your Gradebook, this makes for easier set up. Below are some of the main setting options that you familiarize yourself with.
Weighted means of grades
This is a popular grading method. Here you make categories and put the assignments under the indicated categories. The percent total set for the category will go to the overall grade percentage and the points from the assignments in that category will be added to the percent total.
Before setting up your Gradebook make sure you created a syllabus. This will allow for easier setup for the different categories.
1. To begin you will need to open your Gradebook for the course you would like to edit.
2. Then select "Edit" next to the Gradebook name. At the drop-down select "Edit settings".
3. Select "Mean of grades" for the Aggregation, then select "Save changes".
4. At the bottom of your Gradebook page select "Add category". This will allow you to add a section to put your assignments under. Example categories might be quizzes, tests, homework, etc.
Note: "Add grade item" is used for adding an assignment to the Gradebook. This does not have a link to the assignment.
5. The following image is what your Gradebook will look like after adding categories. To change the weight of the folder you can highlight the amount and enter the desired amount. It is good to compare this amount to your syllabus. When you have entered the amount, press enter.
7. To move assignments to the necessary folder select the checkbox next to the item you want to move. At the bottom under "Move selected items to" click the drop-down menu to select which folder you want to move the items.
The following image is what your Gradebook should look like.
Natural
This is the default setting for how the assignments in your Gradebook are configured. It is one of the most common methods used on campus, it takes points from each assignment and adds them together. This is the sum of all grade values, scaled by their relative weights. The Maximum grade of the category is the sum of the maximums of all aggregated items.
Example: a student scores 400 total points from all assignments out of a possible 500 points. 400 divided by 500 would be the student's grade.
