Gradebook (Ultra) - Frequently Asked Questions

In Ultra Course View, the Overall Grade only offers a weighted calculation at this time. There are 2 potential workarounds that you can use so that your overall grade is calculated based on points.

Convert Points to a Weight and Use the Overall Grade Column

Set up the Overall Grade using individual item weights instead of category weights. For each assessment in your course, divide the points possible for that assessment by the total points possible for the course and multiply by 100 to convert to a percentage. Then, use that for the weight for that assessment. For example, if you have a 50 point assignment and there are 500 total points in the course, 50/500 = .05, or 5%. Repeat this step for each assessment, and make sure the total of all the weights is 100%.

Create a Calculated Total Column and Set the Overall Grade Column to Only Be Based On That Total

In the Gradebook, hover your mouse over the existing items and click the plus (+) sign. From the drop down menu, click Add Calculation. Provide a Name for this calculation (like "Total"). In the Functions and Variables area, click Total. Click Total again on the right side of the screen, and select all of the categories or individual assessments to include in the total. Click the Save button.

Then, you can set up your Overall Grade using individual item weights, but with 100% as the weight on the Total you just created. Click the Exempt symbol (circle with a slash) to remove all other items from the calculation and then click the Save button.

To drop grades in a grade calculation, you must be using categories for your calculation. To drop a grade from a category, click the Edit calculation rules link next to the category name. In the side panel, you can specify the number of grades you would like to remove from the calculation, and whether you want to remove the highest or lowest grades. The most common application is to remove a specified number of lowest grades. 

Learn more about calculating grades.

Both the Original and Ultra Course View allow you to download grades for offline access.

Download grades in Original Course View

1. From the Control Panel, access the Full Grade Center
2. Click Work Offline > Download located in the upper right corner of the Grade Center
3. On the following page, select from the following options:
   
   • Select the data to be downloaded (Full Grade Center, Selected Column(s), or User Information Only)
   • Delimiter Type (Comma or Tab*)
   • Download Location (My Computer or Content Collection)
4. Click Submit
5. Click Download when file is ready to be downloaded

Download grades in Ultra Course View

1. From the gradebook, select Download (an arrow pointing down, near the gear icon).  The Download Grades panel opens
2. Choose whether to download the full gradebook, select items, or grade history
3. Select the file type for the downloaded file. Data files are comma-delimited (CSV) or tab-delimited (XLS). Both can be opened with Microsoft Excel.
4. Select the location for the download. You can save the file to your device or select a folder in the Content Collection.
5. Select Download

You can upload a grade file you worked on offline and update your gradebook. In the gradebook, select Upload (an arrow pointing up, next to the gear icon) to open the Upload Gradebook panel. To upload a correctly formatted file, download the gradebook. Then, edit the file with the data you want to upload. 

In the downloaded file, be sure to clear any cells you want to add a new grade to. For example, if "Ready to Post" appears with a grade, remove the text and the grade.

You can drag a file from your computer and drop it in the "hot spot" of the upload panel. You can also browse your files or use one you stored in the Content Collection.

In the panel, you can review the list of columns you changed in the file you want to upload. Clear the checkboxes for any data you want to exclude from the upload.