Hiding Student Grades

The following directions are for when you want to enter student grades periodically without letting the first group of students see their grades before other students (ex. entering speech or test grades while other students have yet to give the speech/take the test). To hide grade items/grades from students:

(1)Click on "Manage Grades"

(2)Click on the grade item you want to hide

(3)Click on the "Restrictions" tab

(4)Click “Hide this grade item”



Note: This will hide the entire grade item, not just the grade.

Recording grades in the D2L Gradebook

1. From the D2L Course Home page, click on [Grades] in the main navigation bar
2. Find the appropriate grade item. 
3. Click on the [yellow ruler] icon beside the item’s title.  When you hover over the icon it says “Enter grades.”
4. Enter each student’s grade in the empty box beside the student’s name under the “Grade” column heading.
5. Click on [Save] at the bottom of the page. 

• OPTIONAL: If your students are listed on more than one page in the gradebook, click on the [Next page] arrow at the bottom of the screen. 
• Note: Be sure to click on [Save] before you move to the next page, or you will lose all the grades you have entered.

D2L 9.2.1 SP3 – October 2011

Ooops! Change Scoring for Quiz Question

Here's how an instructor can ...

• change scoring on a specific QUESTION, after the quiz has been taken
• automatically correct all student grading for that specific question
  

[Please note that this works for multiple choice and true/false questions, but NOT with "ordering" questions.]

1. In the Quiz List, click on the name of the quiz your students have already taken.
2. Click on the [Grade Quiz] icon (yellow ruler with green checkmark)
3. On the next screen, click on the [Questions] tab.
4. Click to choose "Update all attempts"

5.  Each question in the quiz is listed under the [Question] tab.

NOTE: If any question was changed after ANY student took the quiz, scroll down to look for the ORIGINAL version of the question(s), under the heading "Questions that are not on the quiz anymore"

• Clicking on a question brings you to the question, with a summary of student responses.
• Click on the title for each question you need to change scoring on, including old versions of the same question, if necessary.

Under each version, you will have the option to "give all attempts ___ points" or "give to selected choices ____ points."

This is where the instructor can correct the problem with quiz scoring. For example, if the instructor accidentally flagged the wrong answer in the quiz as correct, D2L would have erroneously given points to the students who chose the wrong answer.

The instructor may open the erroneously-marked version of the question, change the scoring to give the wrong answer 0 points, and give full points to the correct answer.




Don't forget to save!!!

Importing Grades and CSV Files

CSV files may be imported into the Grades section of D2L. Problems associated with this process are often related to the column headers for grading items included in the csv file. File headings for grade items should include the phrase "Points Grade." The following is an example of a header for a Final Exam grade item:

Final Exam Points Grade

To access a sample csv file that includes this and other formatting information:

• Go to the Grades section of the D2L course site
• In the Grades Area, click on Enter Grades
• Click on the Import Grades icon
• Click on the link Grades_Sample_Import_File.csv

D2L 9.2.1 SP3 – October 2011

"Can Exceed" Grade Item + Bonus Quiz Question(s)

Using 'Can Exceed' for a Quiz in the Gradebook


It is possible to set up a quiz to be automatically graded and automatically posted to a gradebook item which can exceed the point value of the quiz.  The method for achieving this outcome varies depending upon you are using a WEIGHTED or POINTS gradebook.


In a WEIGHTED Gradebook,  the instructor must mark individual questions in the quiz itself as 'bonus.' Otherwise, the grade item will record the percentage of the quiz score rather than the point total.

For example, for a ten-question quiz worth 10 points (where no individual questions are designated as "bonus"), when the quiz is automatically graded and sent to a gradebook item worth 9 points (even with 'can exceed' marked), the highest score that will be recorded in the gradebook is 9.  In this scenario, the gradebook will register that the quiz attempt was marked 100%, rather than 10 points.

To allow the attempt to register as more than 100% in the gradebook, at least one question or questions must be identified as "bonus." To do this, click the [Layout/Questions] area of the quiz, click on [Edit Values] and mark the question(s) that are bonus.


In a POINTS Gradebook, it is not necessary to mark any of the quiz questions as "bonus."  The Instructor must simply be sure that the grade book Category is not marked to "distribute points evenly."  This will allow the grade points to be exported from the quiz into the gradebook accurately, so that the grade item accurately exceeds both the allotted points (e.g., 22 vs. 20) and percentage (e.g., 22/20 points gets a percentage of 110%).

D2L 9.2.1 SP3 – September 2011

Creating a Grade Item to Calculate Midterm Grades

In the Grades section of your D2L site, you can create a new grade item that calculates the midterm grades.

When you are in your course site:

• Click on Grades.
• In the Grades Area, select Manage Grades.
• Click on New Item, and select the Calculated item type.

The next screen will include two tabs: Properties and Restrictions. Starting with Properties:

• Type in a Name for this grade item (e.g., Midterm Grade).
• Select the grade items to include.
• Once you have selected/deselected the options you want on this tab, click on the Save button.

The Restrictions tab will allow you to hide this grade item or make it visible for a specific date range.

Once you have completed creating this grade item, it will become part the Enter Grades layout.

D2L 9.2.1 SP3 – October 2011

D2L Grades: initial setup

Choosing the right grades setup will facilitate ease of use

1. From the Course Home page, click on [Grades]

2. Under “Grades Area,” click [Grades Settings]

3. Click on [Calculation Options]

4. Under “Grading System” choose “weighted” (if grade categories and items count as a percentage of the Final Grade) or choose “points” (where total points, not percentages, equal the Final Grade)

5. Skip down to “Grade Calculations” and choose “drop ungraded items”

6. Click on [Save]

Important Note: DO NOT select “Automatically keep final grades updated.” It has an adverse effect upon overall D2L response time. Instructors may update final grades at any time without using this option.

OPTIONAL: At the end of the semester, it is useful to change the “Grade Calculations” setting. Just click [Grades Settings > Calculation Options] and select “Treat ungraded items as 0.”

For help creating categories and grade items in your D2L Gradebook, please see the “Points Gradebook” or the “Weighted Gradebook” tutorial.

D2L 9.2.1 SP3 – September 2011

Add a Point to a Grade Item

Sometimes, an instructor has reason to add a point to every student's grade on a Quiz or assignment.  


Click this link to see instructions for changing the scoring for a particular Quiz Question.  


Another way to add a point to every student's score is to export the scores for the grade item and make the addition in Excel.  Here's how:

1. Log into D2L, go to your course, and click on [Grades]
2. Click on [Export Grades]
3. Select 'Both' in Key Field, 'Points Grade' in Grade Values, and 'First Name'  & 'Last Name' in User Details
4. Under "Grades to Export," check the grade item for the quiz or assignment that needs attention
5. Click [Export to CSV]
6. (If it doesn't open automatically, you'll need to open the .csv file in Excel)
7. *In the spreadsheet that shows up, write the following formula in the cell at the end of the row for the first student: =if(XY
8. Hit [Enter]
9. Copy the formula down the column for all students
10. Copy all the new scores and paste them in the same column using the 'paste special' function so that the formula calculations become actual numbers
11. Copy the new scores again, and this time paste them into the column with the orgiinal scores (thus replacing them)
12. Delete all columns except Username, the new scores column and the End-of-Line Indicator column with all the pound signs
13. Make sure that cell B1 text ends after the phrase 'Points Grade'
14. Save the file as a csv file and re-import the scores into D2L

*In case you are not familiar with writing formulas in Excel, here's a real formula example where the original scores are in column e in my spreadsheet:
 =if(e2<100,(e2+1),e2).  This means "if the score in cell e2 is less than 100, add one point, otherwise just copy the score in e2".


Many thanks to the LTC's Gerry Bergtrom for these instructions!

Weighted Gradebook Categories and Grade Items

Create a grade category and items in a D2L “weighted” gradebook


Create a Category
1. From your D2L Course Home page, click on [Grades] in the main navigation bar
2. Click on [Manage Grades] under “Grades Area”
3. Click on [New Category]
4. Type a name for the category (e.g., Quizzes, Short Papers, Homework)
5. Under “Grading,” enter the percentage that this category will count toward the Final Grade in the “Weight” text box
6. Under “Display Options,” uncheck “Display class average to users” and “Display grade distribution to users”
7. OPTIONAL: If all grade items will be weighed equally within the category, check “Distribute weight evenly across all items”
8. Click [Save]

Create an Item
1. From your D2L Course Home page, click on [Grades] in the main navigation bar
2. Click on [Manage Grades] under “Grades Area”
3. Click on [New Item]
4. Click on [Numeric]
5. Type a name for the grade item (e.g., Quiz 1)
6. OPTIONAL: Type a “short name” only the instructor will see in the gradebook view (e.g., Q1)
7. Click in the box or on the down arrow next to “Category”
8. OPTIONAL: if no categories exist, click [New Category] and create one
9. Select a category for the new grade item
10. Under “Grading,” assign maximum points based on your scoring rubric for the assessment
11. Assign the weight this item will count toward the total category grade
12. OPTIONAL: If the assessment is for extra credit, check “Bonus”
13. Click on [Save] to finish, or click on [Save and New] to create another grade item.

D2L 9.2.1 SP3 – September 2011

OpenOffice and D2L Grade Import

An instructor can enter grades in another application and import them into the D2L Grades area using a CSV or TXT file. They can also create new grade items through an import file by adding a column to the file.


The import file must follow a standard format.  Please see the D2L Grades area to find and use the "Grades sample import file" as a reference point.


NOTE: CSV files created and/or save in OpenOffice will have quotation marks around the fields, which will cause errors in D2L during the upload. For successful uploads, instructors must edit out the quotation marks in the text editor.

Special Considerations Regarding Student Records

Can an instructor retain student contributions and D2L grade book information, in case it is necessary to review student performance several years after the course ends?

When downloading or saving grade books or student submissions, it is imperative to maintain the privacy of student records, which should be saved on campus-housed, password-protected network storage rather than on local hard drives or portable storage devices.

Questions about how long grade books and student records may be retained should be discussed with the UWM Records Officer.

The D2L grade book can be exported to a CSV* file that can be opened with Excel and other applications.   Step-by-step instructions for exporting the D2L gradebook

*CSV: Comma Separated Values

Exporting D2L Gradebook

When downloading or saving grade books or student submissions, it is imperative to maintain the privacy of student records, which should be saved on campus-housed, password-protected network storage rather than on local hard drives or portable storage devices.

Questions about how long grade books and student records may be retained should be discussed with the UWM Records Officer.

All information from a D2L Gradebook, including the original point values, grade scheme symbols and 'out of' grades can be exported to a .CSV file which can be opened in Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice and many other spreadsheet applications.

1. In your D2L course site, click the [Grades] link in the navigation bar.
2. At the top of the "User List" page, click the [Export Grades] icon, which looks like a curved green arrow pointing to the right.
3. The "Export Grades" page will appear.
4. By default, the "Export Grade Items For" field is set to "All users." Leave it as set.
5. To export all available information, in the "Key Field" heading, select the [Both] radio button.
6. Select the "Grade Values" to be exported. Suggested are "Points Grade" and "Grade Scheme."
7. Select the "User Details" you wish to export.
8. Select the "Grade Items" you wish to export. (To select individual items, select the checkboxes to the left of each grade item. The background of the item will turn green. To select all items, select the checkbox to the left, above the "Grade Item" heading. Be sure to also choose the "Final Grade" to be exported.)
9. Click [Export to CSV] at the bottom of the page to initiate the export process.
10. A window will open, containing a link that will allow you to save the .CSV file to your computer. Click the link to download the file.

Notes on the export process:

• "Text" grade items cannot be exported.
• "Selectbox" grade items will not export the "label." Instead, only the lowest percentage in the scheme range is exported.

D2L 9.2.1 SP3 – October 2011