Calculating Final Grades Video:

Calculating Final Grades

By default, your gradebook has been set-up to exclude empty grades, which will not tally zeros for unsubmitted items. In order for the system to tally students’ final grades accurately, zeros will need to be manually entered for all missing grades. We recommend performing this step very soon after an assignment/quiz/exam deadline has passed. This allows students to see accurate grade averages throughout the semester.

The bulk insert feature can be used to calculate zeros for empty grades in the gradebook. Please note, a bulk insert can only be done for one graded item at a time, OR one student at a time. Depending on how large your class is, using this function for one graded item at a time may be most efficient (this is the preferred method). Additionally, you are now able to use the 'Finalize grades' option to perform bulk inserts for batches of students (up to twenty students at a time). As this process takes significant time and system resources depending on the number of students/coursework items in your course, you will only be able to perform this function for groups of 20 students at a time.

Please note, the bulk insert process enters a grade override and prevents any further grade changes unless removed. If allowing a student another attempt on a quiz/written assignment/exam, this override will need be removed. Otherwise, the gradebook will continue to display the locked overridden grade.

Performing Bulk Insert for Batches of Students

To perform bulk inserts for batches of students using the 'Finalize grades' feature:

1. Access your gradebook from the menu bar at the top of your course home page.
2. From the dropdown menu, select 'Finalize grades.'
3. Select your first batch of students (up to twenty students only) from the 'Enrolled Users' list by highlighting and clicking 'Add.' Once added, these students will appear on the 'Selected Users' list. If you attempt this process with more than twenty students selected, you will receive an error preventing you from moving forward. Simply remove some students to proceed.
4. Check the 'Perform bulk insert' option, verify the dropdown menu is set to 'Empty grades,' and 'Insert value' is set to zero, and click 'Save.' This will initiate the bulk insert process and may take some time to complete. Once all grades have been entered, you will see a confirmation message (i.e., 'Grades were set for 149 items').
5. Click 'Continue' to return to the 'Finalize grades' screen.
6. You may select your next batch of students and complete this process again until all students have been accounted for. Please note, as you complete this process, students whose final grades have already been calculated will no longer appear in the 'Enrolled Users' list.
7. Once grades have been calculated for all students, you will see the following message on the 'Finalize grades' screen: The 'Finalize grades' process has already been completed for all students in this course.

Performing Bulk Insert for Individual Assignments/Students

To perform a bulk insert for individual quizzes/assignments/exams (*when electing not to use the 'Finalize Grades' process, we recommend using this method*):

1. Access your gradebook from the menu bar at the top of your course home page.
2. From the dropdown menu, select 'Single view.'
3. From the 'Select grade item...' dropdown menu, select a quiz/exam/written assignment. (Please do not select 'Category total' or 'Course total.' These do not require a bulk insert, and may lock students' grades if accidentally selected.).
4. Check 'Perform bulk insert.'
5. Verify the dropdown menu is set to 'Empty grades,' and 'Insert value' is set to zero.
6. Once your changes are complete, click 'Save.'
7. Repeat for all remaining assignments as necessary.

To perform a bulk insert for individual students:

1. Access your gradebook from the menu bar at the top of your course home page.
2. From the dropdown menu, select 'Single view.'
3. From the 'Select user...' dropdown menu, select a student.
4. Check 'Perform bulk insert.'
5. Verify the dropdown menu is set to 'Empty grades,' and 'Insert value' is set to zero.
6. Once your changes are complete, click 'Save.'
7. Repeat for all remaining students as necessary.

Reviewing Final Grades

To check final grades after performing a bulk insert or completing the 'Finalize Grades' process:

1. From your course menu bar, click into your gradebook.
2. From the dropdown menu, select 'Gradebook.'
3. If all grades are accounted for, the 'Final Grade' column to the right will display students’ final grades. Please note, blank entries in this column indicate missing grades remain.

If you would prefer not to do a bulk insert when calculating final grades, you may instead adjust your gradebook settings to uncheck 'Exclude Empty Grades' with the steps found here. Please note, when adjusting this setting to tally final grades, we strongly recommend waiting until all course deadlines have passed and no further coursework will be accepted. Otherwise, the final course total points will change if students complete more work, which may cause potential discrepancies in students' final grades.