Set up My Grades

To open My Grades:

1. In a site homepage, click the My Subject expanding menu in the subject navigation bar.
   
2. Click My Grades. This will open the Brightspace Grades tool. At Charles Sturt, the tool is known as My Grades.

The Enter Grades tab

When you first open My Grades, the Enter Grades tab will be open. This tab allows you to view students’ marks for each grade item.

The table rows refer to students who are enrolled in the site. The columns consist of grade items. The name of the grade item appears at the top of the column. You will also be able to view the student ID as a separate column.

If the grade item belongs to a category, the category name is shown above the grade item name. For example, in the screenshot above, the grade item “Exam Part 1” belongs to the category “Bathurst Distance Exam”.

Icons in the Enter Grades tab

To view all progress information for a student, click the graph icon to the left of a student’s name. A new screen will open, and progress information for the student will be shown.

To view the submission linked to a mark, click the submission icon to the left of the mark. A new screen will open, and the submission will be shown.

To check that all the necessary grade items are present in My Grades:

1. Click Manage Grades at the top of the screen to open the Manage Grades tab.
   
2. A list of grade items will appear. Check that the grade items listed are correct.
3. Listed grade items must match the assessment information in the Subject Outline. Sometimes, a change is made to the assessment information in the Subject Outline after publication. In other cases, the Subject Outline does not list every assessed activity. For example, the Subject Outline may have a single entry called “Quizzes” with a total weighting of 5%.

   In these cases, it will be necessary to change the grade items listed or create new grade items. See Manually edit or create a grade item below.

4. The weighting for each grade item is shown in the Max. Points column. The weighting total is shown in the Calculated Grade row.

   Where the normal grading scale is being used, weightings should add up to 100. If grade items for more than one section are listed and your role in the site allows you to view more than one section, you will see a multiple of 100 for the number of sections. For example, if you can see grade items for 2 sections, the weighting total should be 200.

   Check the weightings and totals are correct. If not, the percentages applied to assessment tasks will need to be changed in the Subject Outline Tool and the corresponding weightings for grade items changed in My Grades. See Manually edit or create a grade item below.

5. The Association column shows where a link already exists between a grade item and an assessment activity in Brightspace such as an assignment or quiz. If a link has not yet been created, you will need to create one.

   In the example above, “Online Electronic Assignment 1” has been linked to the relevant assignment, but the other two grade items have not yet been linked. Follow the steps in Finalise Assignments in Brightspace to apply grade settings within assignments, quizzes, or discussions and create the necessary links.

To check that all the necessary grade items are present in My Grades when the satisfactory grading scale is in use:

1. Click Manage Grades at the top of the screen to open the Manage Grades tab.
   
   
2. A list of grade items will appear. Check that the grade items listed are correct.
3. Listed grade items must match the assessment information in the Subject Outline. Sometimes, a change is made to the assessment information in the Subject Outline after publication. In other cases, the Subject Outline does not list every assessed activity. In these cases, it will be necessary to change the grade items listed or create new grade items. See Manually edit or create a grade item below.
4. The weighting for each grade item is shown in the Max. Points column. The weighting total is shown in the Calculated Grade row.
   There are two possible scenarios:
   1. when the satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading scale is used across the subject
   2. when the satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading scale is used for an individual grade item, e.g. a hurdle

   Satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading scale is used across the subject

   Where the satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading scale is used across the subject, each grade item should have a weighting of 1. The total should be the number of grade items, multiplied by the number of sections you are able to view.

   For example, if there are four grade items and two sections, the weighting total should be 8. A student will only achieve a calculated grade of Satisfactory when a mark of 1 is allocated to each grade item in their section.

   Satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading scale is used for an individual grade item

   Grade items assessed under the normal grading scale (i.e. HD, DI, CR, etc) will have a points value corresponding to the percentage weighting for that grade item (e.g. an assignment worth 20% of the mark will have a points value of 20).

   Weightings of grade items assessed under the normal grading scale should add up to 100. If normal grade items for more than one section are listed and your role in the site allows you to view more than one section, you will see a multiple of 100 for the number of sections. For example, if you can see normal grade items for 2 sections, the weighting total should be 200.

   Weightings of grade items assessed under the satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading scale will have a weighting of 1. These items will not contribute to the final calculated grade. If it is necessary to award a Fail grade to a student who has not passed a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade item (i.e. the item is a hurdle), an override will need to be entered for that student the Final Adjusted Grade column.

5. Check the weightings and totals are correct. If not, the percentages applied to assessment tasks will need to be changed in the Subject Outline Tool and the corresponding weightings for grade items changed in My Grades. See Manually edit or create a grade item below.

   By default, a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade item will have a value of 1 for Satisfactory and a value of 0 for unsatisfactory. Depending on the value assigned, SY or US will display in the grade column when the student receives their result.
   
   If you need to change this, click the drop-down menu next to the grade item in Manage Grades and click Edit. The Edit Item screen will open and the Properties tab will be open. In the Properties tab, scroll down to the Grading Scale menu and change the Brightspace grading scale from Competency to Threshold. The Threshold grading scale will deliver an SY grade where a student’s mark is above 50%. If you need the mark required for an SY grade to be different from 50%, go to the Schemes tab in My Grades. Click More Actions and Copy. Select Threshold and click Copy. 
   
   This will create a copy of the Threshold grade scale (called Copy of Threshold) within Subject Schemes. Click Copy of Threshold and enter a new Assigned Value % for the US grade. The correct value to use for a pass mark of 70% would be 69.99. 
   
   Enter a new Start % for the SY grade. The correct value to use for a pass mark of 70% would be 70.
   
   Give your grading scale a custom name. You can now apply this grading scale to satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade items within the subject.

6. The Association column shows where a link already exists between a grade item and an assessment activity in Brightspace such as an assignment or quiz. If a link has not yet been created, you will need to create one..

In the example above, “Online Electronic Assignment 1” has been linked to the relevant assignment, but the other two grade items have not yet been linked. Follow the steps in Finalise Assignments in Brightspace to apply grade settings within assignments, quizzes, or discussions and create the necessary links

By default, the table in Enter Grades is sorted by student last name in ascending alphabetic order.

To reverse the sort order:

1. Open the Enter Grades tab.
2. Click Last Name in the header for the row where students’ names appear.
   

The order will be reversed.

Alternatively, to sort students’ names by the other fields that appear, such as First Name:

1. Click First Name in the header for the row where students’ names appear.

The table will be sorted by first name.

To re-order columns in the table:

1. Click Manage Grades at the top of the screen to open the Manage Grades tab.
2. Click More Actions.
   
3. Click Reorder. The Reorder Grade Items and Categories screen will appear.
   
4. Change the order of categories and items as desired using the drop-down menus in the Sort Order column.
5. Click Save.

The columns in the Enter Grades table will appear in the order you have selected.

By default, the Enter Grades column shows both categories and their associated grade items.

Collapsing a category simplifies the table by removing the individual grade item columns.

To collapse a category:

1. Click the minus sign expander to the left of the category name in the Enter Grades table.
   
   
   The category will collapse, and individual grade item columns will disappear from the table view. A sub-total of each student’s marks for grade items in the category will appear.

To open a category again:

1. Click the plus sign expander to the left of the category name in the Enter Grades table.

The category will open, and individual grade item columns will appear in the table view.

To remove the calculated grade from the start of each row in the table:

1. Click Settings at the top right of the screen.
   
   
2. In the Managing View Display Options screen that appears, under Repeat Final Grades, unselect Repeat calculated final grade at the start of the user list so the option is not selected.
3. Click Save and then Close.

The calculated grade will be removed at the beginning of each row in the table.

To filter the table by section or group:

1. Click the View By drop-down menu and select Sections or Groups.
2. Click the Sections or Groups drop-down menu and select the section or group you wish to view.
3. Click Apply.

The table will be filtered by the section or group.

To search the table by grade item mark:

1. Click Show Search Options in Enter Grades.
2. Select the checkbox below Score.
3. In the drop-down menu, select the grade item you wish to search.
4. Enter the mark range you wish to search for (e.g. “>= 50%”).
5. Click the Search icon in the Search For field.

Students with marks within the given range for the grade item selected will be listed.

To hide one or more columns in the table:

1. In the Enter Grades tab, click the More Actions drop-down menu and select Hide/Show Columns.
   
2. In the dialogue that appears, click the categories or grade items you wish to hide so they are not selected.
3. Click Save.

The columns will be hidden from the table.

Hiding a column in the table does not have the effect of hiding the grade item or category from students. To hide a grade item from students, see Hide Grade Items from Students below.

Categories can be used to group and organise grade items in My Grades. Adding categories helps users to quickly identify the activity types and cohorts that grade items relate to. It also creates an automatic sub-total of students’ marks for the category.

To add a category:

1. Open the Manage Grades tab and click New.
   
2. In the drop-down menu, click Category.
   
3. Give the new category a name (e.g. “Wagga Distance Electronic Assessments”). If you like, you can also add a short name (e.g. “WD Elec”).

   Tip: If the category has a long name, adding a short name helps to make the table in Enter Grades easier to read.

   Using short names helps to quickly identify the category in the Enter Grades table, as the short name appears in the table header for the category.
4. We recommend the following settings:
   • Can Exceed – not selected
   • Exclude from Final Grade Calculation – not selected
   • Distribution – Distribute points across all items – not selected.
   This ensures that any grade items added to the category count towards the calculated grade and retain their existing weighting value.
5. Click Restrictions at the top of the screen to open the Restrictions tab.
   
6. If the category relates to a cohort/section, click Create and Attach to create a new release condition for the grade item category.

   Tip: A cohort of students (for example, “Bathurst Distance”) is known as a section in Brightspace.

7. In the dialogue that appears, click the Condition Type drop-down menu and select Section enrolment. Under Condition Details, select the section the category should be released to (for example, “Wagga Wagga Distance”. Click Create.
8. Click Save and Close.

The category you have created will appear in the Manage Grades tab. If you have applied a release condition to the category, the release conditions icon will appear. The category will only be visible to users who meet the release conditions.

To add a grade item to a category:

1. Find the grade item. Click the drop-down menu using the arrow to the right of the grade item name.
   
2. Click Edit. The Edit Grade Item screen will appear.
   
3. Click Category and select the category the grade item should be added to or click New Category to create a new category.
4. Click Save and Close.

The grade item will be added to the category.

Grade items may be added to categories in bulk. This is done by clicking on the Bulk Edit icon above the table in Manage Grades.

In some circumstances, it may be necessary to manually edit or create a grade item so that My Grades exactly matches the information in the Subject Outline.

For example, the Subject Outline may have a single entry called “Quizzes” for 5 quizzes with a total weighting of 5%.

In this case, it would be necessary to create a grade item manually for each quiz. It would also be necessary to delete the grade item called Quizzes with a weighting of 5% automatically generated from the subject outline.

If you add a grade item for comments it will be visible to students unless you hide the column. Please refer to the information below on hiding grade items.

To create a grade item:

1. Open the Manage Grades tab and click New. In the drop-down menu that appears, click Item.
   
2. In the Choose Grade Item Type screen, select Numeric to create a weighted item, or Text to create a comment field.
3. Give the new item a name (e.g. “Wagga Distance Assignment 1”). If you like, you can also add a short name (e.g. “WD Q1”).
4. Click Category and select the category the grade item should be added to or click New Category to create a new category.
5. In the Maximum Points field, enter the weighting for your item. If the normal grading scale is being used, the weighting should be the percentage value of the item (e.g. 5 for an assignment worth 5% of the mark). If the satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading scale is being used, the weighting should be 1.
   
   We recommend the following settings:
   • Can Exceed – not selected
   • Bonus – not selected
   • Exclude from Final Grade Calculation – not selected.
6. Select the grading scale that should apply to the item.
7. Click Restrictions at the top of the screen to open the Restrictions tab and apply a release condition for a cohort/section enrolment if required. See Use Categories to Organise Grade Items for the steps to follow.
8. Click Save and Close.

To edit an existing item, click the drop-down menu using the arrow to the right of the grade item name in Manage Grades, and select Edit.

Follow steps 3 – 8 above.

To delete an existing item:

1. Select the item in Manage Grades.
2. Click More Actions.
3. Select Delete in the drop-down menu.

Brightspace allows you to flag the information about a student in the Enter Grades tab for another staff user to review.

You can also send an email to students based on selections you make or a search you carry out in the Enter Grades tab.

Flag student information for review

1. In the Enter Grades tab, click the flag icon to the left of a student’s name.
   

The flag icon for that row will show as shaded. In other rows, the icon will be unshaded.
This row in the table will be flagged for other staff users.

The table can be searched for flagged students. To do this:

1. Click Show Search Options.
2. Click the box underneath Flag and select Flagged in the drop-down menu.
3. Click on the search icon in the Search For field.

Students with a flag will be listed.

Email selected students

1. With one or more students selected in the My Grades table or listed as the result of a search, click Email.
2. A Compose New Message popup window will appear. The selected students will appear in the Bcc field.
3. Add an email address (for example, your own email address) in the To field.
4. Compose the email and click Send.

The email will be sent.

You can hide grade items and categories in the Manage Grades tab. For a mark not to be visible to students in My Grades, both the grade item and any category the grade item belongs to must be hidden.

Note: If you are using the Grade Moderation Tool,  do not hide the category.  For more information on this, please see Grade Moderation - Enhanced.

However, the mark and any feedback will still be visible to students in the assignment, quiz, or discussion associated with a grade item, unless the assignment, quiz, or discussion is also hidden.

Accordingly, if you are not ready to release a mark to students, we normally recommend using Save Draft when marking in the Assignments, Quizzes, or Discussions tools.

An assignment mark can be published to My Grades without releasing the mark and feedback to students. See Finalise Assignments.

It is not currently possible to publish marks to My Grades from a quiz or discussion without releasing the marks and feedback to students, unless the quiz or discussion is also hidden.

Marks should be entered via Brightspace’s assessment tools, such as Assignments, whenever possible, so the mark is clearly associated with the assessable activity.

The Enter Grades tab can be used to enter marks directly when there is no assignment, quiz, or discussion associated with a grade item. Enter Grades can also be used to adjust the final grade manually.

To enter marks or grades directly for individual students:

1. In the Enter Grades tab, click Switch to Spreadsheet View.
2. Navigate to the column corresponding to the grade item you wish to enter marks for. If you wish to adjust a grade following moderation, navigate to the Final Adjusted Grade column.
3. Navigate to the row corresponding to the student you wish to enter a mark or grade for or use Search to find the row.
4. Enter the mark or grade.
5. Click Save.

The mark or grade will be added.

To enter marks or grades in bulk:

1. In the Enter Grades tab, click Switch to Spreadsheet View.
2. Navigate to the column corresponding to the grade item you wish to enter marks for. If you wish to adjust a grade following moderation, navigate to the Final Adjusted Grade column. Click the arrow to the right of the grade item name. In the drop-down menu, click Enter Grades.
3. Select the students you wish to add a mark or grade for. Click Set Grades.
4. In the Grade Selected dialogue that appears, enter the mark or grade.
5. Enter the mark or grade.
6. Click Save.
7. Click Save and Close.

The marks or grades will be added.

Marks directly entered in My Grades will be visible to students unless both the grade item and any category the grade item belongs to are hidden.