In this tutorial, you'll learn how to set up a Moodle gradebook according to one of the most common grading schemes: weighted categories.
Suppose your course had two exams, homework assignments, and papers. Suppose also that you wanted to grade students on their class participation, and you settled on the following breakdown for the worth of the various assignments:
- Papers: 30%
- Final exam: 25%
- Midterm exam: 20%
- Homework: 20%
- Participation: 5%
Assume that each paper is worth the same amount, and each homework assignment is worth the same amount. We'll now go through the process of setting up a gradebook in Moodle to reflect these grading decisions. Your course might not follow this scheme exactly, but the principles covered in this tutorial can be used to tailor your gradebook to your preferences.
1. Set course aggregation method to "Weighted mean of grades"
Moodle has several methods for calculating grades, and these are called aggregation methods. According to the above grading breakdown, different items and categories of items have different weights. Because of this, when choosing an aggregation method for the course, we must choose one that takes weights into account. The most appropriate option is the "weighted mean of grades" aggregation method.
1.1. Enter the gradebook setup screen
- In the Course Menu click on Grades.
- Click on the gradebook dropdown menu (Grader report).
- Select Gradebook setup from the list of options.
1.2. Edit settings for course aggregation method
- Your current course aggregation method will be displayed in the Status column. In this example, the course aggregation method is currently set to Mean of grades, and we want to change it to Weighted mean of grades.
- Find the Actions menu on the same row as the name of your course and click on it to bring up a menu.
- From the menu, choose Edit category.
1.3. Choose course aggregation method
- You have the option supply a name, but it's recommended that you leave this field blank.
- From the Aggregation drop-down menu, choose Weighted mean of grades.
- Click Save.
2. Set up categories for graded items
We're assuming that our course has multiple homework assignments, that each assignment is worth the same amount, and that together they make up 20% of the students' grades. In this step, we'll set up a "Homework" category to which the homework assignments can belong, and set it up to average all of the homework scores together. In a later step, we'll set it up to contribute 20% to the students' grades.
2.1. Add category
- Click on Add menu and select Add category.
- When the category setup screen comes up, enter a name for the category.
- Leave the Aggregation as Mean of grades.
- Click Save at the bottom of the screen.
2.2. Check category and aggregation method setup
The category you just added will now appear on the gradebook setup screen. In this example, a category for papers has also been added.
3. Set up uncategorized grade items
Our course has several graded items that aren't appropriate for inclusion in a category: the midterm exam, the final exam, and the participation grade. Assuming that none of these items will be submitted via Moodle, we'll need to create them in the gradebook.
3.1. Add grade item
- Click on Add menu and select Add grade item.
- When the grade item setup screen comes up, enter a name for the item.
- Enter the maximum grade for the item.
- In the Grade category drop-down menu, make sure it displays your course name and not one of the categories you already set up in the previous step.
- Click Save.
3.2. Check grade item setup
The item you just added will now appear on the gradebook setup screen. In this example, items for the final exam and participation have also been added.
4. Set weights for grade calculation
In a moment, we'll navigate away from the gradebook to add items to categories. Before we do, we'll set the weights for grade calculation from the syllabus.
- In the Weights column, enter the weights of the categories and items. In this example, we use the weights from the above breakdown.
- Click Save changes.
5. Add items to categories
Now that the gradebook is set up, you can add grade items to your course as you normally would. The only extra step is to make sure that they're placed in the appropriate category. Our course required several homework assignments. Assuming that these will be handed in via Moodle, we can add these to the proper category from the assignment setup screen.
5.1. Add assignments with appropriate category
- Add a grade item to your course as you normally would. In this example, we add an Assignment for homework by going to our course page, clicking the Edit mode toggle in the upper-right corner, choosing to Add an activity or resource in the appropriate section, and selecting Assignment.
- In the assignment setup screen, under the Grade tab, from the Grade category drop-down menu choose the appropriate category for the item you're creating.
5.2. Check item category
In this example, we created a homework assignment in the "Homework" category, but you can create items of any type. For example, you may have Moodle set up to administer a quiz for your students; in that case, you'd add a Quiz item and add it to the appropriate category by following the steps above.
6. Move items to categories
There may be times when you want to move an item from outside a category to inside the category, or from one category to another.
6.1. Locate items to be moved
In this example, Paper 1 is not categorized, and needs to be in the Papers category.
6.2. Move item to category
- Click the selection checkbox to the left of the item you wish to move and click Move .
- A pop-up window will appear. Choose the category to which you want to move the item. Then click Move.
6.3. Check item category
After choosing a category for the item, it will move to the category you selected.
7. Review gradebook
Below is the finished example gradebook.
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