Assessment tools and the Grade Center
Grade Assignments offline and release grades in the Gradecenter
In Blackboard there is the possibility to execute the entire grading process offline. This means, in short, that the assigned assignments are downloaded and an Excel file is downloaded. The grades must be entered in this Excel file. This Excel file must then be uploaded as a zip file and then the grades must be released to the Grade Center. These steps are explained below.
- Download Assignments
First the submitted assignments and the excel file to indicate the grades must be downloaded. The assignments are downloaded in a zip file. Conditions for this are:
o The students have submitted the assignments as an attachment. (Written submissions that are directly written in Blackboard are not downloaded).
To download the submitted assignments and the excel file:
– Go to the Grade Center.
– Click Manage at the top of the bar.
– Click on Download assignments in the drop-down menu.
– Click on the name of the assignment, for which you want to check the assignments.
– You then end up in overview screen. Here you can select users whose submissions you want to check. You will see behind the name the user in which group the student is and whether they have submitted something and, if so, at what time.
– To download the assignments per group. Under the list of names, select the group from which you want to download the submitted assignments. You can select multiple groups at a time to download.
– You can enter a comment in the Package comment section. You can use this for example as a mark of the downloaded package, when you view it via View old Downloads.
– When you download the assignments, an Excel file is also downloaded in the downloaded zip file. Here you must enter the grades of the submitted assignments.
– Click on Submit to download the assignments.
– You come to a new page.
– Click behind ‘Process has finished successfully’ on Click here to continue. The zip file is downloaded.
– In the zip file you will find the submitted assignments per student and the Excel file.
- Check your Assignments offline
Once you have downloaded the assignments and assessed the assignments, you can enter grades in the downloaded Excel file. Important here is that you:
– change anything to the file. You can only add grades and feedback.
– when entering the grades, keep the English notation, so use points (0.0) instead of commas (0,0). Even if the course is set to Dutch!
– give all students who are in the Excel file a grade or remove the exclamation mark which is set by default in the Excel file (leave box blank).
- Upload Grades and Release Grades
When you have the grades and maybe entered some feedback in the Excel file you have to pack it as a zip file in order to upload it. Pay attention to the following:
– the Excel file in the zip file must have the same name as the assignment in Blackboard. Spaces in the name are filled with_a_underscore.
– the Excel file does not have to be packed in the same zip file.
The file can be uploaded in the course.
– Go to the Grade Center.
– Click Manage at the top of the bar.
– Click on Upload Grades and Feedback in the drop-down menu.
– Click on the name of the assignment, of which you want to upload the assignments.
– Click Browse on the screen that appears and select the zipped Excel file.
– – Click Submit to upload the Excel file.
– You come to a new page.
– Click behind ‘Process has finished successfully’ on Click here to continue. The zip file will be uploaded.
– You come out on a new page. This shows whether the uploaded file contains errors. If there are errors, you will have to adjust the file and upload it again.
– Click OK. You come to a page where you can release the grades to the Grade center. Only instructors in a course have rights to release the grades to the Gradecenter!
– When the uploaded Excel file has been validated (see status in the table). Then you can send the grades to the Grade Center.
– Click on Release Grades.
– You come to a new page.
– Click behind ‘Process has finished successfully’ on here to continue.
– The screen that follows shows whether the grades are relased, how many and whether errors have been found.
– Click OK.
– You will return to the page where the uploaded file is located. The status behind the assignment should be ‘Grades released successfully’.