Blackboard Ultra allows you to add calculated columns to the Gradebook. These produce a numerical result based on the marks from other markable items.
RISIS integration with Blackboard will create calculated columns, known as IC columns, that can be used for mapping marks for automatic transfer to RISIS. For further guidance on mapping to IC columns, including practical examples, please see the Mapping to IC columns guide.
There are two types of calculated columns that you can set up:
- Calculation – uses marks from a selection of assessments or categories to calculate a new mark based on a custom built formula.
- Total calculation – calculates a score based on marks or weighted items, either as marks or a percentage.
Contents on this page
- Adding calculated columns to the Gradebook
- Building custom formulas
- Adding total calculations to the Gradebook
Adding calculated columns to the Gradebook
Calculated columns can be used to build custom formulas using common arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) and group operators (parentheses). You can use custom formulas to generate averages, totals, and the maximum or minimum of a set list of variables including categories, markable items and other calculations.
Custom formulas can be used for a number of different scenarios including:
- Calculating an average mark from two or more items of assessment
- Excluding individual grades from a category (e.g exclude the lowest mark from the Assignment category)
- Calculating a weighted total from two or more items of assessment
You can add calculated columns to the Gradebook in both the Markable Items and Marks views.
- In Markable Items, click the plus icon and select “Add Calculation”.
- In Marks, hover over one of the grey lines separating the columns. Click the purple plus icon when it appears and select “Add Calculation”.
A new window will open;
- Give your calculation an informative title so that others viewing the course can see at a glance what the calculation is doing. You can also optionally provide a description of the calculation in the description field.
- The mark schema is set to Points by default but you can change this to Percentage, Letter, Complete/Incomplete or any custom schema set up on the course. We do not provide letter grades in Blackboard, so please do not choose this option.
- Select whether or not you want the calculated column to be visible to students. If the column is made visible to students then they will see the calculated marks but not the description or formulas.
Building custom formulas
To begin building formulas, click on one of the options presented in the Functions and Variables or Operators sections. This will move the selected option into the main section.
The options in the Functions and Variables section can be linked to categories or individual items of assessment within the Gradebook. For example, you could use the “Average” function to calculate an average mark from all items in the “Assessment” category. Or, you could use the “Total” function to add up the total amount of marks scored over two or more items of assessment.
You can drag and drop each element of your formula to reorder it if necessary. You can also delete your formula and start from the beginning by clicking Clear. Once you are have completed building your formula, click “Validate” to check if the calculation will return a valid result. Errors in the formula will appear in red text. You can use this to identify and correct the error.
For further guidance on mapping to IC columns, including practical examples, please see the Mapping to IC columns guide.
Adding Total Calculations to the Gradebook
You can add total calculated columns to the Gradebook in both the Markable Items and Marks views.
- In Markable Items, click the plus icon and select “Add Total Calculation”.
- In Marks, hover over one of the grey lines separating the columns. Click the purple plus icon when it appears and select “Add Total Calculation”.
Guide last updated on October 2, 2024
