The Gradebook settings panel is access via the Gradebook settings cog icon, it is visible in all Gradebook tabs.
- Mark Schemas
- Student Performance
- Automatic Zeros – do not turn on
- Overall Mark – do not set up
- Student Visibility
- Mark Categories
- Rubrics
Mark Schemas
It is possible to set-up a mark schema if you would like the student to see Pass/Fail instead of a numerical mark for a specific assessment.
Please note: We do not provide letter grades in Blackboard, letter grades are calculated in RISIS so students can view their marks on the RISIS dashboard.
Create a Pass/Fail schema
Step 1: Click on Mark Schemas in the Gradebook setting panel – the Mark Schemas page will open
Step 2: Click on Add (a) – a pop-up window will appear, enter the name (b) and Click Add (c) to start your schema.
Step 3: Create the schema by setting the Mark name (d) and Mark range (e).
Remember to select the appropriate pass mark for undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes.
Step 4: Once you are happy with your schema click save.
Student Performance
Student alerts can be set up here or on the Analytics tab.
There are two types of alerts you can set up, as we are not using the Overall grade function in Blackboard.
- (g) Number of missed due dates above or equal – an alert will be set when a student misses x number of due dates.
- (h) Days since last access above or equal- an alert will be set when the student does not enter the course in x number of days.
Once you have set up the alerts they will appear on your activity stream or viewed in the Course Activity Related to Marks page accessible via the View Course Activity link (i).
In the course activity screen the alerts are shown by a flag icon (j).
This screen can also be accessed by going to the Analytics page from the top menu and selecting the Course Activity tab.
Automatic Zeros
The Automatic Zeros function is not being used at the University of Reading. It automatically populates non-submitted work with a zero mark.
Overall Mark
We are not using the Overall Mark option here at Reading because the marks in Blackboard are see as “raw” marks in comparison to the RISIS marks that have had any penalties added. Students can see their overall grades via the RISIS student dashboard.
If you would find it helpful to calculate student marks for the module or for a section of it please keep these calculations hidden from students.
Student Visibility
The student visibility toggle allows you to hide students in the gradebook who no longer have access to the course.
Mark Categories
The mark categories section shows a list of all the categories already set up on the course. These are the categories that will appear in the drop down list when you are creating or editing assessments. You can also use categories when filtering or searching the Gradebook.
You can use the Add New Category function to create custom categories which can be assigned to your assessments.
Course Rubrics
This is the Rubrics area of your course. Any rubrics on the course will list here. They will also appear in the assign rubric list when setting up or editing assessments.
You can manage the Rubrics here using the Duplicate or Delete options.
Rubrics can be copied from original or ultra Blackboard courses, or created here. See our guide on Copying Rubrics for more details.
Create a rubric
Click on te Create button to open the New Rubric screen.
Please see the Blackboard Help guide of Creating Rubrics for more details.
Guide last updated on October 1, 2024
