Gradebook Preferences

The Preferences section of your Gradebook lets you decide whether your Gradebook will display points and calculations to your students (86/100 or 86%, for example) or simply display letter grades (B+). If you choose to display points and calculations, you also have the option of "weighting" graded items relative to other graded items (i.e., making three Threaded Discussions worth 15% of the total course grade, or 5% each). Your Gradebook Preferences settings affect what information displays to both you and your students.

If you enable points and calculations and assign a point value to each gradable item in your course, the Gradebook can calculate and display up-to-date letter and numeric grades for each student at the content item, unit, and course level. With this option enabled, students are given additional information in their Gradebook—information like "Current Course Points," "Current Course Average," and "Current Grade to Date," for example. Similarly, if you choose to apply weighting to your course assignments, the Gradebook can display each student's Course Weighted Average" to date.

The Gradebook will calculate points (but not weights) by default. You can turn automatic point calculations off from the Preferences tab under Gradebook Setup. Remember that in doing so, however, students will not have access to some Gradebook features (like Current Grade to Date, for example). Likewise, you can turn on the weighting feature from the Preferences tab.

Once you enter point or weight values into the Gradebook, these values are preserved should you turn points/weights off and then back on.

Note: In order to assign points (and weights) to gradable items, the Show Points and Calculations option must be enabled.