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Instructors > How To...

Grade Center: Add and Manage Columns

Instructors can add grade columns to the Grade Center automatically, manually, or through uploading. Grade columns can be modified, removed, reordered, frozen, or hidden.

Automatically: A column is automatically generated in the Grade Center when one of the following assessment items is added to a Course Content area: Test, Survey, Assignment created with the Assignment Manager, and Graded Discussion.

Manually: Assessment items that do not create grade columns automatically need to have a column created manually in the Grade Center.

Uploaded grade columns: Read about Uploading Grades.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to:

Add a column manually

  1. To create a column in the Grade Center, click Add Grade Column in the Action Bar of the Grade Center (the gray bar above the spreadsheet).

  2. Enter Column Information
    • Column Name – This is a required field. The name is displayed in the Grade Center (15 characters max) if no Grade Center Display Name is entered.
    • Grade Center Display Name – type the name as it should be displayed in Grade Center and students’ My Grades page.
    • Description – type a description of the assessment to be viewed by both graders and students.
    • Primary Display – Select a grade format from the drop-down menu. The recommended choice is Score.
    • Secondary Display - choose None or a grade format to be shown in the Grade Center only. The recommended choice is Percentage.
    • Select Category – choose None or a category in the list.
    • Points Possible (required) – type the number of points assigned to this column. Non-numeric entries are not accepted.
  3. Specify Dates
    • Grading period – Grading Period and the drop-down menu will not display unless Grading Periods have previously been created.
    • Due date – Choose None or a due date for the grade item.
  4. Specify Options. Select the Yes or No radio button for the following:
    • Include Column in Grade Center calculations – the column may be included in the possible selections of items when creating Calculated Columns, such as Weighted Grades Columns or Total Point Columns.
    • Show this Column in My Grades – Grades will appear in My Grades, View Grades, and the Report Card module when available.
    • Show Statistics (average and median) for this column in My Grades – Includes statistical information with the grade value when shown to students.
  5. Click Submit
Note:
A category or a grading period should be created before assigning it to a grade column.


Tip: To calculate a Score’s Percentage select Score from the Primary Display drop-down menu and select Percentage from the Secondary Display drop-down menu.

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Modify a column

  1. To modify a Grade Center column, click on the double arrow icon in the column header.
  2. Select Modify Column in the drop-down menu.
  3. Make desired changes.
  4. Click Submit.
Note:
Refer to Add a Column for a description of the form fields.

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Remove a column

  1. To remove a Grade Center column, click on the double arrow icon in the column header.
  2. Choose Remove Column in the drop-down menu.
  3. Select OK to confirm the changes.
  4. Click Submit to save changes.
Note:
The Remove Column option is displayed in the drop-down menu only when a column has been added manually.
If a column has been created automatically as part of a Test, Assignment created with the Assignment Manager, Survey, and Discussion assessment, remove first the assessment from a Content Area; then remove a column from the Grade Center.

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Reorder columns

  1. To reorder columns, click Manage in the Action Bar of the Grade Center.
  2. Select Organize Grade Center from the drop-down menu.
  3. Select the Grade Center column (displayed on the screen as a row) to be moved by clicking and holding the area in the first column of the row.
  4. Drag and drop the row above or below other rows.
  5. Click Submit.
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Sort rows

  1. To sort rows by a column, click a column heading. A yellow arrow appears and the rows are automatically sorted by descending order of items in the column.
  2. Click the yellow arrow again to sort rows by ascending order of items in the column.  
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Hide a column

  1. To hide a column, click Manage in the Action Bar of the Grade Center.
  2. Select Organize Grade Center from the drop-down menu.
  3. Select the check box next to a column to be hidden.
  4. Click Show/Hide.
  5. Select Hide Selected Columns from the Action Link menu.
OR
  1. Move the cursor over the header of a column to be hidden.
  2. Select Hide Column in the drop-down menu.
Note:
Hiding a column maintains all grades associated with the column, but prevents it from being seen within the Grade Center.
A hidden column cannot be modified. To modify a hidden column, first set it to display in the Grade Center; then use the drop-down menu in the column header to modify the column.
A hidden column is displayed in the Students’ Grades view if a column is set up to be displayed in students’ My Grades.

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Display hidden column

  1. To show a hidden column, click Manage in the Action Bar of the Grade Center.
  2. Select Organize Grade Center from the drop-down menu.
  3. Select the check box next to a column to be revealed.
  4. Click Show/Hide.
  5. Select Show Column from the drop-down menu.
  6. Click Submit to save changes.
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Freeze/unfreeze columns

  1. To freeze/unfreeze a column, click Manage in the Action Bar of the Grade Center.
  2. Select Organize Grade Center from the menu.
  3. To freeze a column, drag a row above the dark gray bar.
  4. To unfreeze a column, drag a row below the dark gray bar.
  5. Click Submit to save changes.
Note:
Frozen columns do not move while scrolling through the other data.

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Create a category

  1. To create a new Category, click Manage in the Action Bar of the Grade Center.
  2. Select Categories from the Action Link menu.
  3. Click Add Category.
  4. Enter a Name for the Category.
  5. Enter a Description.
  6. Click Submit.
Note:
Categories are helpful for displaying grade columns by category, calculating total and weighted grades, and for reporting.
Four categories are created when the following assessments are added automatically to the Grade Center: Assignment created with the Assignment Manager, Discussion, Survey, Test.

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