How do I set up a weighted grade column?

A Weighted Total column is a type of calculated column that calculates the final grade by assigning weight percentages to students’ various assessment grades. Assigning weight percentages gives more or less importance to particular assessments when calculating the final grade. Weights can be assigned to individual columns, or they can be assigned to categories of columns.

Instructions

The following process works best once you have already created all of your Grade Center columns, but you can set this up at any time.

Create Categories

This section walks you through creating categories if you do not wish to use Blackboard’s pre-existing categories (Assignment, Blog, Discussion, Journal, Self and Peer, Survey, and Test).

1. In your course, open the Full Grade Center.

2. Select Manage > Categories.

3. Select Create Category.

4. Type the name of the category you’d like to create and hit Submit.

Assign Categories to Columns

Blackboard may automatically assign a pre-existing category to a column, based on the type of item the column is associated with. (i.e., any Blackboard tests are automatically associated with the category Test.) These steps ensure all of your grades are assigned to the correct category.

1. In the Full Grade Center, select Manage > Column Organization.

2. Select every column you would like to associate with a single category.

3. Select Change category to… and select the appropriate category.

4. Do this for each category included in your weighted total.

Create a Weighted Column

1. In the Full Grade Center, select Create Calculated Column > Weighted Total.

2. Give your column an appropriate name.

3. Select each category you would like to include and click the > button to add it to the column.

4. Assign the appropriate weights to each category.

5. When you’re finished editing, click Submit.

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