Academic Tech Tips

We smell the coffee. We see the library rush. It’s that time of year again: finals.

Source: Freeimages.com/andreajaccarino

For instructors, we’d like to make your Sakai grading process as easy as possible so you can focus on what matters most: your students. Follow the ten steps below to make sure your Sakai gradebook is good to go at the end of the semester:

1. Verify your gradebook is set up correctly.
   • Check the gradebook settings to make sure your gradebook is set up with your teaching goals. While you may have already set-up your gradebook at the beginning of the semester, it’s a good idea to check your settings and make sure they match your syllabus. This section is particularly helpful for instructors with categories or weights to make sure all categories are entered with a weight associated.
2. Enter grades in Sakai.
   • Grade within a Sakai tool. For items coming from other tools, like Assignments or Tests & Quizzes, you can grade them first in the tool.
   • Add gradebook column items, and enter scores manually into the gradebook.
   • Import grades into the gradebook.
3. Make sure all applicable gradebook items are included and visible in the gradebook.
   • Instructors can edit gradebook item details to make sure columns are included in final grade calculations and released to students. Make sure all gradebook items are shown in the gradebook using the Show/Hide Items feature.
4. Delete gradebook column items, or set ungraded items to zero.
   • Did you add a gradebook item you didn’t end up using? Instructors can delete a gradebook item.
   • For any grades instructors would like to set to zero, instructors can mass enter zero grades by setting all ungraded items to zero in the gradebook. (Note that this action cannot be undone.)
5. Add any comments to individual student grades.
6. Override a course grade for individual students if necessary.
7. Review your settings once more.
   • After you’ve entered your grades, make sure your grade release rules display students’ final course grades to them in the way you’d like.
8. Verify how an individual student views their grades.
   • You can also review individual student grades via the Student Review Mode. This feature is especially helpful if you need to review an individual student grade in person and do not want the student to see their peers’ grades.
9. Export final grades.
   • It’s great practice to save a copy of the final grades in a secure location.
10. Whew! Take a breather. You deserve it!

(more…)