Working with Evaluations
In addition to its other features, the Gradebook offers a method of tracking student performance—the evaluation.
You can create an evaluation to represent any quality or activity for which students should receive a score. Additionally, the feature has a predefined attendance evaluation which, if you choose to use it, will automatically factor an attendance score into each student’s grade. These two types of evaluations are described more below.
Evaluations can be used to supplement the Coursework assignments or as an alternative to them. For example, you may want to use evaluations to represent general factors, such as participation and attitude, that are distinct from any assignment. If the Coursework feature is not being used at all, you may want to create evaluations to show the individual factors in the students’ overall grades and, if desired, to automatically calculate final grades.
Evaluations are created and managed entirely within the Gradebook feature.
Note
If you want to delegate management of evaluations to other people, there are two permission levels that allow users to complete different actions with evaluations. For details, see Managing Permissions in the Gradebook.
There are two types of evaluations:
The attendance evaluation—This represents the student’s attendance as recorded in the Attendance feature for the course section. Each student’s score is automatically calculated. There is only one attendance evaluation per course section, and it cannot be deleted—you either include it or remove it from your grading scheme.
Regular evaluations—Regular evaluations—usually referred to just as “evaluations”—can represent any criteria that you want to define. For this type of evaluation, you manually give students a score. You can create as many regular evaluations as appropriate.
The attendance evaluation and regular evaluations share many characteristics, but there are also a few differences. These are described in the Attributes of an Evaluation section.
Note
If you do not track attendance through the Attendance feature but want to have attendance affect the student’s grade, you can create a regular evaluation and manually enter the appropriate score for each student.
Evaluations have the attributes listed in the following sections.
Note
As you review the features of evaluations, you may notice that you have fewer options than when you create a Coursework assignment. For example, evaluations do not have due dates. If you need more options than what an evaluation offers, consider creating an assignment that uses the basic format. Like evaluations, basic assignments can be used to measure performance on intangible accomplishments such as participation.
The name of the evaluation is used to identify it for both you and your students. The Name field is required.
The significance of an evaluation’s point value varies depending on what weighting method you are using:
If you use the Point Method for weighting, the point value determines the impact this evaluation will have in relation to any Coursework assignments that exist, and in relation to other evaluations.
If you are using the Unit or Type Method for weighting, or one of certain Custom configurations, this value determines the impact the evaluation will in relation to other evaluations.
Regardless of your weighting method, the point value provides a range that determines how precise you can be when giving partial credit. (For example, a point value of 100 lets you give a greater variety of scores than a value of 10.) The Point value field is required.
Note that if you change the point value after having given a score to any student, those scores will be skewed. In general, it is a good practice to make a decision about an evaluation’s point value prior to entering any scores.
If you select the Extra credit checkbox, the evaluation can only help the student in his or her overall course grade. Note that the attendance evaluation cannot be designated as extra credit.
By default, the Extra credit checkbox is not selected when you create a new evaluation.
The Description field may be useful if you want to include details about the evaluation and how its scored. This field is optional.
The Settings label displays only for an attendance evaluation. These options allow you to do any of the following:
Penalize a student who is habitually late. To do this, select the checkbox labeled Count an unexcused absence for every [number] times tardy, then enter the appropriate number.
Give any student zero points for attendance after incurring a certain number of unexcused absences. To do this, select the checkbox labeled No credit for attendance after [number] unexcused absences and enter the appropriate number.
Automatically fail the student after a certain number of unexcused absences. To do this, select the checkbox labeled Automatic course failure (0%) after [number] unexcused absences, then enter the appropriate number.
All three Settings fields are optional.
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Do one of the following:
If you are on the Gradebook home screen, click the link labeled Evaluations.
If you are already working in the Gradebook feature instance but have navigated past the home screen, click the Evaluations icon, which looks like a medal.
