Using the ICON Gradebook

What is Possible with ICON’s Grades Tool?

• Choose from three different systems for calculating gradess:
  • Points: The final grade is the total points of all grade items. There is no weighting of grades.
  • Weighted: You apply weights to individual grade items and to categories of grade items. Example: The Gettysburg quiz counts 20% toward the Quizzes category grade, and the Quizzes category grade counts 20% toward the final grade. The Gettysburg quiz, then, counts 4%, of the final grade.
  • Formula: The final grade calculation is based on a formula you create. Any weighting of grades must be done with a formula.
  • With all three grading systems, the final grade is displayed as a percentage, letter, or other symbol, depending on your applied grading scheme.
• Create customized grading schemes (e.g., letter grade, pass/fail).
  • You can create new grading schemes, use grading schemes set up by your department, and copy grading schemes from your other ICON courses.
• Choose from six different grade item types:
  • Numeric - Use this to assign a number value.
  • Checkbox - When entering grades, you check a box to award full points or leave it unchecked to award 0 points.
  • Selectbox - When entering grades, you select a symbol (A, B, Excellent, etc.) from a droplist; when calculating the final grade, ICON uses the numerical value you assigned to that symbol in the applied grading scheme.
  • Textbox - Use this type to provide text feedback. Textbox items are not included in grade calculations.
  • Calculated - Use this type to average selected grades at midterm or some other mid-session checkpoint (not exportable; not included in Final Grade calculation).
  • Formula - Use this type to enter a formula for performing calculations on selected items within the Grades List (not included in final grade calculation for Points or Weighted System grade books).
• Create Bonus grade items (with Numeric, Checkbox, or Selectbox items only).
• Set ICON to record online quiz and assignment grades.
• Make adjustments to the final grade calculation.
  • Drop the highest and/or lowest grades in a category.
  • Drop a grade item from the calculation (e.g., don't count the Gettysburg quiz for anyone).
  • Exclude non-graded items from the final grade calculations (or else count them as 0's)
  • Have ICON automatically update the final grade calculation each time a grade is added or changed (this can slow performance with larger classes).
• Customize your Gradelist display.
  • Oganize grade items into categories.
  • Display grade ranges in different colors (colors are not visible to students).
  • Repeat the student identifier every x columns to facilitate entering grades.
  • Display single users, groups, or sections (if multiple sections are mapped into one course).
  • Simplify your display by hiding selected columns (you can re-display them any time).
• Customize your students' display.
• Decide which grade items are displayed to students (students cannot view grades of other individuals).
• For individual grade items, allow students to view the overall class average and/or statistics (distribution of scores).
• View grades from a student's viewpoint without having to log in as a student.
• Export grades to csv files and import grades from csv files.
• Import scores from Examination and Evaluation Service.

9 March 07

Choosing the grade calculation system — Points, Weighted or Formula

A first step in setting up your grade book is deciding which grading system will apply to your course: Points, Weighted, or Formula (only one system can apply).

With the Points System, ICON calculates the total points of all the items in all the grade categories and converts them to a percentage. The final grade is displayed in accordance with the applied grading scheme. You cannot weight grades using the Points System.

With the Weighted System, individual grade items are weighted as a percentage of the grade category they are in, and the category is weighted as a percentage of the final grade. For example, Assignment 1 might count 10% toward the Assignments category, and the Assignments category might count 40% toward the final grade. Therefore, Assignment 1 would count 10% of 40%, or 4% toward the final grade.

With the Formula System, ICON calculates the final grade based on a formula created by the instructor. This system offers more flexibility than the Points or Weighted systems. For example, using if/then statements, instructors could apply one calculation for graduate students and another for undergraduate students in the same course.

16 October 2007

Creating Grading Schemes (Letter, pass/fail, etc.)

Every grade item in your course must be associated with a Grade Scheme. The initial default Grade Scheme is Percentage (e.g., 8 out of 10 points displays as 80%), but you can create new Grade Schemes or copy Grade Schemes from another course. When creating any grade scheme, even in a Points System gradebook, you must enter percentages, not points. For example, in a Points System course where the maximum points possbile is 500, you might enter 80 percent–not 400 points–as the start value for the B- range.

Viewing Your Grade Schemes

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click  Grades Setup (top).
3. Click  Grade Schemes.

You will see your existing Grade Schemes. The Organizational schemes are set up by system administrators.  The Course schemes are those you have created yourself.

Under Default Scheme, you see the Grade Scheme that is currently applied to any new grade item you create (unless you select a different grade scheme when you are creating the item).

Changing the Default Grade Scheme

The default Grade Scheme intially displays grades as percentages. But you can select a different default scheme if you wish:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click  Grades Setup (top).
3. Click  Grade Schemes.
4. Select the grade scheme you wish to use as the default for new grade items.
5. Click Save.

Creating a New Grade Scheme

For all grade items except Selectbox items, you either keep the default percentage scheme or set up a new scheme that that converts percentage scores to symbols (e.g., 90-100 = A or 70-100 = Pass).

Grade Schemes for Selectbox are a little different from Grade Schemes for other grade item types. (A Selectbox is a droplist from which you select a non-numerical symbol rather than typing in a grade). For Selectbox items, you set up a Grade Scheme that displays a symbol (e.g., A, Pass, Satisfactory) and assigns numerical values that ICON can use when calculating grades.

Attention Points System users: When creating a grade scheme in ICON, you must enter percentages, not points. For example, in a course where the maximum points possbile is 500, you might enter 80 percent–not 400 points–as the start value for the B- range.

Here's how to create a new Grade Scheme:

Note: When following these instructions, you may wish to refer to the Sample Grade Schemes below.

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click  Grades Setup.
3. Click  Grade Schemes.
4. To create a new scheme for your course, click  New Course Scheme (second row of icons).
5. Type a name for the scheme and a short name for the gradelist column label.
6. Define your grade ranges:
   1. Fill in the Symbol column:  Enter the lowest symbol (e.g., F or Unsatisfactory) first.  Then move down to the second row in this column and enter the next-lowest symbol (e.g., D or Pass). Continue in this way until you have entered all symbols for this Grade Scheme. If you need additional grade ranges, click the Add Grade Ranges icon.
   2. Fill in the Start column.  The Start value is the lowest percentage in a range (0 for the F range; 60 for D- , 63 for D, etc.). If you are using the Points System, enter the percentages, not the number of points (e.g., if the start range for a C is 300 out of 400 points, enter 75% as the start value.
   3. If this Grade Scheme will not be used with a Selectbox item (i.e., you won't be selecting a symbol from a droplist when entering grades), leave the Assigned Value column blank.
   4. If this Grade Scheme will be used with a Selectbox item, fill in the Assigned Value column. ICON will use your Assigned value (e.g., 100 for Excellent, 90% for Good) when calculating the final grades.  If you don’t enter an Assigned Value, ICON will use the Start value for this range. 
7. If you want to display each grade range in a different color, select the colors from the Colour droplists at right.  When you view the graded item in your Gradelist, you'll get a quick impression of how many grades are in each range. (Your students will not see these colors, except when they click the Statistics icon.)
8. Click the Remove icon to delete any boxes you don’t need.  Otherwise, ICON will insist that you enter another grade range when you try to save the grade scheme.
9. Click Save.
   

Sample Grade Schemes

Objective:  Display a letter grade.  The Start column contains the lowest percentage score in the grade ranges, even if you are using the Points system.  There is no need to fill in the Assigned Value column because this Grade Scheme is not being used with a Selectbox item:

Objective: Display Pass or Fail.  In this example, students must earn 75% or higher to pass.  Since this scheme is not being used with a Selectbox item, there is no need to fill in the Assigned Value column.

Objective: Show points only. Prevent ICON from displaying the percentage grade (Points Sytem). This sample scheme includes only one grade range and displays all percentage grades as two hyphens.

Objective: Enter selections for Selectbox Grade Items and tell ICON what numeric value to assign to each selection when calculating grade averages. Note: When creating a Grade Scheme for a Selectbox item, you must enter a Start value, although ICON will ignore it unless the Assigned Value column is empty:

Basing a New Grade Scheme on an Existing Scheme

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the  Grades Setup icon.
3. Click the  Grade Schemes icon.
4. Click the Copy Scheme icon.
5. Select the scheme you wish to copy from the droplist.
6. Enter the new scheme name.
7. Select Edit Scheme After Copy Completes.
8. Click Create Copy.
9. Enter a name and short name for your new scheme.
10. Make desired changes to the Grade Scheme.
11. Click Save.

Editing an Existing Grade Scheme

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Click the Grades Setup icon.
3. Click the Grade Schemes icon.
4. Under Course Schemes, click the name of the scheme you wish to edit.
5. Enter your changes.
6. Click Save.

Note: If ICON displays a popup window saying the grade scheme you wish to edit is in use (associated with one or more grade items), click the question mark to find out which grades item(s) are associated with it. You will need to un-apply your grade scheme from these items before you can edit the grade scheme. Once you've edited the grade scheme, you must re-apply it to each individual grade item it was associated with. You do this by clicking the grade item name in the Grades List and then selecting the newly edited scheme from the Grade Scheme dropdown menu.

Deleting Grade Schemes

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Click the Grades Setup icon.
3. Click the Grade Schemes icon.
4. Click the Delete Course Schemes icon.
5. Select the grades scheme(s) you wisht to delete and click Delete Selected.

Note: Before you can delete a Grade Scheme, you must first remove that scheme from all grade items that currently use it. If the scheme is in use, an error message will appear (if this happens, click the Help icon to see which items are using the scheme; then open the items individually, select a different scheme for them, and try again to delete the Grade Scheme).

Applying Grade Schemes

You select a grade scheme while you are entering the Properties for a new grade item (if you don't select a grade scheme, ICON will apply the course default). Once a grade item has been created, you can go to the Properties page for that item and change the grade scheme if you wish. Here's how:

1. Click Grades in the Navbar.
2. Click the grade item name in the Grades List.
3. Make your selection from the Grade Scheme dropdown menu.
4. Click Save.

27 February 2007

Defining Grade Categories

In this part:

• Defining Grade Categories – Points System
• Defining Grade Categories – Weighted System
• Defining Grade Categories – Formula System

Defining Grade Categories – Points System

Categories help keep your gradebook organized.  They also make it possible for you to automatically drop the highest or lowest grade(s) when calculating final grades.

See also: Categories in the Weighted System or Categories in the Formula System.

To define a Grades category when using the Points System:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the New Category icon (top left).
3. Type a category name (e.g., Assignments) and optionally a short name (e.g., Assign.).
4. Indicate whether or not you want class members to see the class average and/or grade distribution chart.
5. If you have bonus points on items, select Allow category grade to exceed total points.

   Example: The Assignments category has two items: Assignment 1 and Assignment 2, each worth 20 points.  Both items allow students to earn more than the maximum (e.g., a student might earn 22 out of 20). The Assignment category has a maximum value of 40 points, but if you select Allow category grade to exceed total points, then a student who receives a 21 and a 22 would get a total category score of 43.  If you do not select this option, the same student would receive a category score of 40.

6. If you want ICON to automatically assign the same number of points to every grade item in this category, check Distribute Points Evenly and enter the number of points you want ICON to assign the items.
7. Distribute Points Evenly must be checked to have ICON drop the highest or lowest grade(s) in the category. Enter the number of highest or lowest grades you want ICON to ignore when calculating the category grade.
8. Type a description for this category (optional) and indicate whether it should be visible to students.
9. Click Save (or Save and New to create a new category).

Defining Grade Categories – Weighted System

If you are using the Weighted System, organizing your gradebook by categories has three advantages:

• Makes the gradelist easier to read.
• Allows you to drop the highest and/or lowest grade for quizzes, assignments, etc.
• Allows you weight a group of items (e.g., all quizzes) as a certain percentage of the final grade.

Note:  Click to see information on Categories in the Points System or Categories in the Formula System.

To define a Grades category when using the Weighted System:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the  New Category icon.
3. Type a category name (e.g., Assignments) and optionally a short name (e.g., Assign.).
4. Indicate whether or not you want class members to see the class average and/or grade distribution chart for this grade category.
5. In the Weight box, enter the percentage that all items in this category together will contribute to the final grade.
6. To allow for bonus points, select Allow category grade to exceed total weight.

   Example: the Assignments category has two items, Assignment 1 and Assignment 2. Each contributes 50% to the category total. Carlos earns 110% on Assignment 1 and 100% on Assignment 2.  If you select Allow category grade to exceed total weight, Carlos's category score would be105%.  If you do not select this option, Carlos’s category score would be 100%.

7. If you want all items to count equally toward the category total regardless of their “out of” of point maximums, check Distribute Weight evenly across all items in the category.

   Example: Assignment 1 is worth 10 points and Assignment 2 is worth 20 points, but each contributes 50% to the Assignment category total.

8. Distribute Weight evenly across all items in category must be checked if you want ICON drop the highest and/or lowest grade(s) a student earns in the category. Enter the number of highest or lowest grades you want ICON to ignore when calculating grades for that category.
9. Type a description for this category (optional) and indicate whether the description should be visible to students.
10. Click Save (or Save and New to create a new category).

Defining Grade Categories – Formula System

In the Formula System, categories help keep your gradebook organized visually. They do not influence the final grade calculation.

See also: Categories in the Points System or Categories in the Weighted System.

To define a Grades category when using the Formula System:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the  New Category icon (top left).
3. Type a category name (e.g., Assignments) and optionally a short name (e.g., Assign.).
4. Indicate whether or not you want class members to see the class average and/or grade distribution chart.
5. Ignore the Allow category grade to exceed total points option. This option is not relevant when using the Formula System because the final grade calculation is based on a custom formula.
6. If you want ICON to automatically assign the same number of points to every new grade item created in this category, check Distribute points evenly and enter the number of points you want ICON to assign the items. This does not directly affect the final grade calculation.
7. Ignore the option to drop the highest or lowest grades, since this accomplished with the custom formula for the final grade calculation.
8. Type a description for this category (optional) and indicate whether it should be visible to students.
9. Click Save (or Save and New to create a new category).

9 August 2006

Creating Grade Items

In this part:

• Creating New Grade Items
• Numeric
• Checkbox
• Selectbox
• Textbox
• Calculated
• Formula
• Editing Grade Items
• Setting Conditional Release
• Hiding Grade Items

Creating new Grade Items

With ICON, you can create six different types of grade items:

Numeric	Use this item to award a number value. Can be included in the final grade calculation.
Checkbox	When entering grades, you check the box to award full points or de-select it to award 0 points. Can be included in the final grade calculation.
Selectbox	When entering grades, you select a symbol (A, B, Excellent, etc.) from a droplist; when calculating final grades ICON uses the numerical value you assigned that symbol in the associated grading scheme. Can be included in the final grade calculation.
Textbox	Use this item to provide text feedback. Not included in grade calculations.
Calculated	Use this item to easily calculate selected grades within the Grades List. Useful for calculating midterm grades with the Points System. Not exportable and not included in final grade calculation. Can give misleading results with the Weighted System (ICON re-distributes weights and does not drop highest/lowest grades). With the Formula System, the Formula item type is a better alternative.
Formula	Use this item type to enter a formula for calculating selected items within the Grades List. Can be included in the final grade calculation for the Formula System but not for Points or Weighted systems. Exportable.

About Bonus Items

Numeric, Checkbox, and Selectbox item types can be used to create bonus items. (Instructions for creating a bonus item are included in the sections describing individual item types.) When you create a bonus item, the Out of or Points grade for that item will display as "0." However, the bonus points will be included in the final grade calculation. If the bonus item is in a category, you decide whether to allow the category grade to exceed the points allotted for that category.

Creating a Numeric Grade Item

Use the numeric grade item when you want to enter a number value.

To create a Numeric grade item:

1. Click Grades in the Navbar.
2. Click the New Item icon.
3. Enter an item name (e.g., Assignment 1) and a short name for the Gradelist column label (e.g., Assign 1).
4. Select Numeric from the Type droplist. (Note: You cannot change a grade item type after you have saved the item.)
5. Click Okay in the popup window.
6. Select the parent category (e.g., Assignments) if applicable. (If you are oranizing your gradelist by categories and you haven't yet created the category for this item, you can do so now by clicking New Category. For instructions, see Defining Grade Categories - Weighted System, Points System, or Formula System.)
7. Under General, indicate whether you want students to see the class average and/or grade distribution for this item.
8. Enter the total number of points this grade item is worth.
9. If you are using the Weighted System, enter the weight (percentage) this item will contribute toward its parent category.  If the item is not in a category, enter the weight (percentage) this item will contribute toward the final grade.
10. Check Allow grade to exceed points/weight if you want to allow a student’s grade to be higher than the number in the Points/Out of: field (for instance, when a quiz includes a bonus question; see step 11). 
11. Indicate whether this item is a bonus grade item. 

Important note: The points for a bonus item are not included in the maximum points/percentages for the course. The Out of grade (Weighted System) or Points grade (Points System) will display as "0"; however, any points/percentages earned on this item will be added to the category and/or final grade. If the bonus item is in a category, you may wish to allow the category grade to exceed the total points for that category.

12. Click Allow this grade to be seen by students OR select a start and end date for displaying the grade.
13. Select a grade scheme from the droplist.
14. Check whether you want to override any display options you entered when you were customizing your gradelist display.  Then check any you now wish to show.
15. Enter an item description (optional) and indicate whether this description will be visible to students.
16. Click Save or Save and New (to create a new grade item).

Creating a Checkbox Grade Item (All or None)

When entering grades for a Checkbox item, you check the box to award full points for that item or de-select the box to award 0 points.

To create a Checkbox grade item:

1. Click Grades in the Navbar.
2. Click the New Item icon.
3. Enter an item name (e.g., Pass_Fail) and a short name for the Gradelist column label (e.g., P/F).
4. Select Checkbox from the Type droplist. (Note: You cannot change a grade item type after you have saved the item.)
5. Click Okay in the popup window.
6. Select the parent category, if applicable. (If you are oranizing your gradelist by categories and you haven't yet created the category for this item, you can do so now by clicking New Category. For instructions, see Defining Grade Categories - Weighted System, Points System, or Formula System.)
7. Under General, indicate whether you want students to see the class average and grade distribution for this item.
8. If you are using the Points System, enter the number of points the item is worth. (If you check the Checkbox when entering grades, the student will receive this number of points; if you don't check the Checkbox, the student will receive 0 points).
9. If you are using the Weights System, specify in the Weight box how much the item is worth toward its parent category total. If the item is not in a category, specify how much it is worth toward the final grade. If the item is a bonus item, specify the maximum percentage points this item can add to the category total.
10. Indicate whether this item is a bonus grade item. 

    Important note: The points for a bonus item are not included in the maximum points/percentages for the course. The Out of grade (Weighted System) or Points grade (Points System) will display as "0"; however, any points/percentages earned on this item will be added to the category and/or final grade. If the bonus item is in a category, you may wish to allow the category grade to exceed the total points for that category.

11. Click Allow this grade to be seen by students OR select a start and end date for displaying the grade.
12. Select a grade scheme from the droplist.
13. Check whether you want to override any display options you set when you were customizing your gradelist display. Then check any you now wish to show.
14. Enter an item description (optional) and check whether it will be visible to students.
15. Click Save or Save and New (to create a new grade item).

Creating a Selectbox Grade Item (A, B, C, Excellent, Good, Fair, etc.)

When entering grades, you select a symbol (A, B, Excellent, Poor, etc.) from a selectbox (droplist).  When calculating grades, ICON uses the value assigned to that symbol in the associated grading scheme (if the grading scheme doesn’t include an Assigned Value, Icon uses the Start value for the grade range in the grading scheme).

To create a Selectbox grade item:

1. Click Grades in the Navbar.
2. Click the New Item icon.
3. Enter an item name and a short name for the Gradelist column label.
4. Choose Selectbox from the Type droplist. (Note: You cannot change a grade item type after you have saved the item.)
5. Click Okay in the popup window.
6. Select the parent category, if applicable. (If you are oranizing your gradelist by categories and you haven't yet created the category for this item, you can do so now by clicking New Category. For instructions, see Defining Grade Categories - Weighted System, Points System, or Formula System.)
7. Under General, indicate whether you want students to see the class average and/or grade distribution for this item.
8. If you are using the Points System, enter the number of points the item is worth.
9. If you are using the Weighted System, specify what percentage the item contributes toward the parent category total.  If the item has no parent category, specify what percentage the item contribues toward the final grade.
10. Indicate whether this item is a bonus grade item. 

Important note: The points for a bonus item are not included in the maximum points/percentages for the course. The Out of grade (Weighted System) or Points grade (Points System) will display as "0"; however, any points/percentages earned on this item will be added to the category and/or final grade. If the bonus item is in a category, you may wish to allow the category grade to exceed the total points for that category.

11. Click Allow this grade to be seen by students OR select a start and end date for displaying the grade.
12. Select a grade scheme from the droplist.  The grading scheme you select should include Assigned Values; if it does not, ICON will use the Start value for the grading scheme when calculating final or mid-session grades.
13. Check whether you want to override certain display options you set back when you were customizing your gradelist display.  Then check any options you now wish to show.
14. Enter an item description (optional) and check whether this description will be visible to students.
15. Click Save or Save and New (to create a new grade item).

Creating a Textbox Grade Item

Use the Textbox item to give students feedback without awarding points (e.g., to comment on student proposals: “Document all sources”). 

Textbox items cannot belong to a category or be included in final or mid-session grade calculations.

To create a Textbox grade item:

1. Click Grades in the Navbar.
2. Click the New Item icon.
3. Enter an item name (e.g., Project Proposals) and a short name for the Gradelist column label (e.g., Proposals).
4. Select Text from the Type droplist. (Note: You cannot change a grade item type after you have saved the item.)
5. Click Okay in the popup window.
6. Click Allow this item to be seen by students OR select a start and end date for displaying the text.
7. To expand the default Gradelist column width to allow for more text characters, click Override default display options for this Grade Item and, in the Text box, enter the number of text characters you want to display.
8. Enter an item description (optional) and check whether this description will be visible to students.
9. Click Save or Save and New (to create a new grade item).

Creating a Calculated Grade Item (for Non-Exportable Mid-Session Grades)

You can use the Calculated item to calculate grades at some point prior to the end of the term (e.g., for midterm grades).  You specify which grades to include, and ICON calculates the grade to date using the same rules it applies when calculating the final grade for that item (exception: you cannot drop the highest/lowest grades in a category).

Calculated grade items cannot be included in formula items or in final grade calculations. Nor can Calculated items be exported from ICON for uploading into OSIRIS.

To create a Calculated grade item:

1. Click Grades in the Navbar.
2. Click the New Item icon.
3. Enter an item name (e.g., Midterm Average) and a short name for the Gradelist column label (e.g., Midterm Avg.).
4. Select Calculated from the Type droplist. (Note: You cannot change a grade item type after you have saved the item.)
5. Click Okay in the popup window.
6. Under General, indicate whether you want students to see the class average and/or grade distribution for this item.
7. To allow a student’s grade to be higher than the maximum for all the items in the calculation (e.g., to allow for bonus points), check Allow grade to exceed points/weight under Grading.

Important note: Calculated grade items cannot be hidden from students.

8. Select the grade scheme.
9. Check whether you want to override certain display options you set when you were customizing your gradelist display. Then check any options you now wish to show.
10. Select the grade items you want to include in the calculation by clicking Select All or clicking individual items. Don’t include items students haven’t yet completed.
11. Enter an item description (optional) and check whether this description will be visible to students.
12. Click Save or Save and New (to create a new grade item).

Creating a Formula Grade Item (for Special Calculations of Selected Grade Items)

Use the Formula grade item type to enter a formula for specialized purposes within the Grades List. For example, suppose you have a test with two parts: an objective section graded by Exam Services and an essay portion you grade. You could create a Numeric grade item for each and then create a Formula grade item to add the two scores together.

Formula items can be included in the final calculation formula in a Formula System gradebook only. They cannot be included in the final grade calculation for Points System or Weighted System gradebooks.

Formula items cannot be hidden from students.

To create a Formula grade item:

1. Click Grades in the Navbar.
2. Click the New Item icon.
3. Enter an item name (e.g., Micropathology Exam) and, if desired, a short name for the Grade List column label (e.g., MP Exam).
4. Select Formula from the Type droplist. (Note: You cannot change a grade item type after you have saved the item.)
5. Click Okay in the popup window.
6. Under General, indicate whether you want students to see the class average and/or grade distribution for this item.
7. To allow a student’s grade to be higher than the maximum for all the items in the calculation (e.g., to allow for bonus points), check Allow grade to exceed points/weight under Grading.
8. Select the grade scheme.
9. Check whether you want to override certain display options you set when you were customizing your grade list display. If so, check any options you now wish to show.
10. Under Calculation, click on Edit using the Formula Editor to create the calculation formula. (See Using the Formula Editor for more information on creating a formula.)
11. Click Save or Save and New (to create a new grade item).

Editing Grade Items

To edit grade item properties (name, category, statistics, points/weight, availability) for a single item, click the item label (heading) in the Grades List. To edit properties for multiple grade items, click Edit All Grade Items (upper-right in the Grades List).

Setting Conditional Release

You can restrict the student view of grade items based on group membership or completion of a specified online task.  You can restrict access for individual grade items only, not for category grades or the final grade. Release conditions cannot be associated with either Calculated or Formula grade item types.

Note:  If you plan to restrict access based on group membership and you haven’t yet created the group, create it now, before you proceed with step 1 (see Creating Groups)

To set release conditions for a grade item:

1. If the grade item is not yet open, click Grades in the navbar and then click the grade item name (column label) in the Gradelist. 
2. From within the grade item, click theRelease Conditions icon (top right).
3. Click Add New.
4. Select a Condition Type and specific item or group from the dropdown lists and click Save.

Hiding Grade Items

Grade items are visible to students by default. To hide grade items from students:

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Access the grade item's Properties page by clicking the column heading (when hiding a single item) or Edit All Grade Items (when hiding multiple items).
3. De-select Status: Allow this item to be seen by students.

To make a hidden item available to students, click to place a checkmark next to Status: Allow this item to be seen by students.

Important note: The Calculated grade item type cannot be hidden from students.

12 April 2007

Entering Grades

In this part:

• Entering Grades
• Modifying Grades

See also: Importing Examination and Evaluation Services Scores and Grading on a Curve

Entering Grades

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Next to the column label for the item you wish to grade, click the  Grade this Item icon.
3. If you wish to enter comments for the class, type them in the Overall Comments box.
4. Enter the grades:
• For Numeric items, enter a number in the Out of Grade: column.  If you want to give the same number grade to everyone, click the Enter Grades for All icon (top center). To enter individual feedback, click the  Comments icon next to the student's name. (Public comments are visible to the individual student; Private comments are visible only to you.)
• For Selectbox items, make your selection from the Selectbox Grade droplist. When calculating final or interim grades, ICON will apply the numerical value assigned in the associated grading scheme; if no assigned value was entered, ICON will use the start value for the assigned grading scheme. If you want to select the same grade for everyone, click the  Enter Grades for All icon at top.
• For Checkbox items, click the Checkmark All Grades icon at top. Then de-select individual checkboxes for any students who did not complete the task satisfactorily.

  Important: Unless you first check and then de-select boxes for students who deserve "0"s, these students will receive a "-" (indicating a non-graded item) rather than a "0." If you have set ICON to exclude non-graded items from the final grade calculation (under Grades Setup), these students will avoid any penalty for not completing the work.

5. Click Save and then OK.

Modifying Grades

To modify a grade item (except the final grade) for a single student:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Access the grade you want to change by clicking on the student’s name in the gradelist or by clicking the  Edit icon next to the grade item column heading.
3. Change the grade.
4. Click Save.

ICON will use the new grade when calculating the final (or mid-session) grade.

Note: If ICON has not been set to recalculate the final grade each time a grade is added or modified, a calculator will appear in the Final Grade column for the student to indicate that the final grade is out of date.

12 April 2007

Calculating Midterm & Other Mid-session Grades

See also: Calculating/Modifying Grades in Excel

[coming soon]

12 April 2007

Grading on a Curve

ICON does not have a built-in function for grading on a curve. However, there are a three different work-arounds.

One approach to curving grades is to create a grade scheme based on the highest score earned. Ideally, you might want to give an A+ to students who receive a 97 or higher. But imagine the highest score is 79, and you want to give that student an A+. You could create a grading scheme with 76.63 (.97 x 79) as the starting grade for the A+ range. The starting grade for the A range might be 73.47 (.93 x 79), the starting grade for the A- range might be 71 (.90 x 79), etc.

A second approach to grading on a curve is to base the grading scheme on specified percentage of allowable A's, B's, etc. For example, say there are 100 students in your class and only the top 20 percent (that is, 20 students) can get A''s. Therefore, the 20th ranking student's score is the Start (lowest) score for the A range. But how do you find the 20th ranking score? Unfortunately, ICON cannot sort (order) grade items. However, you could download the grades to Excel, sort (order) the grade item from high to low scores, and count down to the 20th ranking score. That is the starting score for your A range. The 40th ranking score will be the starting score for the B range, etc.

For instructions on setting up a grading scheme, see Applying Grading Schemes.

An entirely different approach to curving grades is to add a specified number of points/percentages to everyone's grade. Say, the highest grade is 79, and you want that grade to be an A+. You might add 18 points, the difference between 79 and 97, to everyone's grade. If you're using the Formula System, you can do this with the final grade calculation formula. If you're using the Weighted or Points Systems, a quick way to do this is to create a bonus Checkbox grade item that is worth the number of points you wish to add. Then you can award full credit to everyone at once.

To award the extra points:

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Next to the column label for the bonus Checkbox item, click the  Grade this Item icon.
3. If you wish to enter comments for the class, type them in the Overall Comments box.
4. Click the Checkmark All Grades icon at top.
5. Click Save and then OK.

Note: If you have more than one page in your gradebook, you will need to click Checkmark All Grades and then Save for each page of students.

See Creating a Checkbox Grade Item for more information.

9 August 2006

Calculating & Adjusting Final Grades

In this part:

• Calculating & Adjusting Final Grades – Points System
• Calculating & Adjusting Final Grades – Weighted System
• Calculating & Adjusting Final Grades – Formula System

Calculating & Adjusting Final Grades – Points System

When calculating the Final grade, ICON tallies the total points for all categories and non-categorized items. If you are using the Weighted System, ICON takes the weights into account when making this calculation. The result is called the Calculated Final Grade.  You can initiate this calculation manually or have ICON automatically update the Calculated Final Grade each time a grade item is added or modified (although automatic updating may slow ICON's performance if you have a large class). ICON then coverts this total to a percentage or a symbol such as B+ or Pass, according to your applied grading scheme.

You have the option of dropping the highest and/or lowest grade(s) in a category, ignoring non-graded items in the calculation, and dropping one or more grade items from the calculation.

Setting Up the Final Grade Properties

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Click the Final Grade column label (top right).
3. Indicate whether or not you want students to see the class average and/or the class grade distribution.
4. Indicate whether you wish to allow total weight/points to exceed the total of all categories (to allow for bonus items or points).
5. Select the grading scheme.
6. Select the desired display options:
   • Final calculated grade - The total points (weighted, if applicable) for all categories and items not in categories, displayed in accordance with the associated grading scheme.
   • Final adjusted grade - The final grade after you have transferred the Calculated Grade to the Adjusted Grade column, or after you have removed from the final calculation any undesired grade items, such as a quiz on which everyone did poorly.
   • Final grade scheme - Check this if you want to display the different ranges of scores and the grade symbolassociated with each.
7. Click Save.

Dropping Highest/Lowest Grades

ICON can ignore the highest and/or lowest grades in a category when calculating the final grade (the items must be in a category).  You normally enter this setting when defining the category (see Defining Grade Categories– Points System or Defining Grade Categories – Weighted System); however, you can edit an existing category and enter this setting then. 

To edit a category and drop the highest/lowest grade:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the category column label in the Gradelist.
3. Be sure Distribute Points Evenly is checked. Then enter the number of highest or lowest grades you want ICON to ignore when calculating grades for that category.
4. Click Save

Excluding Non-Graded Items from the Final Grade Calculation

Depending on your setting, ICON will either ignore non-graded items or give them a value of “0” when calculating the final grade. A single setting applies to all grade items in the course.

To tell ICON how to deal with non-graded items:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the  Grades Setup icon.
3. Click the Grade Calculations icon.
4. Under Final Grade Calculations, select or de-select Include Non-Graded Items….
5. Click Save.

Important note on Checkbox item types: When grading a Checkbox item, be sure to click the Checkmark All Grades icon at top and then de-select individual checkboxes for any students who did not complete the task satisfactorily. Unless you first check and then de-select checkboxes for students who deserve "0"s, these students will receive a "-" (indicating a non-graded item) rather than a "0." If you have set ICON to exclude non-graded items from the final grade calculation, these students will avoid any penalty for not completing the work.

Updating the Final Grade - Automatic Update

You can set ICON to automatically update the final grade any time a grade is added or modified. However, automatic updating may slow ICON’s response time if you have a large class.  If you don’t  choose this option, you will need to initiate the updating process yourself (see Updating the Final Grade - Manual Update below). You normally enter the automatic update setting when setting up your Grade Calculations early in the term, but you can start the automatic updating process at any time.

To have ICON calculate the final grade and then update it any time you add or modify a grade:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the  Grades Setup icon.
3. Click the Grade Calculations icon.
4. Under Final Grade Calculations, select Automatically Keep Final Grade Updated….
5. Click Save.

Updating the Final Grade - Manual Update

If you did not set ICON to automatically calculate the final grade each time a grade item is added or changed, you must initiate this calculation manually each time you want the final grade updated (ICON performs no calculations until instructed to).

For All Students

To calculate/update the final grade for all students:

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Click the  Edit icon next to the Final Grade column label.
3. Click the  Recalculate Calculated Grades icon (top) and then click OK in the two popup boxes. The calculation appears in the Calculated Grade column.
4. If you want all students to view the Calculated Grade, click the Release icon by the Calculated Grade column.
5. To remove one or more items from the calculation, see instructions below.
6. To allow all students to view the new Calculated Grade, click the box by the  Release icon (at the top of the Calculated Grade column).
7. Click Save.

Important: Your actions affect only those students who are showing. Since ICON can show no more than 200 students at one time. If you have a very large class, you may need to repeat this process more than once.

For Individual Students

If an individual student's grade is out of date, you will see a calculator icon next to the student's name in the Final Grade column. To calculate/update the Final Grade for a single student:

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. In the Final Grade column next to the student's name, click the Final Grade is Out of Date icon. You will see a record of the student's grades.
3. Under Final Grade, you should see the message that the grade is "no longer up to date." To the right of this message are three calculator icons. Click the top-left, Recalculate Calculated Grades iocn and then click OK in the two popup windows.
4. To make the grade visible to the student, click in the checkbox for Release Final Grade.
5. Click Save.

Removing Items from the Final Grade Calculation or Adjusting Individual Final Grades

You can have ICON adjust the calculated Final Grade to remove selected grade items or categories. You might do this if everyone got a bad grade on a quiz, for example, or if an individual student was hospitalized during a quiz.

Note:  This is not the same as dropping the highest or lowest grade in a category.

You can also make manual adjustments to individual grades.

For All Students

To remove an item or category from the final grade calculation for all students:

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Click the  Edit icon next to the Final Grade column label.
3. Transfer the grades to the Adjusted Grade column by clicking the  Transfer Calculated Grades to Adjusted Grades icon (top) and then clicking OK in the popup box.
4. Click the  Recalculate Adjusted Grades icon and click OK in the first popup window.
5. In the second popup window, de-select the grade or category you want ICON to ignore and click OK.
6. To allow students to view the final grade, click the box next to the  Release icon (next to the Adjusted Grade column heading).
7. Click Save.

Note: You can also make adjustments to individual final grades from this page.

For Individual Students

To remove an item or category from the final grade calculation for an individual student or make a manual adjustment to the final grade:

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Click the student’s name or click the student’s grade in the Final Grade column.
3. Click the Transfer Calculated Grade to Adjusted Grade icon under Final Grade.
4. If you wish to remove an item or category, click the  Recalculate Adjusted Grades icon and click OK in the first popup window. In the second popup window, de-select the grade or category you want ICON to remove from the final grade calculation and click OK.
5. If you wish manually adjust the students final grade, enter the new grade in the Adjusted Grades box.
6. To add a comment for the student (e.g., "I dropped your first quiz grade"), type it in the Public Comments box.  To enter a reminder for yourself only, type it in the Private Comments box.
7. Click Save.

Overriding Adjusted Grades (Reverting to ICON’s Calculated Grades)

If you made an undesirable changes in the Adjusted Grade column, you can revert to ICON’s calculated final grades, which are based on the total points or weight of all the categories (and items not in categories), converted in accordance with the applied grading scheme.  To override adjusted final grades, you use Recalculate Calculated Grades function.

Warning: When you Recalculate the Calculated grades for the entire class, any adjusted final grades, including individually adjusted final grades, will be overwritten.  For example, let’s say a student was hospitalized during a quiz, and you use the Calculate Adjusted Grade function to ignore the missed quiz when calculating that student’s final grade.  If you later Recalculate the Calculated Grades for the entire class, that student's adjusted grade will be overwritten, and the quiz grade you removed will once again be included in the student’s final grade calculation. However, this applies to Adjusted Grades in the Final Grade column only, not to adjustments made using the Grade This Item function at the top of other columns. For example, if you click the Grade This Item icon in the Presentation 1 column and change a student's grade from 80 to 85 and then later recalculate the calculated grades for the entire class, ICON will use the changed Presentation grade in its calculations.

To recalculate the calculated grades (override adjusted grades) for the entire class:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the  Edit icon next to the Final Grade column label.
3. Click the  Recalculate Adjusted Grades icon and click OK in the two popup windows. The Calculated Grades appear in the table, and you’ll notice that they differ from the Adjusted Grades.
4. Click the  Transfer Calculated Grades to Adjusted Grades icon. Now the figures in the Adjusted Grades column should match those in the Calculated Grade column. To allow students to view the new grade, click the box by the  Release icon (next to the Adjusted Grade column heading).
5. Click Save.

Calculating & Adjusting Final Grades - Weighted System

When calculating the Final grade, ICON tallies the total points for all categories and non-categorized items, taking the weights into account. The result is called the Calculated Final Grade.  You can initiate this calculation manually or have ICON automatically update the Calculated Final Grade each time a grade item is added or modified (although automatic updating may slow ICON's performance if you have a large class). ICON then coverts this total to a percentage or a symbol such as B+ or Pass, according to your applied grading scheme.

You have the option of dropping the highest and/or lowest grade(s) in a category, ignoring non-graded items in the calculation, and dropping one or more grade items from the calculation.

Setting Up the Final Grade Properties

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Click the Final Grade column label (top right).
3. Indicate whether or not you want students to see the class average and/or the class grade distribution.
4. Indicate whether you wish to allow total weight/points to exceed the total of all categories (to allow for bonus items or points).
5. Select the grading scheme.
6. Select the desired display options:
   • Final calculated grade - The total points (weighted, if applicable) for all categories and items not in categories, displayed in accordance with the associated grading scheme.
   • Final adjusted grade - The final grade after you have transferred the Calculated Grade to the Adjusted Grade column, or after you have removed from the final calculation any undesired grade items, such as a quiz on which everyone did poorly.
   • Final grade scheme - The percentage or the symbol associated with each defined range of scores.
7. Click Save.

Dropping Highest/Lowest Grades

ICON can ignore the highest and/or lowest grades in a category when calculating the final grade (the items must be in a category).  You normally enter this setting when defining the category (see Defining Grade Categories – Weighted System); however, you can edit an existing category and enter this setting then. 

To edit a category and drop the highest/lowest grade:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the category column label in the Gradelist.
3. Be sure Distribute Points Evenly is checked. Then enter the number of highest or lowest grades you want ICON to ignore when calculating grades for that category.
4. Click Save.

Excluding Non-Graded Items from the Final Grade Calculation

Depending on your setting, ICON will either ignore non-graded items or give them a value of “0” when calculating the final grade. A single setting applies to all grade items in the course.

To tell ICON how to deal with non-graded items:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the  Grades Setup icon.
3. Click the Grade Calculations icon.
4. Under Final Grade Calculations, select or de-select Include non-graded Items in the final grade calculation
5. Click Save.

Important note on Checkbox item types: When grading a Checkbox item, be sure to click the Checkmark All Grades icon at top and then de-select individual checkboxes for any students who did not complete the task satisfactorily. Unless you first check and then de-select checkboxes for students who deserve "0"s, these students will receive a "-" (indicating a non-graded item) rather than a "0." If you have set ICON to exclude non-graded items from the final grade calculation, these students will avoid any penalty for not completing the work.

Updating the Final Grade - Automatic Update

You can set ICON to automatically update the final grade any time a grade is added or modified. However, automatic updating may slow ICON’s response time if you have a large class.  If you don’t  choose this option, you will need to initiate the updating process yourself (see Updating the Final Grade - Manual Update below). You normally enter the automatic update setting when setting up your Grade Calculations early in the term, but you can start the automatic updating process at any time.

To have ICON calculate the final grade and then update it any time you add or modify a grade:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the  Grades Setup icon.
3. Click the Grade Calculations icon.
4. Under Final Grade Calculations, select Automatically Keep Final Grade Updated….
5. Click Save.

Updating the Final Grade - Manual Update

If you did not set ICON to automatically calculate the final grade each time a grade item is added or changed, you must initiate this calculation manually each time you want the final grade updated (ICON performs no calculations until instructed to).

For All Students

To calculate/update the final grade for all students:

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Click the  Edit icon next to the Final Grade column label.
3. Click the  Recalculate Calculated Grades icon (top) and then click OK in the two popup boxes. The calculation appears in the Calculated Grade column.
4. To remove one or more items from the calculation, see instructions below.
5. To allow all students to view the new Calculated Grade, click the box by the  Release icon (at the top of the Calculated Grade column).
6. Click Save.

Important Note: Your actions affect only those students who are showing. If you have a larger class, you will need to repeat this process for each page of students in your grade book.

For Individual Students

If an individual student's grade is out of date, you will see a calculator icon next to the student's name in the Final Grade column. To calculate/update the Final Grade for a single student:

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. In the Final Grade column next to the student's name, click the Final Grade is Out of Date icon. You will see a record of the student's grades.
3. Under Final Grade, you should see the message that the grade is "no longer up to date." To the right of this message are three calculator icons. Click the top-left, Recalculate Calculated Grades iocn and then click OK in the two popup windows.
4. To make the grade visible to the student, click in the checkbox for Release Final Grade.
5. Click Save.

Removing Items from the Final Grade Calculation or Adjusting Individual Final Grades

You can have ICON adjust the calculated Final Grade to remove selected grade items or categories. You might do this if everyone got a bad grade on a quiz, for example, or if an individual student was hospitalized during a quiz.

Note:  This is not the same as dropping the highest or lowest grade in a category.

You can also make manual adjustments to individual grades.

For All Students

To remove an item or category from the final grade calculation for all students:

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Click the  Edit icon next to the Final Grade column label.
3. Transfer the grades to the Adjusted Grade column by clicking the  Transfer Calculated Grades to Adjusted Grades icon (top) and then clicking OK in the popup box.
4. Click the  Recalculate Adjusted Grades icon and click OK in the first popup window.
5. In the second popup window, de-select the grade or category you want ICON to ignore and click OK.
6. To allow students to view the final grade, click the box next to the  Release icon (next to the Adjusted Grade column heading).
7. Click Save.

Note: You can also make adjustments to individual final grades from this page.

For Individual Students

To remove an item or category from the final grade calculation for an individual student or make a manual adjustment to the final grade:

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Click the student’s name or click the student’s grade in the Final Grade column.
3. Click the Transfer Calculated Grade to Adjusted Grade icon under Final Grade.
4. If you wish to remove an item or category, click the  Recalculate Adjusted Grades icon and click OK in the first popup window. In the second popup window, de-select the grade or category you want ICON to remove from the final grade calculation and click OK.
5. If you wish to manually adjust the student's final grade, enter the new grade in the Adjusted Grades box.
6. To add a comment for the student (e.g., "I dropped your first quiz grade"), type it in the Public Comments box.  To enter a reminder for yourself only, type it in the Private Comments box.
7. Click Save.

Overriding Adjusted Grades (Reverting to ICON’s Calculated Grades)

If you made an undesirable changes in the Adjusted Grade column, you can revert to ICON’s calculated final grades, which are based on the total points or weight of all the categories (and items not in categories), converted in accordance with the applied grading scheme.  To override adjusted final grades, you use Recalculate Calculated Grades function.

Warning: When you Recalculate the Calculated grades for the entire class, any adjusted final grades, including individually adjusted final grades, will be overwritten.  For example, let’s say a student was hospitalized during a quiz, and you use the Calculate Adjusted Grade function to ignore the missed quiz when calculating that student’s final grade.  If you later Recalculate the Calculated Grades for the entire class, that student's adjusted grade will be overwritten, and the quiz grade you removed will once again be included in the student’s final grade calculation. However, this applies to the Final Grade column only, not to other grade items. For example, if you click the Grade This Item icon in the Presentation 1 column and change a student's grade from 80 to 85 and then later recalculate the calculated grades for the entire class, ICON will use the changed Presentation grade in its calculations.

To recalculate the calculated grades (override adjusted grades) for the entire class:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the  Edit icon next to the Final Grade column label.
3. Click the  Recalculate Adjusted Grades icon and click OK in the two popup windows. The Calculated Grades appear in the table, and you’ll notice that they differ from the Adjusted Grades.
4. Click the  Transfer Calculated Grades to Adjusted Grades icon. Now the figures in the Adjusted Grades column should match those in the Calculated Grade column. To allow students to view the new grade, click the box by the  Release icon (next to the Adjusted Grade column heading).
5. Click Save.

Calculating & Adjusting Final Grades - Formula System

When calculating the Final grade, ICON performs the calculation as defined by the instructor using the Formula Editor and divides the result by the number of points possible for the final grade. The result is called the Calculated Final Grade.  You can initiate this calculation manually or have ICON automatically update the Calculated Final Grade each time a grade item is added or modified (although automatic updating may slow ICON's performance if you have a large class). ICON then coverts this total to a percentage or a symbol such as B+ or Pass, according to your applied grading scheme.

You have a great amount of flexibility when using the Formula System, including dropping highest or lowest grades, and using different calculations for different situations or groups.

Setting Up the Final Grade Properties

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Click the Final Grade column label.
3. Indicate whether or not you want students to see the class average and/or the class grade distribution.
4. Enter the Total Points. ICON will use this number to divide the result of the formula calculation.
5. Indicate whether you wish to allow total points earned to exceed the total points possible (to allow for bonus items or points).
6. Click Edit Using Formula Editor to create the final grade formula. (See Using the Formula Editor for more information.)
7. If you wish to calculate the Adjusted Final Grade using a different formula, you may do so.
8. Select the grading scheme.
9. Select the desired display options:
   • Calculated final grade - The total points for all items as calculated using the final grade formula, displayed in accordance with the associated grading scheme.
   • Adjusted final grade - The final grade after you have made adjustments. See Removing Items from Grade Calculation and Adjusting Final Grades below.
   • Final grade scheme - Percentage or other symbol associated with each score range.
10. Click Save.

Dropping Highest/Lowest Grades

You can create a final grade calculation formula that will ignore the highest and/or lowest grade(s) in a category.  (Entering this setting on the category's Properties page does not influence the final grade calculation in a Formula System gradebook.) To drop the highest and/or lowest grade(s), use the MIN and/or MAX functions in the Formula Editor when creating your final grade formula. (See Using the Formula Editor for more information.)

Excluding Non-Graded Items from the Final Grade Calculation

When you use the Formula System, there is no way to exclude non-graded items in the final grade calcualtion for individual students. However, you can edit the final grade formula to exclue an item for the entire class. You can also tell ICON how to display nongraded items or other items you have removed from the final grade calculation.

To tell ICON how to display items that are not included in the final grade calculation:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the  Grades Setup icon.
3. Click the Grade Calculations icon.
4. Under Final Grade Calculations, select or de-select Include Non-Graded Items in Caluclated Final Grade and Adjusted Final Grade (despite this wording, with the Formula System this setting applies only to how grades are displayed, not to how they are calculated).
5. Click Save.

Updating the Final Grade - Automatic Update

You can set ICON to automatically update the final grade any time a grade is added or modified. However, automatic updating may slow ICON’s response time if you have a large class.  If you don’t  choose this option, you will need to initiate the updating process yourself (see Updating the Final Grade - Manual Update below). It is common to enter the automatic update setting when setting up your Grade Calculations early in the term, but you can start the automatic updating process at any time.

To have ICON calculate the final grade and then update it any time you add or modify a grade:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the  Grades Setup icon.
3. Click the Grade Calculations icon.
4. Under Final Grade Calculations, select Automatically Keep Final Grade Updated.
5. Click Save.

Updating the Final Grade - Manual Update

If you did not set ICON to automatically calculate the final grade each time a grade item is added or changed, you must initiate this calculation manually each time you want the final grade updated (ICON performs no calculations until instructed to).

For All Students

To calculate/update the final grade for all students:

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Click the  Edit icon next to the Final Grade column label.
3. Click the  Recalculate Calculated Grades icon (top) and then click OK in the two popup boxes. The calculation appears in the Calculated Grade column.
4. To allow all students to view the new Calculated Grade, click the box by the  Release icon (at the top of the Calculated Grade column).
5. Click Save.

Important Note: Your actions affect only those students who are displayed. If you have a larger class, you will need to repeat this process for each page of students in your grades list.

For Individual Students

If an individual student's grade is out of date, a calculator icon is displayed next to the student's name in the Final Grade column. To calculate/update the Final Grade for a single student:

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. In the Final Grade column next to the student's name, click the Final Grade is Out of Date icon. You will see a record of the student's grades.
3. Under Final Grade, you should see a message that the grade is "no longer up to date." To the right of this message are three calculator icons. Click the Recalculate Calculated Grades icon (top left) and then click OK in the two popup windows.
4. To make the grade visible to the student, click in the checkbox for Release Final Grade.
5. Click Save.

Removing Items from the Grade Calculation

You can have ICON adjust the calculated Final Grade to remove selected grade items or categories. You might do this if everyone got a bad grade on a quiz, for example. In a Formula System grade book, you can remove an item by editing the final grade formula or by creating an alternate Adjusted Final Grade formula that does not include the item. To use an alternative Adjusted Grade formula, you would need to select Calculate the adjusted final grade using a formula on the Final Grade Properties page and then create your new formula using the formula editor. (See Using the Formula Editor for more information.)

Although you could also use the Recalculate Adjusted Grades option (on the Edit Final Grades page) to remove one or more items from the final grade calculation, this option would treat your final grade as if you were using a Points System grade book and would not preserve any weights or other instructions you have entered into the Calculated Final Grade formula. If for some reason you decide to use this option, you would need to de-select Calculate the adjusted final grade using a formula on the Final Grade Properties page.

Adjusting Final Grades Manually

Entering Manual Adjustments for Multiple Students

To manually enter an adjusted final grade for multiple students from one screen:

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Click the  Edit icon next to the Final Grade column label.
3. Transfer the grades to the Adjusted Grade column by clicking the  Transfer Calculated Grades to Adjusted Grades icon (top) and then clicking OK in the popup box.
4. Enter necessary adjustments to final grades.
5. To allow students to view the final grade, click the box next to the  Release icon (next to the Adjusted Grade column heading).
6. Click Save.

Entering Manual Adjustments for Individual Students

To manually enter an adjusted final grade for an individual student:

1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. Click the student’s name or click the student’s grade in the Final Grade column.
3. Click the Transfer Calculated Grade to Adjusted Grade icon under Final Grade.
4. Enter the student's adjusted final grade.
5. To add a comment for the student, type it in the Public Comments box.  To enter a reminder for yourself only, type it in the Private Comments box.
6. Click Save.

Overriding Adjusted Grades (Reverting to the Calculated Final Grades)

If you made undesirable changes in the Adjusted Grade column, you can revert to ICON’s calculated final grades, which are based on the formula created by the instructor and displayed in accordance with the applied grading scheme.  To override adjusted final grades, you use the Recalculate Calculated Grades function.

Warning: When you Recalculate the Calculated grades for the entire class, any individually adjusted final grades will be overwritten.  For example, let’s say a student was hospitalized during a quiz, and you use the Calculate Adjusted Grade function to ignore the missed quiz when calculating that student’s final grade.  If you later Recalculate the Calculated Grades for the entire class, that student's adjusted grade will be overwritten, and the quiz grade you removed will once again be included in the student’s final grade calculation. However, this applies when you make the adjustment in the Final Grade column only, not in individual grade items. For example, if you click the Grade This Item icon in the Presentation 1 column and change a student's grade from 80 to 85 and then later recalculate the calculated grades for the entire class, ICON will use the changed Presentation grade in its calculations.

To recalculate the calculated grades (override adjusted grades) for the entire class:

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the  Edit icon next to the Final Grade column label.
3. Click the  Recalculate Calculated Grades icon and click OK in the two popup windows. The Calculated Grades appear in the table, and you’ll notice that they differ from the Adjusted Grades.
4. Click the  Transfer Calculated Grades to Adjusted Grades icon. Now the figures in the Adjusted Grades column should match those in the Calculated Grade column. To allow students to view the new grade, click the box by the  Release icon (next to the Adjusted Grade column heading).
5. Click Save.

12 April 2007

Using the Formula Editor

The Formula Editor is used to create custom formulas for the Final Grade in a Formula System gradebook or for Formula items in Points, Weighted, or Formula System gradebooks. You can access the Formula Editor from the Properties screen for the Formula Item and, if you're using a Formula System gradebook, from the Final Grade Properties page.

Navigating through the Formula

You can navigate through the formula by using your mouse to change the cursor position, by using the arrow keys on your keyboard, or by using ICON's move cursor buttons.

You can use these cursor buttons to move to the beginning of the formula, to one place left or right of your current cursor position, or to the end of the formula.

Entering Terms (Parameters) and Functions

Terms (Parameters)

You will follow this procedure when entering terms (parameters) into your formula:

1. Select a grade item from the left dropdown menu. (Note: Calculated and Text item types cannot be used in formulas.)
2. Select User Grade, Points (or Out Of), or Percent from the second dropdown menu.
   • UserGrade is the number of points the student earned for a grade item. For example, if a student earns 19 of 20 possible points on a quiz, 19 is the UserGrade for this item.
   • Points (Formula or Points System) or OutOf (Weighted System) is the number of points possible on the grade item. In the above example, 20 is the Points or Out of for this item.
   • Percent is the UserGrade divided by the Points or OutOf multiplied by 100. In the above example, 95 is the Percent for this item.
3. Click Insert.

Functions

The Formula Editor offers the following functions:

• SUM {a,b,c, ...} adds a series of values together. These values may be real numbers; numeric, checkbox, selectbox, or formula grade items; or functions.
• AVG {a, b, c, ...} calculates the average of a series of values. These values may be real numbers; numeric, checkbox, selectbox, or formula grade items; or functions.
• MAX {a, b, c, ...} returns the largest value in a series of values. These values may be real numbers; numeric, checkbox, selectbox, or formula grade items; or functions.
• MIN {a, b, c, ...} returns the smallest value in a series of values. These values may be real numbers; numeric, checkbox, selectbox, or formula grade items; or functions.
• IF {condition, then x, else y} creates and if-then-else statement. If the condition is true, then x is returned. If the condition is false, then y returned.
  • The condition must be a Boolean statement.
  • The values for x and and y may be real numbers; numeric, checkbox, selectbox, or formula grade items; or functions.
• NOT {condition} inverts true and false. If the condition is true, then a false statement is returned. If the condition is false, then a true statement is returned.
  • The condition must be a Boolean statement.

You will follow this procedure when entering functions into your formula:

1. Select a Function from the dropdown box above and click Start. The name of the function and the opening bracket will be inserted into the formula, e.g., SUM {.
2. Enter the first term (parameter) for this function, e.g., [Quiz1.UserGrade].
3. Click Next Term.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all terms (parameters) are entered.
5. Click End. The closing bracket will be inserted into the formula.

Functions may be nested inside other functions, using parenthesis as appropriate. For example, you could nest a SUM function inside an IF function: IF{SUM{[Quiz1.UserGrade], [Quiz2.UserGrade]}>=20, then 100, else 0}.

Numbers and Mathematical Operators

Enter numbers and mathematical operators using the buttons at left or the corresponding keys on your keyboard.

Other Operators

Enter the Boolean operators And and Or as well as parenthesis and comparison operators using the buttons at left. Parenthesis and comparison operators can also be entered by using the corresponding keys on your keyboard. Comparison Operators: = Equal to <> Not equal to < Less than > Greater than <= Less than or equal to >= Greater than or equal to

Removing Items from the Formula

You can remove items from the formula by using your mouse to change the cursor position and then pressing the backspace or delete key on your keyboard, or by clicking the Backspace or Clear buttons on the screen. You cannot remove items by highlighting the text and pressing the backspace or delete key.

Clicking the Backspace button deletes the single item to the left of the cursor. Clicking the Clear button deletes the entire formula.

Validating the Formula

You can validate the formula at any time by clicking the Validate button (top right). Clicking Validate checks the formula syntax. If the syntax is valid, the message "Formula Validated Successfully" appears in blue above the formula box. If the formula is invalid, an error message displays in red above the formula box and the cursor moves to the position in the formula where the error was detected.

Examples of validation errors:

• Unexpected token type--an unexpected token has been entered into the formula.
  • [Quiz2.UserGrade]4 as oppposed to [Quiz2.UserGrade]*4
• Unbalanced parenthesis--an open parenthesis or bracket was entered into the formula without the accompanying close parenthesis or bracket.
  • SUM {[Quiz1.UserGrade], [Quiz2.UserGrade]
• Invalid number of operator paramaters--an operator (such as + or *) does not have the required number of parameters to be completed.
  • [Quiz1.UserGrade] +
• Invalid number of function parameters--the function does not contain the required number of terms
  • SUM{}
  • IF{[Quiz1.UserGrade] > 5, 10}
  • NOT{[Quiz1.UserGrade] < 5, [Quiz2.UserGrade] < 8}
• Numeric value expected--a numeric value has not been entered (a Boolean statement is in the place of a numeric value).
  • IF{[Quiz1.UserGrade] >10, 5 OR 7, 0}
  • SUM {[Quiz1.UserGrade <> 20], [Quiz2.UserGrade]}
• Boolean value expected--a Boolean statement has not been entered for the condition.
  • NOT{4}
  • IF{MIN{4,5}, 100, 0}

Previewing and Inserting the Formula

Clicking the Preview button (bottom right) validates the formula and, if the validation is successful, opens a pop-up window in which the formula is applied to the first 10 students in the Grades List.

Clicking the Insert button (bottom right) validates the formula and, if the validation is successful, inserts the formula into your gradebook then closes the Formula Editor window.

 

9 August 2006

Disregarding ICON’s Final Grade Column

Although ICON has built-in fuctions for calculating the final grade, some instructors prefer to do their own calculating and then use ICON’s Gradelist for display only. The method described here is used by Guided Independent Study. It involves disregarding ICON's Final Grade column altogether and displaying the final grade in a text column.

Note to Guided Independent Study instructors: The steps under Preparing Your Gradelist Columns below have already been completed by your departmental ICON administrator, so you can skip down to Entering Grades.

Preparing Your Gradelist Columns

1. Re-name the Final Grade column “Disregard this Column.”
2. To prevent students from seeing any reference to ICON’s Final Grade column, make sure the Release Final Grade option is not checked. Here’s how:
   1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
   2. Look at the Final Grade (or Disregard this Column) column. You should not see any eyeball icons. If you do see eyeball icons, you must remove them. Here's how: Click the Set Final Grades icon next to the column heading in your gradelist. Then click twice on the box next to the Release Final Grade icon (at right). All checkmarks below this icon should disappear. Click Save.
3. Create a Text grade items for each of your grade entries:
   1. Click Grades in the Navbar.
   2. Click the New Item icon.
   3. Enter an item name. Make it short so that the same name can be used for the Short Name (the name that appears as the column heading). Name the column that will contain your final grade "Course Grade."
   4. Select Text from the column Type droplist.
   5. Click Okay in the popup window.
   6. Click Allow this item to be seen by students OR select a start and end date for displaying the column contents to students.
   7. If you wish to expand the default Gradelist column width to allow for more text characters, click Override default display options for this Grade Item and, in the Text box, enter the number of text characters you want to display.
   8. Enter an item description (optional) and check whether this description will be visible to students.
   9. Click Save or Save and New (to create a new grade item.

Entering Grades

There are two ways to enter grades:

• Method 1: Type grades into ICON’s Gradelist columns. You can enter grades for one student at a time or for multiple students:
1. Click Grades in the NavBar.
2. If you wish to enter grades for a single student, type the student name (first or last) in the Search for: textbox (top left) and click Search. (When you are ready to return to the original Gradelist view, you will need to delete the student’s name from the Search for: textbox.)
3. Find the column for the item you wish to grade and click the Grade this Item icon next to the column label.
4. If you wish to enter comments for the class, type them in the Overall Comments box.
5. If you wish to enter comments for individual students, click the Comments icon next to the student's name. (Public comments are visible to the individual student; Private comments are visible only to you.)
6. To enter grades for Textbox items, type in your text, numeric grade, or letter grade.
7. Click Save and then OK.
• Method 2: Export your ICON Gradelist to your computer and open it in Excel. Enter your grades or perform calculations there and then import the file to ICON’s Gradelist. (See Calculating/Modifying Grades In Excel .)

9 August 2006

Viewing Grade Statistics

1. Click Grades in the navbar.
2. Click the  Statistics icon at the top of the grade item (or category) column.

12 April 2006

Displaying Grades - Student View

You can adjust student display settings for the Final Grade and other individual grade items. This section describes the different data that