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This article pertains to users participating in the Brightspace Pilot program during the Spring 2025 semester.
Introduction:
Brightspace's Grade Book setup enables instructors to organize assessments, select grading systems, and configure grade categories and items. It supports importing grades via CSV, TSV, or TXT files and offers features like automatically dropping the lowest grades in categories to streamline grading. Event logs track all changes made to grades, ensuring transparency. Instructors can also export grades to external systems like Banner or a Student Information System (SIS). These features, combined with notifications and automatic updates to final grades, simplify grading management.
Set up your Grade book
Setting up the Grade Book in Brightspace involves selecting a grading system, organizing assessments into categories, and configuring display settings to align with course goals. This ensures clear and accurate grade tracking for both instructors and students.
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Create and delete grade categories and items
Brightspace Grades tool allows instructors to effectively create and manage grade categories and items. Grade categories help organize related grade items (such as assignments or quizzes) and establish restrictions or conditions for grading. Within these categories, grade items represent specific evaluative components for student activities. The system supports adding, editing, reordering, and deleting these elements to customize the grading structure as needed for your course.
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Import grade items
Instructors can use CSV, TSV, or TXT files to import grade items into Brightspace. The process involves preparing a file with the necessary data, such as grades and grade item details, and uploading it via the Grades tool. This method can also create new grade items if needed, ensuring alignment with your course structure. Imported grades for discussions or assignments will synchronize with those tools for consistency.
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Delete grade items or categories
Deleting grade items or categories can be done through the "Manage Grades" page. Before deleting, check if the item is linked to any course activities; unlink them first if necessary. Deleting categories does not automatically remove associated items, which need to be handled separately. Once deleted, items are removed from calculations, and grades are lost.
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Drop the lowest grade
Instructors can set up their gradebook to automatically drop the lowest grade(s) in a category, such as quizzes or assignments. The feature requires that all items within the category be equally weighted. If a specific item is worth more, it may require a formula-based grading setup instead.
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Importing grades
In Brightspace, instructors can import grades using CSV, TSV, or TXT files, making it easier to upload grade data from external systems. This process allows new grade items to be added by including columns in the file, and the platform ensures synchronization with existing grade items like assignments or discussions.
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Export grades
Exporting grades allows instructors to quickly transfer grading data to external systems, such as Student Information Systems (SIS). To export grades, you need first to set up your grade book and make sure the grades are organized according to the platform's tools. You can initiate the export directly from the "Export" section of the Grades tool. This process typically generates a CSV or TXT file format for integration with other systems.
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Automatic Transfer of Overall Score to a Student's Grade
Automatic transfer of overall scores to a student's final grade ensures that the gradebook reflects all completed assessments and their corresponding weights. When this feature is enabled, the final grade will automatically incorporate calculated scores based on assigned grade items, even if specific assignments or categories are exempt.
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Gradebook icons and notifications
Gradebook icons and notifications help instructors track the status of student assessments. For instance, a warning dot will appear next to a grade item that requires attention, such as an assignment or quiz that has been submitted but not yet graded. These icons indicate actions needed, allowing instructors to prioritize their grading efficiently. Notifications related to grades also help keep instructors informed about updates or changes to gradebook items.
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Managing event logs in grade book
The "Managing Event Logs in the Grade Book" feature in Brightspace provides instructors with a detailed log of all changes made within the gradebook, including grading adjustments, category modifications, and grade item edits. This allows instructors to track who made changes, when, and the nature of the changes. Additionally, the event log can be filtered to show specific actions, making it easier for instructors to identify relevant changes. You can access event logs to view historical data, which is crucial for maintaining accurate grading records​
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Banner Grades
Banner Grades in Brightspace is an integration that facilitates the seamless export of grades from Brightspace into Banner, or the student information system. The export process can be triggered manually or set to occur automatically, allowing instructors to manage the timing of grade submissions. The integration supports multiple types of grade data, such as final grades and overall course scores, ensuring that instructors can share their grades efficiently.
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