Managing grades and grade items

Enter grades
  1. On the navbar, click Grades.
  2. On the Enter Grades page, do one of the following:
    • To manually enter grades for an individual user, click the user name.
    • To manually enter grades for a grade item, from the context menu of the grade item, click Enter Grades.
    • To manually enter grades for a category, from the context menu of the grade item, click Enter Grades.
  3. Enter your grades.
  4. Click Save and Close.

Add feedback in bulk

You can add generic feedback on learners' grades in bulk. You can also sort the Feedback column in the Gradebook and quickly determine which learners require feedback.

  1. On the navbar, click Grades.
  2. On the Manage Grades page, from the context menu of the grade item, click Enter Grades.
  3. To sort the Feedback column, do the following:
    • Under Users, click Show Search Options.
    • Under Feedback, select the check box, and from the drop-down list, select Users without feedback.
    • Click Apply.
  4. From the list of users, select the users for whom you want to provide feedback, and click Add Feedback.
  5. Enter the generic feedback and click Save.
    Note: Use replacement strings in your bulk feedback to personalize the feedback.
Release final grades

If you did not select the Automatically release final grade option when you set up your grade book, you can release final grades to learners manually.

  1. On the navbar, click Grades.
  2. On the Enter Grades page, from the Final Calculated Grade or Final Adjusted Grade context menu, click Enter Grades.
  3. To release grades for all users, on the Final Grades page, from the Final Grades context menu, click Release All. To release final grades for a specific user, do one of the following:
    • Select the check box by the user name and click the Release/Unrelease link.
    • Select the check box in the Release Final Calculated Grade or Release Adjusted Final Grade column.
  4. Click Save.

The The final grade released icon Final grade is released icon displays in the Final Calculated Grade or Final Adjusted Grade column for any user who has their final grade released. The The final grade not released icon Final grade is not released icon displays in the Final Calculated Grade or Final Adjusted Grade column for any user who does not have their final grade released.

The date and time a grade is released or unreleased is displayed in a learner's Grades Event Log.

Importing grades

You can enter grades in another application and import them into Brightspace Learning Environment using a CSV or TXT file. You can also create new grade items through an import file by adding a column to the file.

The import file must follow a standard format; use the Grades sample import file as a reference point. D2L recommends that you set up your grade book in Brightspace Learning Environment even if you want to enter grades in a CSV or TXT file.

Note the following:

  • If you enter a grade value that is greater than the value for the grade item, the grade is capped at the value unless you selected the Can Exceed option when setting up the grade item.
  • Do not import other options, such as a user’s first name, email, or weighted grade.
  • To improve performance when importing grades for large classes, only import grade items that have changed and import by group or section when possible.
Field Description Example
Username A unique name for identifying a user in Learning Environment. You must provide a Username or Org Defined ID (or both). Frank.Catcher
Org Defined ID A unique number for identifying a user in Learning Environment. You must provide a Username or Org Defined ID (or both). 20067930
Points Grade Numeric and Pass/Fail grade items should be labeled the grade item name followed by “Points Grade”. Users’ grades should be the Points Grade they received. E.g., 44 points out of a possible 50 points. 44
Grade Symbol Select box grade items should be labeled the grade item name followed by “Grade Symbol”. Users’ grades should be a pre-existing grade scheme symbol. E.g., “Very Good”, “Merit”, or “3.5”. Very Good
Text Grade Text grade items should be labeled the grade item name followed by “Text Grade”. Users’ grades can be any text value. Text grade items do not count towards users’ final grades. Perfect Attendance!
Adjusted Final Grade Numerator The total points a user achieved in a course. You can enter a user’s percentage grade (without the % sign) if you enter the denominator as 100. E.g., 84 points out of 100 points or 230 points out of 285 points. 84
Adjusted Final Grade Denominator The total possible points available in a course. Enter 100 if you want to record users’ percentage grades. E.g., _ / 100 points available or _ / 285 points available. 100
End-of-Line Indicator The last column must be labeled “End-of-Line Indicator” so the system knows when the next set of data begins. The end of each users’ line should be indicated with the pound key “#”. #
Import grade items
  1. On the navbar, click Grades.
  2. On the Enter Grades page, click Import.
  3. Click Browse.
  4. Locate the file you want to import and click Open.
  5. Select Create new grade item when an unrecognized item is referenced if you want to be able to create new grade items from the import file.
  6. Click Continue.
  7. If you are creating new grade items:
    1. Select the Create New Grade Item check box beside each of the items you want to create.
    2. Select a grade item Type.
    3. Click Continue.
    4. Fill in the grade items’ properties.
    5. Click Continue.
  8. View error and warning messages associated with the import, and click Continue.
Export grades

D2L recommends that you set up your grade book in Brightspace Learning Environment even if you want to enter grades in a CSV or TXT file. You can then use the Export Grades option to create an appropriately structured file.

  1. On the navbar, click Grades.
  2. On the Enter Grades page, click Export.
  3. In the Export Options area, do the following:
    • From the Export Grade Items For drop-down list, select who you want to export grade items for.
    • Select the Key Field you want to use to identify users.
    • Select the Grade Values and User Details you want to export.
  4. In the Choose Grades to Export area, select the grade items you want to export.
  5. Click Export to CSV or Export to Excel. A pop-up window appears. Click on the file link to download it.

Note: If a student is enrolled in multiple groups within a Group Category, or multiple sections within a course, those enrollments are exported as a comma-separated list within a cell.