Define Grading Protocol

IBS 2.7 > Facilitator Functions

Defining a Grading Protocol

As the facilitator, you must define the grading protocol for classes that you facilitate. 

To define a grading protocol:

1. Under the Facilitators menu, select either Manage Classes or Assess Performance. A list of your classes will appear.
2. Locate the class for which you need to define a grading protocol.
3. The Grading Protocol column indicates whether you have defined the protocol for each class. Click the entry in this column to define a protocol (or edit an existing protocol). 

The Class Grading Protocol screen will appear.

At a minimum, you must define at least one assessment to be graded in the course. (If you are defining {i-Bold{only}i} one assessment, you should select {i-Bold{Final Grade ONLY}i} for the {i-Italic{Assessment Type}i} and assign it 100 percent of the total.) If you choose to assess attendance as part of the grade for each student in the class, you will need to think about how you can measure attendance and be sure to let the students know what you will use to gauge their attendance.

For each assessment you want to grade in this course: 

1. In the Assessment Type field, select the assignment, test, or other item you want to grade. You will define the grading protocol for this item. Note: If the item you want to grade is not listed in the dropdown field, your GA may request that it be added.
2. In the Weight field, indicate the percentage of the final grade that will be determined by this assessment. For example, if you are defining "Attendance", you may enter 25 to indicate that a student's attendance grade will count as 25% of their final grade. The remaining 75% may be composed of projects, exams, or class participation. When your protocol is fully defined, the weights must total 100%.
3. In the Evaluation Method field, select the grading method you want to use for this item.
1. Pass/Fail: No scores are displayed. Each student simply receives either a "Pass" or a "Fail" for this assessment.
2. Percentage: Each student's score is displayed as a percentage of the total points possible for this assessment. For example, a student might receive a 90% on a project.
3. Point Basis:  Each student's score is displayed as "points earned" / "points possible". For example, a student might receive a 10 / 12 for attendance. You must define the total "points possible" (the denominator) for this assessment.
4. The Enable Fail Factor field indicates that a passing grade on this assessment is required in order to pass the course. For example, if you enable a Fail Factor on Attendance, a student must meet the Attendance requirements in order to pass the course. If the student does not attend enough classes, s/he will fail the course, even if s/he earns a perfect score on every other graded item. To enable the Fail Factor, click to place a check in the box.
5. The Passing Mark field is used only on items for which you have enabled the Fail Factor. If you have enabled the Fail Factor, enter the minimum score required for a passing grade on the item.
6. Click the Add button when you are finished with all the fields on this screen. The definition you have just entered will appear in the Assessments table. 
7. Repeat this process to define additional assessments in your class. When you have finished, the weights for all assessments must total 100%.

Editing Grading Definitions

To change a grading definition you have previously entered:

1. From the Facilitators menu, select Manage Classes or Assess Performance.
2. Locate the course for which you wish to change the grading protocol, and in the Grading Protocol column, click Defined.
3. In the Grading Definitions table, locate the item you want to change. Click Edit to change it or Del to delete it.
   Note: If you want to add a new assessment or increase the weight of an assessment, you will first have to delete or edit an existing assessment to decrease its weight. You cannot add an assessment or increase a weight unless the totoal is less that 100%.
   Warning: If you delete an item, any grades that have been recorded as part of that item will be deleted.
4. If you are editing an existing item, make the desired changes and click Update. If you are adding a new item, follow the steps above.

When you have finished, make sure the weights for all items again total 100%.

Attachments:
GradingProtocol.png