Looking For Trouble: in The BB Grade Center

in the Bb Grade Center
Michael G. Prais, Ph.D. University of Illinois at Chicago
Looking for Trouble ... in the Bb GC
Looking for Trouble
SLATE 2012 October 11-12
Looking for Trouble

The Blackboard Learn Grade Center is a black box for most instructors and support staff
Simple Total Calculated Columns Weighted Total Calculated Columns
SLATE 2012 October 11-12 Looking for Trouble ... in the Bb GC
Unexpected scores, percentage score, and grades calculated in these columnsusually as the final course gradeare the primary source of problems in the Grade Center
Use an Alter Ego for Checking

UIC creates a Secondary Blackboard Account for instructors Enroll your Alter Ego in your course site as a student
As a Blackboard SysAdmin, enroll your regular identity in an instructors course site as a student
Display Score and Percentage Score for the Final Score Note your Final Score Give yourself a Perfect Score (and a pat on the back) in column as you grade the students in that column
The Final Score should increase (depending on weighting) The Final Percentage Score should stay the same100%.
Calculate the difference in scores and compare When testing after the fact:
Clear all scores, add one score, compare, repeat
Create Column
Mistake #1: Using Inappropriate Possible Points
Zero (0) Possible Points is allowed (and, at times, is useful) Manage > Column Organization lists the Possible Points for each column
Mistake #2: Hiding Unnecessary Columns

Lack of contribution to a Calculated Column from hidden columnsespecially when course sites are copied Some instructors change assignment names or column names Hidden columns might absorb points or add unexpected points Manage > Column Organization lists all (hidden) columns Show and Delete unused (unnecessary) columns
Mistake #3: Changing Include in Grade Center Calculation

Blackboard does not display a list of the status of these settings
Create Calcd Column - Total

Mistake #4: Including All Columns--More or Less
Can include unwanted columns Include in Grade Center Calculation can skip some contributions Blackboard does not conveniently list of the status of this setting
Mistake #5: Unselected Columns and Categories

Did you include all the correct Columns? Include in Grade Center Calculation can skip some contributions Manage > Column Organization
Mistake #6: Missing the Categorical Imperative

Evaluations, such as Assignments, automatically create a column and automatically establish its category Your manually Created Columns dont! Manage > Column Organization lists assigned Categories
Summing Categories
All Columns in a selected Category are automatically Summed in Calculated Columns to produce representative scores Equally (scaled to equal range) -- default Sum( PtsGvn/PtsPos ) /#Columns?
Proportionally (unscaled) Sum( PtsGvn ) /#Columns or Sum(PtsPos)?

Similar to calculations in Total and Weighted Total columns
Groups
Each group gets its grades in a separate column Create category for each assignment Put each column with group grades in the category to sum and produce a representative grade
Totaling Totals
Use Total or Weighted Total Columns to calculate Subtotals to make checking calculations easierfor instance, for group assignments or categories. Mistake #7: Including Subtotals in Grade Center Calculations
The Grade Center could include both the Subtotal and the constituent columns in a Total Column doubling the significance of the constituent columns Set Include Column in Grade Center Calculation to No for Subtotal columns when totaling All Columns Use Selected Columns and Categories to include only the Subtotal
Use additional columns for that display Text for short notes about student grades (for help with later reference letters)
Include Column in Grade Center Calculation No (to be sure)
Using a spreadsheet to calculate grades, do you get the same final total or weighted total scores as you get in the Blackboard Learn Grade Center?
How Do You Calculate Weighted Scores and Percentage Scores?
Create Calcd Column - Weighted

The Bb Learn Grade Center does not calculate Weighted Scores and Weighted Percentage Scores the same way we do! TotPtsPos (weighted sum of PtsPosthe maximum score): Sum( wt * PtsPos ) Expected Weighted Score (weighted sum of PtsGvn): Sum( wt * PtsGvn ) Bb Weighted Percent Score (wtd sum of fractional scores!): Sum( wt * PtsGvn/PtsPos ) Blackboard Weighted Score (calculated from Wtd Percent): Sum( wt * PtsGvn/PtsPos ) * TotPtsPos Expected Weighted Percent (calculated as fraction of whole): Sum( wt * PtsGvn )/Sum( wt * PtsPos )
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Create Calcd Column - Weighted

Mistake #Bb?
The weighted percent score used in the Bb GC is the weighted sum of the fractional grades: It is a number between 0 and 1, but it is not the ratio of a part to the whole written as a percent! The weighted percent score used in the Bb GC is a score--not a percent score! The Bb GC uses this weighted percent score as though it is Sum(wt*PtsGvn)/Sum(wt*PtsPos) and multiplies it by Sum(wt*PtsPos) to erroneously give the Sum(wt*PtsGvn), which it could calculate directly (even as a Running Total)! The weighted scores used in the BbGC are monotonic increasing with the student scores, so it does separate student performance
Mistake #8: Making the Total Weight other than 100%

The Bb GC calculation is not equal to what you would expect Unequal Possible Points for the weighted scores also does not give a value in the Weighted Column that you would expect
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Running Total
Mistake #9: Forgetting to turn Running Total off at the end of the semester when classes finish and grades go in
The Running Total does not include missing submissions and, thus, does not require some students to do all the (the same amount of) work It is a lot easier and less error prone than putting zeros in for all the assignments that students did not turn in
Mistake #10: Forgetting to turn Running Total off when checking Grade Center validity Mistake #11: Forgetting to turn Running Total on after checking Grade Center validity You must Edit each Total and Weighted Total Calculated Column to see and properly set each Running Total option
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Scheming to Get the Grades You Want

Score, Percent, and Text are the basic ways to display grades Letter and Tardy are provided Grade Schemas that convert scores to more recognizable grades Mistake #12: Using the Letter Schema without understanding the particulars of the conversion schemeespecially when placing letter grades instead of a score in a column Attendance and Minutes Tardy are other conversion Schemas that can be created Smart Views allow you to view daily attendance separately from other scores
And to download only selected columns
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Extra Credit
Create 4 columns for Extra Credit:
Final Grade without Extra Credit
Use Selected Columns and Categories
Extra Credit
Set Possible Points to Zero (0)
Final Grade with Extra Credit

Use Selected Columns and Categories
Manually Selected Final Final Grade
Bb does not have the logic to decide which you want
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Excel at Scantron Scoring

Download Student Information Only in the Grade Center
Include Hidden Information (UIN)
Open the Student Information File (XLS) as a spreadsheet Import the fixed format Scantron File in another worksheet
Skip unnecessary columns
Add a Header to the scores column =IF(NOT(ISNA(VLOOKUP($D2,Scores!$A:$C,3,FALSE))), VLOOKUP($D2,Scores!$A:$C,3,FALSE),"") Insert and add missing essay scores Save to Text (Tab Delimited)
Replaces formulae with values, too
Upload to the Grade Center
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Remember:
Enrolling an Alter Ego in the Grade Center of your course site is the best way to look for trouble in (check the validity of) grade calculations Use Manage > Column Organization to get an initial overview of all the columns in the Grace Center of your course site
It would be nice to see Include in Grade Center Calculation settings in Manage > Column Organization
Show your instructors how the Blackboard Grade Center calculates scores and percentage scores to make them feel comfortable using this tool (even though it is inaccurate and does not match what they expect to get from the calculations)
The Grade Center might be the first tool that instructors look at in making their first steps from traditional academic productivity tools
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in the Bb Grade Center

Michael G. Prais, Ph.D. University of Illinois at Chicago mgprais@uic.edu
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Looking for Trouble
More Mistakes? Questions?

Looking For Trouble: in The BB Grade Center

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Looking For Trouble: in The BB Grade Center

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in the Bb Grade Center

Michael G. Prais, Ph.D. University of Illinois at Chicago

Looking for Trouble ... in the Bb GC