End of Semester Checklist
As you prepare for the end of the semester, OIT is here to help ensure you end strong.
Are you using a Points or Weighted grading system?
- Refer to this guide to make sure your gradebook is setup to reflect calculated points or pull weighted grades to meet your needs.
What type of grading scale are you using in your courses?
- The default grading scale is set to display points and percentages to students only. You can create your own Grading Scheme to reflect point ranges based on department or course expectations.
- If you are planning on using the Grade Submit tool, you will need to apply the “Generic Letter +-” Scheme, or another scheme that includes letters, to your final grade column.
- Refer to this guide on creating and applying your own scheme.
Want to create a letter grade column? Have students with FN?
- This guide walks you through how to create a “Text” column that will allow you to manually type in letter grades in Brightspace and push them to Banner/myPNW.
Gradebook settings default to being set as “Treat ungraded items as zero”. Any students who haven’t submitted to any assessment space in the course, automatically receives a “Zero”.
It is good to review the gradebook to ensure all submissions are accounted for and zeros are reflected for students who haven’t turned in assignments.
Determine how you want the final grade to be calculated and whether you want to automatically release the final grade column to students.
- Guide to Transfer Final Calculated Grade to Adjusted Grade.
- Guide to Create a Final Grade Column
- Guide to Release Final Grades (guide) & (video)
Send grades easily from Brightspace to Banner using the Grade Submit Tool. The final grade column (adjusted, calculated, or self-created “Final Grade”) must contain a letter grade in order to push successfully.
DO NOT USE SAFARI TO SUBMIT GRADES.
- Grade Submit Tutorial Video
- Grade Submit Tool Guide (with Errors and explanations)
- Grade Submit Tool Checklist
Review your grades in Banner/myPNW to ensure the submit tool was successful.
You will retain access to your Brightspace course, its content, and the student data after your semester concludes, as long as you remain employed with PNW. It may be helpful to download a copy of your grade book so that you have offline access to grades and student data.
- Follow along with this guide to download the grade center.
Once grades have been submitted, consider sending an email to students to alert them to their posting and the range of time they will have to see their scores.
NOTE: Students will only be able to see their grades in Brightspace if the course is still available.
- Refer to this guide to ensure the course availability supports students viewing their grades.