Tips for Accurately Reporting Final Grades

Blackboard Grade Center Refresh

In Blackboard, sometimes you  need to do some general maintenance on your Grade Center. And if you are linked to publishers’ content that feeds into your Grade Center, sometimes you need to refresh that.

Here are some tips for making sure that your grades are reported accurately!

Running Sum

The default setting for Blackboard’s Weighted Columns in Grade Center is called a Running Sum. This calculates all grades as they are entered… but ignores anything not entered. So essentially, if you did not change that default setting, make sure that you go into your Grade Center and place a grade of zero for any missed assignments.
(Note: If you opted to NOT use the Running Sum, Blackboard essentially calculates grades from zero up to 100, as opposed to the Running Sum which calculates for 100 down to zero.)

Manually Entered Grades

When you manually enter a grade in Grade Center (for example, if you enter it directly into the grading grid, not through the inline grader), Blackboard will maintain that manually entered grade even if the assignment is resubmitted, regraded, unless you Revert The Grade.

Grade Center, student grades reflect zero and needs grading.

In the example above, you can see that I have given my student zeros for several assignments, and she has submitted them (indicated by the “Needs Grading” icon).

If I grade those, I will need to revert the grade so that the new grade will replace the zero. Here’s how you can do that.

  • Click the menu button next to the item to be graded, and select Grade User Activity.
  • In the grading window that opens, click the pencil icon to the left of the grade to be reverted.

Grade Center, Grade Attempt view. To revert grade from the manually entered zero, click the pencil icon to the left of the zero.

  • Click the arrow that appears to remove the manually input grade and replace with the new grade.

If you forgot this step, you can always go back to it and revert it from this screen… OR you can access the Grade Details screen and revert the grade there, as in the image below.

Refresh / Resync Grades from Publishers’ Content

If you’re using Pearson or another type of publishers’ content for your course, you may find that your Grade Center does not always update when grades have changed in the publishers’ platform.

Here’s how you can do this with Pearson

  • In the Course Management Control Panel, click Course Tools to expand the menu.
  • Then select Pearson’s MyLab & Mastering from the list of tools

In Course Management control Panel, click "Tools" to expand selection, then select "Pearson's MyLab and Mastering"

  • Find Support Tools in the Pearson’s MyLab&Mastering window, and select Manage Pearson MyLab & Mastering Grades

Select Manage MyLab and Mastering Grades

  • Click Refresh Pearson Grades.

Select Refresh Pearson Grades

This should update your Grade Center with current grades from the Pearson product.

Note: This process may be different for other publishers’ content. Feel free to contact OC Global for additional support. 

How To Enter Final Grades into WebAdvisor

  • From the Odessa College Portal (https://corral.odessa.edu) select Employees/Faculty/Staff from the Webadvisor menu
    NOTE: You can access the Odessa College Portal using the same credentials that you use to access your email.
  • Under Self-Service Menu, select Employees / Faculty / Staff 

Under the "Self-Service Menu" select "Employees/Faculty/Staff"

  • Select Faculty Information 

  • Then select Grading

  • Select the appropriate term from the dropdown menu, and click Submit

  • Select Final from the Final or Midterm / Intermediate Grading dropdown menu.
  • And choose one of your courses by clicking
  • Then Submit

Select Final from dropdown menu; select the course (you must select one at a time. Then click submit.

  • Enter the Final Grade for each student
  • For students who received a grade of F (Failing) enter the Last Date of Attendance.
  • For students who never attended, enter the grade of F and click under Never Attended.
Enter letter grade for each student. For students who receive grade of F (Failing), enter last date of attendance. If student never attended select “Never Attended”
  • Carefully verify for accuracy, and click Submit.

          That’s it!

Yes, you can enter final grades for some students,
then go back later to enter the rest,
but once submitted the grades cannot be changed here!

Download these instructions as a PDF!