You've been asking for it for years, and it's now on the horizon: the Academy's new online gradebook!

Online Education is proud to announce that our online gradebook will be rolled out in online classes in the Summer and Fall 2018 semesters. In Spring 2018, we piloted the gradebook in a limited set of courses, both online and onsite, in order to test its tools and make adjustments in response to instructors' feedback. Now it's ready for prime-time!

Why did we need a gradebook?

• It has been one of our online instructors' most wished-for features for many years!
• Most online learning systems are built around a gradebook. Since the Academy didn’t build ours that way, we are now integrating a gradebook into our system.
• Easy Grade Pro — which many of our instructors have long used to track their grades — is being retired. OS upgrades may soon mean that it no longer works for your system.

What will the gradebook do for you?

• The gradebook eliminates the need to track your grades with an external system like Easy Grade Pro.

• It will calculate students’ overall progress grades, based on the grades you enter — along with the scores from tests and progress questions that are graded automatically by the online learning system. You can adjust these calculated progress grades, as needed, before submission.

• The gradebook will prompt you to grade any assignments you missed.

• The grades matrix will show you an overview of grades for your whole class, allowing you to identify patterns and possible problems.

• You will be able to assign grades for participation and other behaviors not directly connected with the submission of work.

• The gradebook provides a visual representation of student performance.

When will you be able to use the gradebook?

After our Spring 2018 gradebook pilot, we will roll out the gradebook in additional online classes in Summer and Fall 2018. If your online class is included in the rollout, Online Education staff will be in touch with you about training and other support, well in advance of the start of the semester.

The timing of the gradebook rollout in onsite classes is still to be determined. Talk with your director if you are interested in using the gradebook in your onsite class.

RETURN TO:  Online Teaching Blog  |  Academy Teaching Library

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Key Dates

• The Spring 2018 semester ends on SATURDAY, May 26 — one day earlier than the usual end of a module. Please make sure you alert your students. You can also choose to extend the due and close dates of your assignments to give your students an extra day to submit their work, if you like.

• Final grades for all classes are due by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, June 2. (Learn more: Posting Progress Grades.)

• Part-time instructors must submit their final hours for the semester by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, June 10, 2018. (Learn more: Reporting your hours in Workday)

Wrapping Up — and Looking Ahead

You might find it helpful to review these blog posts, which provide guidance on crucial end-of-semester tasks and issues:

• Making it all up?

• Incompletes: Do you know what to do?

• Wrapping up the semester well

• Winding down...

• If you're teaching next semester...

RETURN TO:  Online Teaching Blog  |  Academy Teaching Library

Online Education has made a small change to the assignment grading interface.

When you need change the grade for an assignment from an earlier module, you may see this new drop-down, requiring you to specify the reason for the grade change.

This update is part of the new online gradebook, which we are piloting this spring in a limited number of courses. The gradebook will be rolling out in additional online classes in Summer and Fall 2018. 

Best Practice: Use the Comments box to make a note of the original grade, as a means of documenting the grade change. 

RETURN TO:  Online Teaching Blog  |  Academy Teaching Library