Grade Items

Home » My Tools » Grades » Grade Items

Grade book items represent the individual assignments, quizzes, and other performance measures that you grade students on. Each grade item has its own entry in the grade book. Grade items can be linked to other course objects, such as quizzes or discussion forums, or they can exist independently.

Types of Grade Items

There are several types of grade items to choose from:

  • Numeric – the most common type in which a student is assigned a value out of a specific total.
  • Selectbox– grade students by assigning a Grade Scheme level to their achievement. Note: Grade Scheme creation is covered later in this module, and you must have one set up in order to use the Selectbox grade type.
  • Pass/Fail – Grade students using a simple pass/fail grade scheme.
  • Formula – Grade students using a custom formula based on achievement in other grades. For example if students have achieved a minimum of 65% on each of their chapter quizzes, you can assign them a bonus mark of 5%. Note: Formula grade items cannot belong to a category, and cannot contribute to the final grade unless you are using the Formula grading system.
  • Calculated – Displays students’ cumulative achievement on multiple grade items. This is a simple, Brightspace specific calculation which cannot belong to a category, nor contribute to the final grade. However, it can be useful for displaying students’ achievement on a group of items such as all items to mid-term, all quizzes, etc.
  • Text – Provide text comments that are not counted towards students’ final grades.

Creating a Numeric Grade Item

Grade items can be independent of Brightspace activities, or be linked to an Activity such as a Quiz, Dropbox, or graded Discussion. You can create grade items from the Manage Grades area or, create Grade Book items as you are creating the activities.

To create a Numeric Grade Item:

  1. On the Manage Grades page, click Item from the New button.
  2. Select Numeric.
  3. Enter a Name for the grade item.
  4. Enter a Short Name to display in the grade book if your item Name is long.
  5. If you want the grade item to be associated with a category, select a category from the Category drop-down list or click New Category and follow the onscreen prompts.
  6. If you wish, you may enter a Description of the grade item.
  7. If you want to make the description available to users, select Allow users to view grade item description.
  8. Enter the value you want the item graded out of in the Max. Points field.
  9. If you are using the weighted system, enter the Weight you want the grade item to contribute to its category. If the item does not belong to a category, enter the Weight you want it to contribute to the final grade.
  10. If you want users’ grades to be able to exceed the total value of the item, select Can Exceed.
  11. Select Bonus if you want the item to be counted as a bonus item.
    Note:  Bonus items are not counted towards the maximum points for a category or final grade. You must select both the Can Exceed and Bonus checkboxes to allow users’ grades to exceed the maximum points specified.
  12. If you are using the points system, you may also choose the Exclude from Final Grade Calculation option, if applicable. If you are using the weighted system you can accomplish the same results by setting the weight to 0%.
  13. Select a Grade Scheme to associate with the item, if applicable.
  14. Click Add Rubric if you wish to add a rubric, or click the Create Rubric in New Window link to create a new rubric.
  15. Click Save and Close.

Turnitin recently introduced an AI tool designed to assist instructors in detecting AI-generated content in student submissions. This tool potentially analyzes writing styles and may detect anomalies that could possibly indicate the use of generative AI. However, while this technology represents a significant step forward, caution is advised in its application. It’s important to recognize that the tool is not infallible and may not catch every instance of AI-generated content.  Instructors should not rely on the AI tool to detect AI generated content, but rather, use it as one of several strategies in a comprehensive approach to uphold academic standards and encourage genuine student learning and creativity.