When you edit or create a grade item you can also control how students see this grade in their gradebook. There are some ‘defaults’ that you can use and change however this document will cover how to set up the grades on an individual basis (the default settings are covered here).

To get to the settings click ‘Grades’ on the toolbar – then click the ‘Manage Grades’ option at the top of the page.

To edit an individual grade (or category) – click on its name in the list. The settings page for that grade will open. You’ll need to scroll down past the settings until you see the heading ‘Display Options’. (click ‘view display options’ if you don’t see any items under the heading).

You should see a sub-heading called  ‘Students View’ under which you will see checkboxes to turn on or off different information that will appear to students in the gradebook.

The first two options are for showing or not showing some basic class statistics.  Click the (?) icon next to these options to read more about what they are.

The next option is important – it is to Override the default settings. If you don’t know what your default settings are you can check by using the guide linked at the start of this document. Overriding the default settings allows you to have different settings for each grade item. If you leave this unchecked the rest of the options remain greyed out. To use the ‘Default’ view just leave this option unchecked.

You can then choose to turn on or off any combination of these options as you see fit.

Points grade = the points value as entered to the grade item.
Weighted grade = if you are using a weighted grade book, this is the grade as converted to the weighted grade.
Grade scheme symbol = if the grade is set up to use a scheme (by default every grade uses the UTAS Grades scheme of DN, CR, PP etc) – this will show or hide the ‘symbols’ – for example the default UTAS grade scheme would show a PP if the points received was 55/100 for example. If you are using a different grade scheme this is the option for showing/hiding it from students.
Grade scheme colour = again the default is the UTAS version, but you are able to set up your own. By default this is often left off student view but if turned on it will colour a grade item depending on the scheme you’ve chosen. For the default UTAS grades it is red for NN, green for the other grades.

The options below the ‘Student View’ under the sub-heading ‘Managing view’ relate to the view provided to any Staff/Lecturer/Tutor roles that view this grade in the gradebook. They are separate views – such that you can switch on any or all of the ‘Managing View’ options and they will not be shown to students unless those options are also turned on in the Student View or the default student view.

Click ‘Save’ when you are done with setting up the grade.

To check how students see the options you’ve chosen, click ‘View Grades’ and add some grades to the ‘View’ student grade items, then use the ‘Impersonating the Student View‘ guide to go and check how the grade options you’ve chosen appear to students. Note any grades you’ve set to a date, or to hidden, will not show to the ‘View Student’.

If you need to keep track of student participation in MyLO Discussion Forum (which may contain several Topics), using the Reports tool will allow you to get a quick overview of who has, or hasn’t, made a contribution.

Step 1

Navigate to your MyLO unit’s Home page (this is the first page you see when you access the unit). You should see a Reports widget to the right hand side of the screen. This contains links to a variety of reports. Select Discussion Access by Forums and Topics.

Step 2

The report will open. You should see a list of all the Discussion Forums and Topics in your unit, presented in a table. Select the Forum that you wish to see results for by clicking on its name (you may need to scroll down to see it). For example, here we will select Discussion Week 2 from the Discussion Monitoring forum.

Step 3

The report you have requested will open in a new window or tab. If you only see some of your students on the page, select 200 from the per page drop down menu, seen to the top right of the table. This will allow you to see the maximum number of results on the one page.

TIP: If you only wish to see a selection of students, you can filter by group, using the View by options seen above the table of results. For example, you could choose to see only off-campus students by selecting the group, Default Group Study Mode External.  This post provides more information about how to filter results by group.

You will be able to see how many Threads and how many Replies students have contributed to the Discussion Forum overall.

Step 4 (optional)

If you would prefer to have a printable version of the results, ensure that you have the report window selected, then select CTRL + P on your keyboard (for a PC) or Command + Print (for a Mac). This should generate a printable version of the report page. If your students are spread out across several pages, you will need to repeat this process for each page.

Many staff hide Grade Items from students until they have finished marking and moderating results. When a Grade Item is made available to students, they will see the full name of the Grade Item, together with any results you have made available to them, in their view of the Grades tool.

Is my Grade Item hidden?

To determine whether a Grade Item is hidden, go to the Grades tool. Select the Manage Grades tab.

You should now see a list of all the Grade Items included in your unit’s Grades tool. If your Grade Item has a closed-eye symbol to the right of its name, as shown in the example below, it is hidden to students. If you cannot see the closed-eye icon, it means that students can see the Grade Item. 

To Hide or ‘un-hide’ a Grade Item

From the Manage Grades view, select the small black arrowhead to the right of the Grade Item name, then select Edit Grade Item from the menu.

Select the Restrictions tab.

To Hide just choose the option for ‘Hide this grade item’

To unhide select the Grade Item is always visible option.

You can also select the third option to show the grade once a specific date has been reached.

When you’re done click Save and Close (towards the bottom of the screen) to save your change.

This post assumes that you already have two Grade Items set up in the MyLO Grades tool to record Student Engagement Activity results. If you do not have these Grade Items set up, you should contact your local support team. General information about Student Engagement Activity reporting requirements in available here.

We recommend having your MyLO unit open in two browser tabs. This way, you can view the data you need in one tab, and enter results into the Grades tool in the other tab.

Step 1:

Select the Grades tool from the MyLO toolbar.

Step 2: 

Locate the Grade Item column where you will record the results for the Student Engagement Activity. The column header will most likely SEA in the name. In most cases, you will need to input a score of 1 (for ‘engaged’) or 0 (for ‘not engaged’). If unsure about the name of your Student Engagement Activity Grade Items, or the marking scheme to use, contact your local support team.

There are two ways in which you can record the results. Either:

• Switch to Spreadsheet View: input results directly into the ‘spreadsheet-like’ view of the Grades tool; or
• Grade All: focus on recording results in one Grade Item at a time. Using this method also allows you to add comments/feedback, if you need to.

Option 1: Switch to Spreadsheet View

If you cannot already see fields to enter data into, select the Switch to Spreadsheet View button that appears towards the top right of the spreadsheet.

You should now see fields that you can enter records into, for example 0 or 1. Remember to select the Save button (bottom of the screen) to save your work. Unfortunately, there is no way to tab between fields – you will have to click inside each field to enter a mark.

Option 2: Grade All

Select the black arrowhead  to the right of the Grade Item, then select Grade All from the menu.

Scroll down until you see a table containing student names. Record grades for each student in the Grade column. You can add feedback/comments by clicking on the speech bubble symbol seen in the Feedback column. If feedback has already been recorded, the symbol will look slightly different. In the image below, Richard has received feedback and Melinda has no feedback.

Select the Save button (bottom of the screen) to save your work as you go. Select the Save and Close button to finish and return to the spreadsheet view of the Grades tool.

Useful tips and tricks

• Remember to select the Save button (bottom of the screen) regularly as there is no auto-save function in the Grades tool. If you are interrupted during marking, or you wish to take a break, press the Save button. That way, if your connection to MyLO times out due to inactivity, you won’t lose your work.
• You can filter your view so you only see students in a particular group, such as a study mode, tutorial group or unit group. This post will show you how.

You can filter your view of Grades and Assignment Submissions Folders to see only results or submissions from students enrolled in a particular group. This can be very useful if you are responsible for marking students in a particular unit code or tutorial group. Here’s how.

Go to the Grades tool by selecting Grades from the MyLO toolbar in your unit OR go to Assessments > Assignments and open the Submission Folder that you wish to view by clicking on its name.

Select Groups from the View by drop-down menu (User is usually the default), then select the Apply button.

You will now need to choose one Group from the Group drop-down menu.

Common types of default Group include:

• Campus Groups: e.g. Default Group Campus Hobart
  Choose a group in this category to only view students based on a particular campus.
  *Warning: students studying off-campus are also counted as ‘Hobart’ students.
• Mode Groups: e.g. Default Group Study Mode External/Internal
  Choose a group in this category to see students studying externally (off-campus) or interally (on-campus) The External group includes all students studying off-campus. The Internal group includes students studying on-campus.
• Unit Groups: e.g. Default Group Unit HGA237
  Useful when you have a MyLO Unit serving more than one unit code.

Once you have chosen a Group, select the Apply button again.

You should now see only Grades/Submissions for those students who are members of your chosen Group. MyLO will generally remember this setting the next time you return to the Grades tools or Assignment Submission Folder using the same device.

To view all students again, select Users from the View By menu, then select the Apply button.

A Text Only Rubric has no points associated with criterion and levels. Unlike a Custom Points Rubric, this type of Rubric will NOT calculate a score or Overall Level for you. You must select a level of achievement against each criterion, then specify and Overall Level.

Please note that the ‘look’ of a Rubric may change depending on whether you are marking from an Assignment Submission Folder or from a Grade Item. We have represented this by providing two screen shots for each instruction: the view from an Assignment Submission Folder is always presented in the first image; the view from a Grade Item is always presented in the second image.

Please note that these instructions do not explain how to access a Rubric. You can see how to access a Rubric from an Assignment Submission Folder here, or from a Grade item here.

Choose a level for each criterion

Choose a level for each criterion by clicking on it. When marking a Rubric from an Assignment Submission Folder, you will notice that the selected level is highlighted by a selected radio button (see first image). When marking from a Grade Item the selected level will be highlighted, and a small check mark will appear in the bottom right corner (see second image). To change the level, simply click on a different level.

Edit the feedback associated with a level

If you wish to provide a student with feedback in relation to a particular criterion, first select the level. You will notice that an editing icon appears. When marking from an Assignment Submission Folder, this icon will appear in the far right column (see top image). When marking from a Grade Item, you will need to select the + FEEDBACK link that appears in the far left column (see bottom image).

The editing views are slightly different. If you are marking from an Assignment Submission Folder, a new dialogue box will open. Here, you can record feedback if required (see top image). If you are marking from a Grade Item, you will see a Criterion Feedback field open at the bottom of the selected level. Type in your feedback, then select DONE to save it and keep marking.

From time to time, remember to click the Save button to save your work (appears underneath the Rubric).

Choose an Overall Level

Once you have chosen levels against each criteria, you will need to select an Overall Level. To do this, select one of the level fields in the bottom row of the Rubric. 

Save the Rubric

• If you’re marking from an Assignment Submission Folder, uncheck the Transfer rubric feedback to general feedback for the assignment option (this option is not very useful).

  

• Finally, select the Save & Record button.

  

The overall score from the Rubric will not be reflected in the Evaluation Score field in an Assignment Submission Folder (see first image) or in the Grade field in a Grade Item (see second image). You will need to record the score manually. Remember to Save your work after recording the score.

This post covers marking with a rubric that has been set up as a “Custom Points” rubric and that has been attached to either an assignment, discussion or grade item.

A Custom Points Rubric has points associated with each criterion and level of the Rubric. It calculates a total score (and overall level) for a student by adding the points they have scored against each criterion. You are then able to fine-tune this score by overwriting the default scores for each criteria/overall.

This post doesn’t cover setting up the rubric. If you have not done so – set up your rubric following these instruction: (Create a custom points rubric).

To access the rubric for each tool:

Assignment: Click “Evaluate” (or ‘draft saved’) on the right side of the screen in the assignment. The rubrics are then shown as links on the right-side menu area.

Discussion: Click the [v] icon next to the Topic you are assessing then choose “Assess Topic”. From the list of students shown click “Topic Score” and the rubric is shown on the top of the window that loads.

Grade Item (ie, directly into the gradebook): Click the [v] next to the name of the grade and choose “Grade All”. From the window that loads you will see a link to the rubric on the right-side column for each student row.

Note: The Rubric tool will save your work as you go. It is also not possible to edit the rubric in the rubric tool once you’ve started marking, so be sure to preview it in the rubric tool before you start marking to ensure it is correct.

Step 1: Click the ‘level’ for each criteria that best represents the Feedback you wish to provide to students about their work. 

The rubric tool is essentially a “feedback” tool – useful for you to calculate a score but primarily the idea is to provide students with useful informative feedback about why the score was arrived at.

The “default” score associated with this level (as set up in the rubric tool) is then shown on the right of the rubric window. You may need to resize this window if you have a large rubric, or scroll sideways to see it.

Step 2: Edit the points and feedback associated with a level if required.

Once you’re happy with the criteria levels you’ve chosen to provide to students – you can then alter the score associated with either each level OR the overall score that was calculated.

To edit the score for an individual criteria click on the score as shown on the right of the rubric. Type your new number in and hit enter/return or click elsewhere. Your new score will be highlighted with an asterix to indicate the default was changed. The ‘x’ shown next to the new score will return this score to the default.

 (Showing the score was changed from the default, the X returns the score to the default)

To add written feedback click the ‘add feedback’ link on the left, a box will appear for you to type into. Please note, once you add written feedback here it stays put on the page. Don’t click the X unless you want to wipe what you’ve written*.

Step 3: Check the total at the lower part of the rubric. You can also overwrite this score by clicking on it & typing a new score. You can overwrite the default chosen ‘level’ if your rubric has them – click on the new one to overwrite the default.

Step 4: Click “Close” button at the end of the rubric to finalise the process. Double check the correct score is sent to the ‘score’ field of the tool you’re working in. If it doesn’t – it usually means you have missed a criteria.

* Don’t ask me why it was designed like that, I have no idea why the standard computer logic of x=close was broken for this tool – but here we both are, sighing loudly and reaching for the schnapps.

You may need to mark directly into a Grade Item in the Grades tool. This generally happens when the ‘product’ that students will be assessed on cannot be submitted to an Assignment Submission Folder. For example, you may be assessing student participation or a presentation delivered face-to-face. A Grade Item is often also used to mark contributions to online Discussions. These instructions will show you how to access a Rubric when marking a Grade Item.

Step 1

Open the Grades tool by selecting it from the MyLO toolbar.

Go to the “Enter Grades” tab.

Locate the Grade Item that you wish to mark. You may need to scroll sideways to find it. Select the arrowhead to the right of the Grade Item name, then select Grade All from the menu.

Step 2

The Grade Item page will open. Scroll down until you see the list of student names. TIP: You can filter the names you see by searching for a specific student name OR selecting a specific Group of students. Next to each student’s name, you will see several cells. The first is the Grade cell, where you can record the student’s grade (as a score). The fourth is for Feedback. Clicking on the speech bubble icon in this cell will allow you to add general text feedback for the student to read.  The fifth cell, Assessment, contains an icon that will launch the associated Rubric. Click on the icon to launch the Rubric. 

Remember to SAVE on each page!!

Instructions showing how to mark with a Custom Points Rubric (generates a score) are available here. Instructions showing how to mark with a Text Only Rubric (for feedback only) are available here.

In the past, when marking a submission to an Assignment Submission Folder, a Rubric would open over the top of a student’s work. To get back to the student’s work, you would either have to save and close the Rubric, or open Grademark in a new browser tab so that you could view the student’s work in one tab and view the Rubric in another tab. Tedious! A personal Dialog setting in MyLO allows you to choose to open ‘dialogue boxes’ in a new window (or pop-up). This means that a Rubric will open in a new window so you can minimise it while looking at a student’s work, move it around your screen easily, or maximise the window so you can see the whole Rubric easily. Yay!  To see a demonstration of the difference this setting makes, view this brief video (02:46, opens in new window).

Follow these instructions to change the setting.

Step 1

Towards the top right of your screen, you should see your name. Click the arrowhead to the left of your name, then select Account Settings.

Step 2

Scroll down until you see Dialog Setting heading. Choose the Pop-ups option from the Show secondary window as option, as seen below. Select the Save and Close button (bottom of the screen).

You’re done!

In November 2016, Academic Senate determined that actions must be taken to monitor student engagement in all units. A student is considered actively engaged when they undertake and complete activities. Students who display minimal or no engagement with unit activities may be subject to university-initiated withdrawal.

If you are coordinating a unit, you will be expected to participate in the engagement monitoring process from Semester 2, 2017.

What you will need to do

You will need to incorporate two activities that can be used as indicators of student engagement in your unit. Both activities must occur within the first four weeks of semester. Records of student participation in these activities must be recorded in the Grades tool of your unit’s MyLO site. The data must be recorded in the Grades tool by the Friday (5pm) of Week 4.

The university will pull engagement data from your unit’s MyLO Grades tool*: you will need to ensure that your MyLO unit is set up correctly to facilitate collection of the data. This means that you will need to:

• Identify two activities that will be used to measure student engagement;
• Clearly identify the two activities to students in your Unit Outline;
• Set up two Grade Items in your  unit’s Grades tool using the correct naming conventions; and
• Record participation data in the Grade Items. This may occur automatically (e.g. when a Quiz activity is used), or manually.

*Though we were initially advised that a computer script would automatically draw student engagement data from MyLO Grades, it appears unlikely that this technology will be developed in time for Semester 2. As a result, Unit Coordinators may need to review the Student Engagement Activity data that they have recorded in their MyLO Grades tool, and report any disengaged students. We will update this page as soon as we receive further information about the reporting procedure for Semester 2, 2017.

Identify two activities

The activities need to indicate active student participation: they do not need to provide a measure of student learning. You can use activities that already occur within the first four weeks of your unit, or you may wish to add new activities. The following table provides a list of common activities. It also indicates whether reporting to the Grades tool can be automated, or whether a level of manual data input (from the teaching team) will be required. Engagement should be reflected by a simple scoring (assuming that 0 indicates a lack of engagement).

Activity	Reporting to Grade Item
Students…	Auto Input	Manual Input
Students complete a Quiz (could be non-assessable/assessable)
Students complete an assessable SCORM package (advanced)
Students view an introductory video or lecture via Echo360 ALP (MyMedia)
Students submit to an Assignment Submission Folder	(once mark is applied and published in the Assignments tool)
Students attend a class/classes face to face or online (e.g. a web conference)
Students add themselves to a MyLO Group
Students contribute to an introductory Discussion or Discussion Activity
Students participate in a Survey
Students complete a Checklist
Students mark a Content item as complete

Clearly identify the two engagement activities to students through your Unit Outline

The type of Unit Outline that you use may vary depending on your College or Discipline. The latest version of the UTAS Unit Outline Proforma (available here) includes a section called Specific attendance/performance requirements. Here you can record details of your Student Engagement Activities so that students clearly understand what is required of them.

Set up two Grade Items using the correct naming conventions

You must include two Grade Items in your unit’s Grades tool: one for each Engagement Activity. If your College or Faculty has a support team, they may set up the Grade Items for you by request.

The full name of these Grade Items must incorporate the phrase #SEA. When you create or edit a Grade Item, record the correct name into the Name field in the Properties tab.

The way you set up the Grade Items will vary according to the type of engagement activity that you have designed.  These Solutions to Common Grading Scenarios will help you determine the best way to set up your Grade Items. Some Grade Items will be standalone, that is, not connected to any MyLO tool. Others may be directly connected to a tool like a Quiz.

For further advice about setting up Grade Items, please contact your Faculty or School’s online/blended learning support team.

Record participation data in the Grade Items

By 5pm Friday of the end of Week 4, the Grade Items associated with each Engagement Activity must have a score recorded for each student (e.g. 0 for non-engagement, and 1 for engagement). The way you record this data will depend on the type of activity and the way you have set up your Grade Items. Tutors and other members of the teaching team may need some training to ensure that they know how to record these scores efficiently and correctly.

For further advice about recording data in Grade Items, please contact your Faculty or School’s online/blended learning support team.