Summary of Grade Calculations

For each of your classes, you must consider how you calculate grades, considering marking column averages, category averages, category versus assignment factors, and extra credit. For your reference, this document provides a summary of calculation decisions you make in Faculty Access for the Web.

Calculating Marking Column Averages by Category Averages or Assignment Grades

For each category in a marking column and class, you designate whether to calculate the marking column average by category averages or assignment grades in the Determine marking column grades using field on the Categories page.

Using Category Averages

If you select "category averages" in the Determine marking column grades using field, the program uses category averages and category factors to determine the marking column average.

For example, here are 3 category averages and factors for a student.

Category	Category Average	Category Factor	Percent of Grade
Homework	83	1	25%
Quiz	93	1	25%
Test	92	2	50%

The calculation is:

In this example, this equals a grade of 90:

Using Assignment Grades

If you select "assignment grades" in the Determine marking column grades using field, only assignment grades are used to determine the marking column average.

For example, here are five assignment grades for a student.

Category	Assignment	Grade	Max Points	Factor
HW	Homework 1	9	10	1
HW	Homework 2	7	10	2
HW	Homework 3	15	20	1
Test	Test 1	17	25	2
Test	Test 2	34	50	1

The calculation is:

In this example, this equals a grade of 70.7:

Calculating Category Averages by Total Points or Percentages

If you select "category averages" in the Determine marking column grades using field, you need to designate how to calculate category averages. In the Calculation Type column in the categories grid, you select how to average assignments in the category, either "Using Total Points" or "Using Percentages".

For example, a student has the following homework grades:

Assignment	Grade	Maximum Point	Assignment Factor
Homework 1	9	10	1
Homework 2	7	10	2
Homework 3	15	20	1

Using Total Points

The program calculates the category average by dividing the total points received by the total points possible.

In this example, this equals a grade of 76.0:

Using Percentages

The program calculates the category average by totaling the percentage grades and dividing by the number of grades included.

In this example, this equals a grade of 76.25:

Using Category Factors or Assignment Factors

Consider how you weigh grades to determine how to use category and assignment factors.

If you use category averages to calculate the marking column average, when you set up categories, you enter factors to designate the percentage of each category average in the marking column average calculation. For example, you can enter a higher factor for the Test category than the Homework category when defining categories. Therefore, when entering assignments, you do not need to enter an assignment factor that weighs an assignment in the Test category more than an assignment in the Homework category. Only increase the assignment factor to have an assignment grade count more than once in the category average calculation. For example, you can count one Test multiple times.

If you use assignment grades to calculate the marking column average, use assignment factors to weigh assignments differently.

Awarding Extra Credit

Consider if you want to track extra credit and the method to use. There are a few methods you can use to award extra points to specific students.

Entering points over the assignment’s maximum points

You can enter more than the maximum points for an assignment to award extra credit.

Entering points for an assignment with zero maximum points

If you calculate grades based on total points, you can enter zero as the maximum points of an assignment. Any points you enter for the assignment grade count as extra credit. You should enter numeric grades only. In this case, letter grades do not translate to numeric grades. A letter grade for an assignment with zero maximum points equals a 0/0 grade.

This method is possible only if (1) you are using only assignment grades to calculate the marking column average or (2) you are using category averages to calculate the marking column average and the calculation type for the category is Using Total Points.

The program does not drop assignments with zero maximum points. If all assignments in a category have zero maximum points, such as in an extra credit category, you can enter a number to drop but no grades will drop.

Creating a category to track extra credit

If you use category averages to calculate marking column averages, you can create a graded category to track extra credit points, regardless of whether Using Total Points or Using Percentages is the calculation type. With this method, you must manually track the points in the category average and add them to the marking column grade at the end of the marking column.

To exclude a category from automatic calculations, enter a factor of zero for the category. You can create assignments in the category to track extra credit tasks, and enter extra credit points as assignment grades. After entering the points in an assignment grade column, manually update the total number of extra credit points in the category average column. At the end of the marking column, manually update the category average of the extra credit category a final time and manually adjust the marking column grade to reflect extra credit.