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Grading Schemes for Tech Courses

Jason Carroll Updated by Jason Carroll

Overview

In Canvas, a grading scheme is a set of criteria that measures varying levels of achievement in a course. For most Technical and STEM-focused courses, students must obtain a passing score of 75% as the final grade. This is in contrast to a standard eC course which requires a 100% completion rate. It can be challenging to estimate how a student will arrive at a final cumulative percentage.

eCornell offers a tool to help calculate and simulate the Canvas grading scheme. The Instructional Designer populates the google sheet tool with all of the course assignments, the point values of each assignment, and the number of assignment groups. The ID then tweaks the point values for each assignment to ensure a student can reach a final grade of 75% when set against group weights but cannot achieve the passing score of 75% while skipping or getting a 0 on crucial assignments.

Follow the steps below to access and use the tech course grading scheme template.

Access the tool template

Filename: 00_Grading Schemes Template

Format: Google Sheet

You may need to request permission to access the folder and file.
  1. Make a copy of the template file. Click File > Make a Copy
    1. Rename the copied file with course cert code followed by "Grading Schemes" (ex. ABC100s Grading Schemes)
    2. The folder location should remain set to "Grading Schemes"
    3. Check the box next to "Share it with the same people."
    4. Click the green "Make a Copy" button. The file will open in a new tab.

Prepare the tool

Create course tabs

With the new copy of the template open, you can begin to customize it to match the course in development. First, duplicate the tabs at the bottom of the google sheet to represent every course in the certificate. In the example below, the CAC100s grading scheme tool contains 7 tabs to reflect the 7 courses in the CAC100s certificate.

The "Info" tab should not be edited. The sheet contains dropdown menu selections.

Add assignment information headers

  1. Enter the # of assignment groups in cell C2
  2. Enter assignment group titles in cells A5, A11, A18
    1. In the example below, the default template titles include "Codio/OmniDB Assignments," "Canvas Quizzes," and "Canvas Discussions." Titles should match what is displayed on the Assignments page of the course in development.
  3. Enter assignment group weights in B5, B11, B18
Initial group weights should match what is displayed on the Assignments page of the course in development.

Add assignments

  1. Beginning in column A, replace any instance of "[Canvas Name]" with the assignment titles from the course. Enter the data into the appropriate assignment group section (ex. "Canvas Discussions").
  2. Where applicable, enter the assignment titles in column B as displayed in Codio.
Codio assignment titles can differ from how they are named in Canvas.
  1. Choose the correct assignment type from the dropdown menus in column C.
  2. In column D, enter the maximum points allowed in an assignment.
    1. The "Total Poss Pts" cells will automatically total up the max points cells in each assignment group, but if you added rows, alter the cell formula to ensure it counts every row in the group.
  3. In column E, enter the number of questions in the assignment.
  4. Enter the maximum number of points for an assignment in Canvas in column G. 
Canvas discussions cannot be formatted as percentages. Instead, they must display as point values. Fill in H ("Display") to show how assignment points will appear in Canvas.

Calculate final scores

Once the tool is prepared, you can simulate assignment scores to see if students can pass 75% of the course. In the tool, this work will be performed in column K.

  1. Enter simulated scores in the assignment row cells in column K.

Note how the "Stud A Grp [x] Points:" cell automatically adds the group's assignment points using the built-in cel SUM formula when using the tool.

You might need to adjust the SUM formula if you added additional lines/assignments in the group. In the example above, the SUM formula calculates three assignments from group 1.

The "Stud A Grp [x] %:" cell contains a formula that divides the simulated point total by the total possible points entered in column G.

  1. Repeat the step of adding in assignment totals in column K until all groups are completed.
  2. After adding in all simulated assignment scores, a final grade percentage will appear in the last cell of column K, "Stud A Course %:." This cell contains a formula that simulates the Canvas grading scheme, taking into account the weighted grade percentages entered in column B. 

In the following example, the ID simulated a student who received partial credit on Canvas quizzes and discussions. The group percentages were automatically calculated using data from all assignment group simulated score totals and all group weight percentages. The result was a final score of 79%. The ID can experiment by changing assignment totals in column k, receiving instant results in the last course % cell.

Suggested Additional Information

While optional, the following tabs may help when collaborating with others on a tech course grading scheme. The following examples can be added to the grading schemes tool to improve the tool.

Notes tab

It may be helpful to include a tab for notes containing information such as the name of assignment groups, grade weights, student requirements, rules on student resubmissions, etc.

Grading Matrix tab

A grading matrix tab contains the rubric used in Codio for grading the students' code exercises. This information is important because there is a distinction between a Codio rubric and a Canvas assignment rubric. If your course uses Codio grading rubrics for manually graded assignments in Codio, it is a good idea to include them in this document as well.

Additional Resources

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