Moodle is used in many areas of education to provide a range of resources and activities to support learning. However, it can also be used to manage learning and record progress.
This book will explain the uses of the Moodle grades area, also known as the Gradebook, where grades for completed work can be recorded and final grades can be calculated. You will also learn the different options for grading work, customizing how the grades appear, and how to view progress through a range of reports. This book is based on Moodle 2.7 and will highlight some of the core features within Moodle that complement the Gradebook.
The book will provide step-by-step instructions with screenshots to take you through setting up the Gradebook, adding tasks with grades, and reporting progress.
This book is an introduction to the Gradebook and explains how it can be used to manage assessments. It does not explain every option possible within the grades area and activities as there are too many. However, it will cover the most common elements that can be used and adapted to meet most course needs.
Chapter 1, Introduction to Gradebook, contains an overview of different elements of the Gradebook and how they apply to an online course. It sets the scene for the practical instructions provided throughout the book.
Chapter 2, Customizing Grades, contains step-by-step instructions on how to create your own custom scale (using statements rather than numbers) and use letter grades (letters or words linked to a percentage). Outcomes are also explained to enable more detailed recording within assessments.
Chapter 3, Adding Graded Activities, teaches you how to add assignments and customize them using the grading options available. Advanced grading methods are outlined to enable easy grading using multiple criteria.
Chapter 4, Assigning Grades, demonstrates the various ways in which assessments can be marked with written feedback and grades. The marking workflow and offline grading are also explained.
Chapter 5, Using Calculations, demonstrates the use of the Gradebook to calculate final grades for the online course. It covers the different options available during calculations and how each one can be used.
Chapter 6, Organizing the Gradebook Using Categories, shows you how to add categories to the Gradebook and move assignments into them. It also covers the ways to use categories to further customize how you use the Gradebook.
Chapter 7, Reporting with the Gradebook, shows you the different reports available to view all grades or individual user information, and explains how to export the Gradebook data.
Chapter 8, Additional Features for Progress Tracking, covers other features within Moodle that complement the Gradebook. We can use the activity and course completion features to provide an overview of student achievement.