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• Introduction to Columns
• Basic Steps in Creating a Column
• Alphanumeric Column
• Numeric Column
• Calculated Column
• Letter Grade Column

This information guides you on the steps in creating some, but not all, of the various columns for your grade book. You may use one or two of these column types or all of them. For more detailed information, download part of our Bb Vista training manual. The section, Mastering Your Grade Book and Managing Your Course, downloads the PDF that explains the grade book. There is also the online Bb Vista Help feature. When in your grade book, select the Help link at the top of the screen. You will find valuable information to help you set up your grade book.

Introduction to Columns

Each class has three default columns: Last Name, First Name, User ID (unique identifier at NAU). These columns cannot be deleted. If you have combined or cross-listed multiple sections of a class the grade book will also have a column found in the Members tab view that identifies the students by their enrolled section.

In some grade books you will find two automatically-created columns called Midterm and Final. You cannot delete these two columns, but can certainly use them if they fit your class needs. If you do not want to use these columns read Hiding Columns and Releasing to Students.

Creating items set up as graded activities, such as assessments, assignments, and discussion topics, automatically creates columns in the grade book. When you grade an assignment or as a student completes a quiz the grade is fed into the grade book.

Even with many columns created by Bb Vista you may want to create various columns for specific reasons. You may want a column for class participation or to calculate the total points from the other grade columns. The grade book gives you several column types:

• Alphanumeric This column type is perfect for text. You can use this to post letter grades or to enter notes about the student. NOTE: do not use this column type for numeric information, as it does not feed to calculated column formulas.  
• Calculated This column type is perfect for setting up a “total points” column or other kind of formula that uses the other columns.
• Letter Grade This column type is perfect if you want your grading calculation done for you. You can set up a grading scheme based on any numeric or calculated column. If you set up a calculated column that adds the total points for the class, the letter grade column will display the letter grade based on the points the student has earned.
• Numeric This column type is perfect for entering numeric values. You can use these columns as part of a formula in a calculated column.
• Selection List This column type is perfect for setting up drop-down fields for information entered repeatedly.
• Text This column type is perfect for big blocks of text. If you write extensive notes about students use this column type.
• Grading Form This column type is perfect if you have set up Grading Forms in your class. A Grading Form allows you to enter multiple points for various criteria, similar to a grading rubric.

Basic Steps in Creating a Column

To create columns in your grade book that are not based on quizzes, graded assignments, or graded discussion topics – the creation of these activities will automatically create columns in the grade book – you start by selecting the Create Column button.

You will see the various options for creating columns in the grade book.

Place your cursor over the type of column you wish to create until it is highlighted and click to select. The Numeric column type is selected in the image below:

Alphanumeric Column

The alphanumeric column is perfect for text entries. You may decide to use this type of column to post final grades. This column type can be used for importing grades into Peoplesoft.

When creating an Alphanumeric column you have the following options:

• Column label – the title of the column that appears in grade book. It helps to have the text that best identifies the column appear at the beginning of the label, and not to use too many words.
• Alignment – left or right are the usual alignment choices.

You will also have the option to make this grade-related. If this column is part of the students’ grades then mark the “grade-related column” checkbox. You can also set it to release to students in their My Grades tool.

1. Follow the above steps on creating a column (link to creation step).
2. Enter your options.
3. Select the Save button.
4. Your new column is now in the grade book.

Numeric Column

If you plan on creating some columns to manually enter points for class activities that are not tied to the Assessments or Assignments tools then the Numeric column will work best. When creating a Numeric column you will have the following options:

• Column label – the title of the column that appears in grade book. It helps to have the text that best identifies the column appear at the beginning of the label and not to use too many words.
• Alignment – left or right are the usual alignment choices.
• Decimals – the number of decimal places you want for your column.
• Maximum Value – this indicates how many points are possible. Students will see this value in their My Grades tool.

You will also have the option to make this grade-related. If this column is part of the students’ grades then mark the “grade-related column” checkbox. You can also set it to release to students in their My Grades tool (link to release and My Grades). The following image is a column for class participation, which is worth 25 points. If you grade at partial points (21.5, 13.9), you will want to add a decimal place.

1. Follow the above steps on creating a column (link to creation step).
2. Enter your options.
3. Select the Save button.
4. Your new column is now in the grade book.

Calculated Column

The calculated column allows you to set up formulas based on other columns. This is perfect for a “total points” column or a subset of columns. If you have created discussion topics that are gradable and you have several topics assigned to groups, you may end up with too many columns to easily view in the grade book. Creating a calculated column to sum these columns may make your grade book much more navigable and easier to use.
Example: In Module 1 you may have the following discussion topics that you set as gradable:

• Module 1 Discussion – Group 1
• Module 1 Discussion – Group 2
• Module 1 Discussion – Group 3
• Module 1 Discussion – Group 4

These gradable columns will now be in the grade book as four separate columns. The difficulty arises when viewing these if you have nine more modules with four groups in each - you can end up with 40 columns!  It is easy to grade these discussions using the grade topic option in Discussion, but viewing the grades in the grade book is complicated.
To make the grade book less complicated and show all the grades in only one column create a Module 1 Discussion calculated column Set the formula to sum the four different Module 1 Discussion - Group 1, 2, 3, and 4. When grades are posted to each of the Module 1 Group Discussions the grades will also appear in the calculated column. You will only need to view the calculated column and not the four discussion topic columns.


You can set this calculated column to release to students to the My Grades tool instead of the four separate columns. You can then hide the other individual topic columns so they do not clutter your grade book. You can also set them to not release to students to de-clutter their My Grades tool.
When creating a calculated column you have the following options:

• Column label – the title of the column that appears in grade book. It helps to have the text that best identifies the column appear at the beginning of the label, and not to use too many words.
• Alignment – left or right are the usual alignment choices.
• Decimals – the number of decimal places you want for your column.
• Maximum Value – this indicates how many points are possible. Students will see this value in their My Grades tool.

NOTE: It is not necessary to enter the maximum value, but it is simple to edit this value if necessary by returning to the Column Settings and selecting the Maximum Value link for that column.

1. Follow the steps on creating a column (link to creation step).
2. Enter your options. We labeled this column Total Points and set it for a maximum value of 100 points.
3. Select the Save button.
4. Your new column is now in the grade book.
5. From either the Column Settings area or at the grade book select the action link for the new calculated column.
   
   In Column Settings:
    
   
   In grade book:
   
   
   
6. Select the Edit Column Formula option:
   
   
   
7. You can set up various formulas. NOTE: Alphanumeric columns will not work as part of a calculated column. Only numeric and calculated columns will show as options for a calculated column. In this example we will set up a summary of all columns with points. There are two options for creating a summed formula:
1. Use the plus sign
2. Use the Sum function
8. To set up a formula using the plus sign, select a column to add. Column options are listed in the formula entry field below. The selected column will appear in the entry field.
   
   
   
9. Select the plus sign.
   
   
   
   
10. Continue to select items and plus signs to complete your formula.
    
    
    

NOTE: If you add an extra plus sign at the end, use the Undo button to remove the last item entered.

11. Select Save (scroll down to view the button).
12. Instead of using the plus sign, use the Sum function. If you are creating complex formulas you will want to use the Sum function. To start, select the Sum button.
    
    
    
    
13. Select a column to add. Column options are listed in the formula entry field below. The selected column will appear in the entry field.
14. Select Enter Another Value.
    
    
    
    
15. Continue to select items and entering the commas with the Enter Another Value until you complete your formula.
16. To end the formula select End Function. This closes the formula.
    
    
    
    
17. Select Save.

You can now see the formula set up in your grade book. If a student does not yet have any points you will see “N/A” in the column. Parentheses surround the points in the calculated column until all columns used in the formula have points entered. The parentheses and italicized numbers let you know that the points are not complete.

NOTE: Common issues with a calculated column:

• If you are using a calculated column to sum group discussion grades, a student will only be in one group and not all of them. He or she will not have a grade in every column used in the formula.
• If columns used in a formula are renamed or deleted, the formula is no longer valid. You will need to edit the formula.
• If you have many columns in your formula you may see an error about too many characters in the formula. If this is the case you may want to create more than one calculated column summing a subtotal of columns. You can then create the total points column and use these subtotal columns in your total points formula.

Letter Grade

If you have set up a “Total Points” column, you may find the letter grade column a nice, automatic way to calculate the student’s final grade. You can create your own grading scheme based on the points available in your class. In the example, we created a letter grade column based on our calculated “Total Points” column. We labeled this column as “Semester Grade” – the label required to use the Peoplesoft Grade Import Tool, which can import grades from a column directly into your Peoplesoft grade roster.

NOTE: If this column is created at the beginning of the semester you may decide not to release the grade to students, as every student will start the semester with an “F” grade. As they receive points for assignments and other activities their total points’ value will increase, automatically improving their letter grade.

Once you have created the column, you must set up your grading scheme.

1. Select the action link for the new letter grade column.
   
   
   
   
2. Select Edit Column Letter Grade Scheme.
   
   
   
   
3. A Letter Grade column is based on a numeric or calculated column. You can select the column that the letter grade is based on in the drop-down menu.
   
   
   
4. The grading scheme page will appear with the default scheme.
   
   
   
   
5. The default grading scheme is based on 100 points, which you can change. It also adds an “A+” and an “E” grade to the scheme. These grades are not allowed as official grades at Northern Arizona University. If you use this column for the “Semester Grade” column to import into Peoplesoft, you must only use permitted grades.
   
   
6. To delete a row of grades, such as the "E" grade, select the Delete Icon for that row.
   
   
   
7. Enter your appropriate point values for your grades. Make sure that the "A+" grade is at least one point above the highest points possible. If your total points is 100 points, edit the "A+" field to show 101 points.
   
   
   
   
8. Select Save.

Until any points are entered for students, the grade book column will display "N/A" in the letter grade column. As students begin to earn points the letter grade may show an "F" until the students earn enough points for higher grades. We recommend that you do not release this letter grade column at the start of the semester, as students may worry why they have an "F" grade. NOTE: If you plan on using this Letter Grade column to import your grade to Peoplesoft, you must release the column prior to importing the grades.