Instructor Support for Educational Systems

Choosing a Grade Scheme

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When you create a Grade Category or Grade Item, you must always set a Grade Scheme. In this article we explain what a Grade Scheme is, which Grade Schemes are available by default and how you can create your own Grade Scheme.

See here for a video on Grade Schemes.

What is a Grade Scheme and what does it do?

Grade Schemes are organizational arrangements that make grading understandable for the instructor and students on Brightspace. Since Brightspace calculates using percentages, a 10 points scale or letter value needs to be allocated to these percentages. This can be done through setting a Grade Scheme

Simply said: Grade schemes make it possible to have a say in how grades are registered. You can decide if the grades should be changed to a symbol, text, or rounded up to a certain percentage.

What Grade schemes are available by default?

ScreenSteps - Google Chrome

If you want to use the A-F grade scheme, choose the Leiden A to F Grade Scheme

  • Leiden Scheme A to F is a letter value Grade Scheme, where percentages are represented as Letter Grades
  • Leiden Scheme Pass/Fail is the scheme you can use in combination with a Selectbox Grade Item. 
  • The Leiden Scheme_Partial Grade_Rounded off at 0.1_Pass 5.5. is set as the default scheme in all courses. You can however change the default scheme of your course in Step 4: Choose Default Grade Scheme within the Setup Wizard. These grades in this scheme have value between 1 and 10, and are rounded off at 0.1, (also between 5.0 and 6.0). A student passes the test if the grade is 5.5 or higher.
  • For the Final Grade Calculation you can choose one of the Leiden Scheme_ Final Grade schemes: we offer three types, where all grades are between 1-10. The difference between the three final grade schemes is the rounding off: you can decide between 0.1, 0.5 or 1.0. Choose which one is agreed within your faculty. 

Create your own Grade Scheme

In case the available Leiden Grade Schemes do not work for you, you can set up your own scheme. Please see the video below on how to create your own Grade Scheme.

Video on Grade Schemes

ScreenSteps - Google Chrome
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