IT in collaboration with the Office of the Registrar are pleased to announce a new grade center functionality. Beginning Fall 2018, faculty will have the option to import final letter grades from your On-Campus Blackboard grade center to your SiS grade roster. In order to successfully use this new functionality it is important that your Blackboard grade center is correctly set up. The import will only pull the grade center column that has been set as the external grade column and it will only accept letter grades that match your course’s SiS grade scheme. Once you import your letter grades into SiS you will have the opportunity to review and edit the grades in SiS.

Before attempting to import your grades to SiS:

• Make sure the grades and calculations in your Blackboard grade center are all correct.  
• Make sure you have created a column for letters grades, either manual or calculated.
• Make sure your letter grade column is set as the external grade column.

Merged courses disclaimer: If by merging your courses you cause students to be enrolled in more than one course within a merged set, the SiS grade center import function may fail for those students that have overlapping enrollments in the merged set.

For help setting up your grade center in the On Campus Blackboard see the guides and videos below. For additional help email: bbhelp@uml.edu, call 978-934-5630 or request a consultation.

For more information on university policy surrounding grades, including Mid-Term Grades, Final Letter Grades or Grading Schemes, visit the Office of the Registrar Explanation of Grades webpage.

To help faculty use this new SiS grade roster feature the Instructional Technologists in Academic Technology have prepared the following videos and job aids for your convenience.

The Instructional Technologists in Academic Technology have prepared videos and job aids for your convenience.

• Adding a Weighted Column
• Adding an External Letter Grade Column
• How to Import Final Grades to SiS (video) (job aid, pdf)
• More Videos about Grade Center Functionality and Features

STUDENT SUCCESS

Studies suggest that combining traditional learning in higher education with technology enhances student success and academic performance (Kim 2017). Some students report that when they can track their progress through a learning management system (LMS) it can reduce their anxiety and help them recognize the areas in which they need to focus (Ebardo and Valderama 2009, Nair and Patil 2012 and Georgouli, Skalkidis and Guerreiro, 2008). Using an LMS to encourage student interaction can also prepare them for the workforce by developing their virtual self-efficacy (Zajacova, Lynch and Espenshade 2005), as many large and modern companies require employees to work collaboratively, remotely and around the globe (Kim 2017). However, faculty attitudes have a major impact on the implementation and effectiveness of an online classroom experience (Lochner, Conrad & Graham 2015).

On-Campus Blackboard has a grade center that can be used as a versatile tool to manage student performance.

Not only is it a place students can track their progress and upcoming assessments, but it can automatically calculate according to your specific rubrics and grade schemas, and can be downloaded into Excel to work offline. The grade center can now be imported into SiS at the end of the semester, which can be helpful for instructors with large class sizes, and can reduce manual data entry errors. For more information about how to use the many features of the Full Grade Center in On-Campus Blackboard, watch our support videos, schedule a consultation, or email: bbhelp@uml.edu.

References:

• Ebardo, R. A. & Valderama, A. M. C. (2009). The effect of web-based learning management system on knowledge acquisition of information technology students at Jose Rizal University. Proceeding of 6th International Conference on E-learning for Knowledge-based Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
• Georgouli, K., Skalkidis, I. & Guerreiro, P. (2008). A Framework for Adopting LMS to Introduce eLearning in a Traditional Course. Educational Technology & Society, 11, (2), 227-240.
• Kim, D., (2017). The impact of learning management systems on academic performance: Virtual Competency and student Involvement Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice Vol. 17(2) 2017
• Lochner, B., Conrad, R. & Graham, E. (2015). Secondary Teachers' Concerns in Adopting Learning Management Systems: A U.S. Perspective. Tech Trends, 59, (5), 62-70.
• Nair, S. C. & Patil, R. (2012). A Study on the Impact of Learning Management Systems on Students of a University College in Sultanate of Oman. International Journal of Computer Science Issues, 9, (2), 379.
• Zajacova, A., Lynch, S. M. & Espenshade, T. J. (2005). Self-efficacy, stress, and academic success in college. Research in higher education, 46, (6), 677-706.