DE Oracle @ UMUC

Importing the WebTycho Gradebook

Jennifer Thies

Senior Instructional Support Specialist

Center for Support of Instruction

Published: March-April 2008

Category: » Webtycho » Gradebook-assignments-portfolio

For UMUC faculty members who teach multiple sections of a course or the same course from semester to semester, the ability to import the Gradebook assignments from one section to the next is a helpful tool. Here are a few things to keep in mind when using this WebTycho feature that will make the process much smoother.

First, please note that the Gradebook is imported in its entirety. This means that there is no choice of assignments to import, but that all of the assignments from a selected Gradebook will be imported into the new classroom. You will be able to delete any imported assignments that you choose not to use, but this also means that if you have created any assignments in the Gradebook of the new classroom, importing a Gradebook from another classroom will overwrite the work you had previously done. Take these factors into account before trying to import a Gradebook from one classroom to another.

Import Gradebook Seperately

The Gradebook must be imported separately from any other content. Currently, a warning to import separately is displayed on the Import Options screen, and using the Select All feature in importing will not select the Gradebook. Once you have imported all of your other content, conferences, etc. you will want to return to the importing screen to import just the Gradebook.

Some default settings on an imported Gradebook are not immediately apparent to faculty. The availability settings on each assignment will automatically be set to be not available to the students. This gives you the opportunity to edit the assignments before making them available in the student Assignments Folder. The assignment title, tab, type, due and lock dates, scale, total points, and weight of an assignment are imported with each assignment. So, an essay assignment with a weight of 5% in one class will still be that when imported into the new class. Since the dates are imported as well, those using a master Gradebook for multiple sections will not have to alter the due dates in each section. This does mean that any faculty who import from an old class into a new class will need to edit those old dates to reflect the schedule of the new class before making the assignment available to students. Every class has start and end date parameters that surround the date settings on assignments in the Gradebook. You will not be able to submit changes in the availability of an imported assignment until these dates are altered to reflect the current semester dates.

Remember that WebTycho gives you the opportunity to preview a sample Student Assignment Folder from the Faculty Center. While this will not allow you to see any particular student's folder, it will give you an overview of what students see before they submit any assignments for grading.

Missing Students and Navigation Buttons

Two particular problems may occur at the beginning of the semester with the Gradebook.

First, some faculty have experienced not seeing the Manage Assignments, Create Assignment, and Cancel buttons in the blue bar at the bottom of the Gradebook Overview screen and some or all of the students are missing after importing a Gradebook.

The fix for this problem is easy but tedious: You will need to go the Faculty Center (located on the left-hand menu), then select the Manage link next to the Gradebook item.  You will then need to edit edit and re-submit each assignment each gradebook item. This action resets the assignments, and the buttons will reappear at the bottom of the screen and the gradebook will be populated with the students. This problem is not common, and due to current development plans, no fix is planned.  If after trying this method the buttons or students do not reappear you will need to contact UMUC360 for assistance.

Students in Gradebook Do Not Match Class Memebers List

A potential second problem occurs when the Gradebook listing of students does not match the Class Members roster and/or the roster of students for the class in MyUMUC. In this case, please contact UMUC360 to have the problem fixed, as it is not an issue that a simple assignment resetting will solve.

Do not hesitate to contact WebTycho Support if you encounter any problems or concerns regarding your WebTycho classroom or the Gradebook specifically. WebTycho Support can be reached 24/7 at 888-360-UMUC (8682) or 301-985-6710 or UMUC360 and is there to assist you.