Desire2Learn > Tools > Grades Guides > Setting up the Grades Area in D2L

Setting up the Grades Area in D2L

Select Grades in the course navigation bar.
Select the Start button at the bottom of the page to begin the Grades wizard.
Choose a grading system:

Points: Grade items are worth a certain amount of points that are totaled for a final grade. If choosing the Points gradebook system, the total can be any number (i.e., it does not need to be 100).
Weighted: Grade items are a percentage of a final grade, totaling to 100%. In the Weighted gradebook system the gradebook percentage weight must equal 100%. If it does not, the Manage Grades page will display an error to the instructor. Note that "weight" is different than the point value of the item. An item within a weighted gradebook can be worth any number of points, depending on preference.
Formula: Grade items are calculated as part of the final grade based on a custom formula that is instructor-defined. This is only used in special cases. Contact d2lhelpdesk@elgin.edu for assistance.

Select the Continue button.
Choose a final grade release option:

Select Calculated Final Grade to calculate the final grade based strictly on the grading formula that has been set up.
Select Adjusted Final Grade to be able to manually modify a grade before releasing it (recommended.)

Note: Final Grades are not released to students automatically in D2L unless the instructor explicitly publishes the final grade.

Select the Continue button.
Choose how the Grades area calculates ungraded items:

Drop Ungraded Items: If a score is not entered for a grade item, they will not be calculated as part of the cumulative scores. If this option is selected, the final grade will show the cumulative score for the work assessed so far. However, instructors must manually enter a score of "0" for uncompleted assignments.
Treat Ungraded Items as 0: If a score is not entered for a grade item, they will be calculated into the cumulative final score as if they were scored as "0."

Select the Automatically keep final grade updated checkbox to keep final grades updated automatically.
Select the Continue button.
Choose a default grade scheme. The recommended option is Percentage, which is selected by default. If opting to use a letter grade scheme, check if the default letter grade scheme ranges in D2L differ from what is preferred (see the Managing Grade Schemes section in the D2L Resource Center or contact d2lhelpdesk@elgin.edu for more information.)
Select the Continue button.

Note: The University does not have a standard grading scheme. If instructors are uncertain, please reach out to the department chair for more information.

Choose the number of decimal places to display in the calculated grade.
Select the Continue.
Choose the “Student View Display Options.” This determines what students see when they visit the Grades area. The default settings are recommended. For more information on the options in this section, visit the D2L Resource Center.
Select Continue.
Select Finish to save changes.

NEXT STEPS

Once the gradebook settings are complete, the next step is to create grade items for the assignments in the course. An option is to create categories