31 October 2008

Importing Grades

You can import grade data into your course offering and create new grade items with the import process. This is most efficient if you start by exporting your extant grade list:
  1. In the Grades Area widget, click on the Enter Grades button and then Export Grades.
  2. On the Export Options page, you can choose any or none of your extant grade items to export - click the Export to CSV button and a new browser window will open with a link to download the file.
  3. Open the downloaded file in a spreadsheet program and enter any grade data you wish for the extant items you included in the download.
  4. If you want to create new items, insert new columns into the spreadsheet you downloaded.
    • The heading for each new column must include the words "Points Grade" in addition to the name of the item.
    • The final column on the right must have the heading "End-of-Line Indicator" and each cell in that column must have a pound sign (#).
  5. Save your file as a CSV file (comma-separated values), not a plain-text or tab-demilited file - this will not be the same format as the downloaded file, which is plain text despite its .csv extension.
The import grade data process takes five steps. Begin by going to the Enter Grades page and click on the Import Grades button.
  • Step 1: Browse to find the CSV file you created in step 5 above and select it. If you created any new grade items following the guidelines in step 4 above, you must click the box to create new grade item before clicking the Next button.
  • Step 2: Confirm that you want to create any new grade items present in the import file and click next. This step is skipped if you did not create any new grade items in the download file.
  • Step 3: Decide on the properties of each of the new grade items. This step is skipped if you did not create any new grade items in the download file.
  • Step 4: Lets you know if there are errors or warnings. This is step 2 if you did not create any new grade items in the download file.
  • Step 5: Previews the import, showing the grades for each student. Click the Import button on this page to add the grade data to your class. This is step 3 if you did not create any new grade items in the download file.
Note that the files involved are all plain text, so only values can be imported (not formulas from your spreadsheet program). You can use the formula editor inside Desire2Learn to create sophisticated grade formulas.

20 October 2008

Giving Individual Students Extra Quiz Access

Revised 11/2013

You can give individual students extra quiz access through special access, which is an option on the Restrictions tab when you are editing a quiz. (It's near the bottom of the tab under "Advanced Availability.")


The Special Access window allows you several options:
  • Change the start and/or end date for the quiz Use this to give a student early or late access
  • Give a different time limit, grace period, or late submissions Use this for DSPS students or to give a student extra time without allowing additional attempts
At the bottom of the Special Access window, select the student(s) you want to have this access. You can set up more than one special access rule if you have different needs for different students.