The "Smith" Factor

If you want the ability to adjust a final grade to extend some compassion to your students, there are a couple of ways to do this:

1. Change the grade of one of the items
2. Create a hidden bonus grade item

If you choose the second option, make sure you turn on the "Can Exceed" switch for that item unless you want to limit the number of bonus points you can award. If you want students who receive the bonus to know where those mysterious extra points came from, make sure that you have the following options chosen:

• Turn on the "Drop ungraded items" switch (Grades Settings >> Calculation Options)
• Turn on the "Display final grade calculation to users" switch (Grades Settings >> Org Unit Display Options)

By making these choices, students who get the bonus will see it if they click the calculator icon next to their final grades.

Special note for weighted grades: If you choose weighted grades, you must assign the item a weight greater than zero. Since the item is a bonus, its weight will not count toward the overall class weight.