The D2L Gradebook

Selecting a Course Grading System

The first thing to do when setting up a D2L gradebook is to decide which course grading system you'll be using. The two options are "Weighted" and "Points." Briefly, in a weighted system everything adds up to 100%. In a points system the instructor adds grade items and specifies a perfect score for each and D2L does the math. Grade items can be organized in categories in both these systems. Instructors on the UW-Green Bay campus are pretty evenly split on which system they prefer.

Selecting a Grade Scheme

Before any student grades can be entered the instructor must select a Grade Scheme. The grade scheme is a breakdown by percent of the letter grades A, AB, B, etc. To select a grade scheme, click on the Grade Schemes tool. Choose the default option to stay with percents, select from one of the listed schemes, or create your own grade scheme. Contact the LTC if you have any questions.

The D2L Gradebook and Excel

Exporting the D2L Gradebook: The D2L gradebook can be exported as a CSV (comma separated value) text file which opens in Excel. To export a gradebook click on Import/Export in the enter grades window. Put a radio button on "Export to CSV from grades." Select User name, Out of Grade, Last Name, and First Name. Select the grade items you want to export (If you don't want all items, be sure to remove the check by "Export all items." Click Export. You should see a popup dialog box prompting you to save the text file just created. Save it to an appropriate location.

Working with a D2L gradebook in Excel: There are a few ways to open the exported file in Excel. Perhaps the easiest is to doubleclick on the file name which launches Excel and opens the CSV file.

Importing a CSV file into your D2L course: To import a CSV file into your D2L gradebook go to the enter grades screen in the Gradebook and click on the Import/Export tool. Put a radio button on "Import into grades from CSV." Browse to the correct CSV file and click Open. The path and file name will appear in the Import File text box. Click on Preview Import and then Import. Large classes and CSV files with several columns might require several steps to import the entire file. In most cases it is desirable to not include extraneous columns in the import file. Any errors in the import process will be reported at the bottom of the page.

Importing a gradebook (.csv) file that contains only one grade item into a course using "Preview Import" does not work. This is a known bug. Use the "Express Import" instead of Preview Import.

For Assistance: The D2L Gradebook can be a bit tricky, especially for complicated gradebooks and/or large classes. Instructors are encouraged to contact Andy Speth or Leif Nelson in the LTC for assistance with the gradebook.