Grades: Basic
Follow these steps to set up and use a basic gradebook in Carmen. For best results, work through the steps in order. For a general overview and information on advanced gradebook features, see Grades: Overview and follow for the links for step-by-step instructions.
To begin, log in to Carmen and go to a Course Home page.
A Note about the Setup Wizard: The Setup Wizard appears when you open the Grades tool within a course that doesn't have a gradebook configured. If you are already familiar with the Grades tool and would like to use the Wizard at any time, click 
Setup Wizard on the left-hand side of your screen. Alternatively, follow the Steps below for a more detailed overview that will get your gradebook up and running.
Step 1 (Optional): Review and Select Default Grading Scheme
A grade scheme associates a particular percentage and a symbol (letter grade, text, etc.) Carmen includes some basic grade schemes, such as OSU Standard and Pass/Fail.
If you plan to choose the built-in grade schemes, skip to Step 2: Setting Up your Grade Calculation Method. (Note that the Grade Scheme you choose when setting up your gradebook applies to all grade items, unless you individually change it in the grade item properties.)
The OSU Standard Grade Scheme is as follows: 93 - 100 (A), 90 - 92.9 (A-), 87 - 89.9 (B+), 83 - 86.9 (B), 80 - 82.9 (B-), 77 - 79.9 (C+), 73 - 76.9 (C), 70 - 72.9 (C-), 67 - 69.9 (D+), 60 - 66.9 (D), Below 60 (E).
Although many Instructors choose the grade schemes built into Carmen, you may need to Create a Grade Scheme. For example, Carmen DOES NOT automatically curve or 'round-up' grades; therefore, if you want to curve grades, you would need to create a custom grade scheme.
Step 2: Set Up Grade Calculation Method
Click Grades in the Navigation Bar > 
Grades Settings > 
Calculation Options.
1. Choose what type of grading system you want to set up. This decision should reflect the grade policies set forth in your syllabus. Options are:
- Weighted - final grade will be a percentage based on several weighted grade items.
- Points - final grade will be total points earned.
A Formula grading system, where the final grade is determined by a formula you define, is also available. The Formula option takes much more time to set up than either the Points or Weighted grading systems and is not recommended for basic implementation of the Gradebook. See Using the Formula Editor for instructions on building formulas.
2. Carmen calculates the final grade based on your Gradebook settings. Will you be adjusting the Final Grade in the end (e.g., to reflect individual bonus points or dropping an assignment?
- If so, select Release Adjusted Final Grade.
- If the final grade will simply be the total points (or percentage) students received, select Release Calculated Final Grade.
3. Decide how you want Carmen to treat ungraded items: drop blank cells or treat them as zero.
- Selecting Drop ungraded items prevents Carmen from treating ungraded items as 'zeros' and avoids misleading calculations early in the quarter when many items aren't yet graded.
- Selecting Treat ungraded items as 0 records a 0 until you actually enter points received for all ungraded items.
4. Select Automatically Keep Calculated Final Grade Updated so that the final grade will be re-calculated automatically when any changes are made.
For classes with over 100 students, uncheck this option to prevent timeouts that can occur as the system updates each student's grade.
5. Click Save.
Step 3: Modify Display Options
To modify Display Options, click Grades > Grades Settings.
Make changes to your Personal Display (how information is displayed to you) and your Course Display (what information is displayed to students). These settings do not influence how the Gradebook functions.
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To limit categories and items visible in the instructor view of the Gradebook, go to Grades > Grades Settings > Personal Display Options. Changes made here do NOT change the student view of the Gradebook.
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To modify the student view (i.e. Course Display view), go to Grades > Grades Settings > Course Display Options. For more Display Options, click on any Grade Item and scroll down to Display Options.
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To select which Gradebook 'Start Page' (i.e., the page you see first upon entering the Grades area), go to Grades Settings > Personal Display Options and make your choice from the dropdown menu at the bottom of the page. "Enter Grades" is the default selection.
If you have not created any Grate Categories and/or Grade items, your default page will be the Setup Wizard.
Click Save to save any display settings you have modified.
Step 4: Create Grade Categories and Items
Grade categories are like folders that allow you to group similar assignments. Grade items are actual assignments for which students will receive grades.
To Create Grade Categories:
Click Grades > 
Manage Grades >
New Category.
1. When creating or editing a Grade Category, Carmen takes you to the Properties tab of the Category. Enter the name (e.g. "Exams") in the Name field, and a shortened version in the Short Name field -- the short name is visible only to you and helps control the column width in the Student List.
2. If you do NOT want the class average and grade distribution for a category displayed to students, you must UNCHECK the boxes next to Statistics.
3. Depending on whether you chose a Points or Weighted system, you will see slightly different options.
For example, you can distribute the weight (in the Weighted system) or points (in the Points system) evenly across a category, or drop* a prescribed number of the lowest-graded or highest-graded items. (*Items can only be dropped if they belong to a category and if the points/weights are distributed evenly within the category.)
See Dropping the Lowest Item in a Category for an example of how to drop the lowest grade item from a category (e.g., the lowest quiz or homework grade from a series of quizzes or homework grades).
4. Under Display Options, choose to display the class average for this category to students, as well as display grade distribution for this category to students.
5. Click Save or Save & New to create another category.
6. Click Save then click on Grades List to return to the area of Manage Grades where you can add and edit Grade Categories and Items.
To Create Grade Items:
To create a Grade Item, click Grades > Manage Grades > 
New Item. (If you are in the Grades List from the previous step, click New Item.)
Once created, grade items can be associated under a 'parent category' (i.e., Grade Category) or left uncategorized.
1. Choose the Numeric type for the grade item -- numeric grade items, where students receive a number value, are the easiest to set up.
See Creating Grade Items for more information on numeric items and the 5 other grade item types:
- Pass/Fail – This displays a dropbox that only has pass/fail/none as a choice. Regardless of what grade scheme you are using, choosing this type will display the highest and lowest range.
- Selectbox - To use this, you must first create a corresponding Grade Scheme.
- Text - Students receive text comments only; these items can't be used in grade calculations.
- Calculated - Informative only, such as the interim grade.
- Formula - Allows you to build formulas from grade items. A formula item can only be used in the final grade if you are using a Formula Grading System.
2. Type a Name for your new grade item.
3. Type a Short Name for quick reference to the item (Short Name is for your reference only and will not be seen by students).
4. Choose a parent Category for the Grade Item, or click on New Category to create a new Grade Category with which to associate the Grade Item.
5. Under Grading, enter the Maximum Points the Item will be worth. If a student can achieve more than this value (through extra credit, bonus items, etc.), check the box next to Can Exceed. If this item is a bonus item, check the box next to Bonus.
6. Finally, choose whether to apply something other than your default Grade Scheme to this Grade Item.
7. Under Display Options, choose if you'd like to display the class average and/or grade distribution to students, as well as if you'd like to override your own (Instructor) display options.
8. Click Save, or choose Save and New if you'd like to create more Grade Items.
Click the Restrictions tab, next to the Properties tab on the New Category or Edit Category screen. Under Restrictions, choose to make a grade category or item visible to students, to hide it, or to make it visible for only a certain period of time. You can also choose to attach Release Conditions to a grade category or item. See Creating and Using Conditional Release for more information.
9. Click Save then click on Grades List to return to the area of Manage Grades where you can add and edit Grade Categories and Items.
Step 5: Record, Calculate, and Release Grades
To record grades:
You have several options for recording grades:
- To record grades in the Spreadsheet View, simply enter grade scores in the empty boxes and click Save.
- To enter grades in the Standard View, open a Grade item column, enter grades, then click Save.
You can sort your Gradebook by student first name, last name, or numerically within a Grade item (e.g., to see lowest to highest grade within that Item). To sort your Gradebook, click on a column heading and click again to reverse the order.
- To enter grades for an individual student, click on the student's name, enter grades, then click Save.
- Additionally,
(Edit Grade Item) appears next to every grade item and grade category, regardless of whether you are in Spreadsheet View or Standard View, and is also available under Actions in the Manage Grades area. Click it anytime to enter grades.
In the row beneath the Student List and Import/Export Grades options is Display Options. Click Display Options to show or hide Grade Items, subtotal columns, and/or the Final Grade columns from your display.
To preview a student's Gradebook view:
Click 
Enter Grades > 
Student List and click on a student's name. Then click 
Preview.
To calculate and release final grades:
1. To calculate Final Grades, click Grades > Enter Grades, then Enter Grade - Final Grades. (To calculate final grades by student, click the student's name.)
2. Click
Recalculate All to recalculate all Final Grades. A pop-up window will come up allowing you to choose between recalculating the Calculated grade and recalculating the Adjusted grade. Choose the Calculated Final Grade option.
When setting up your grade calculation method, if you had previously chosen 'Keep final grades calculated', the pop-up window only gives you checkboxes for Adjusted grade activities.
3. Click Recalculate All to make sure everything is updated. When prompted, confirm that you wish to calculate the Final Grade.
4. Click 
Transfer All to transfer the calculated grades to the adjusted grades column (only the Adjusted Grade is sent to the Registrar).
5. If needed, make any necessary adjustments to students' scores by typing new values into the boxes for points/percentage earned and for total points/percentage. When done adjusting, click Save to see any changes reflected in the grade symbols.
For example, you can adjust a student's individual total in the first box of their adjusted final grade or alter the 'total out of points' by changing the number in the second box of their adjusted final grade). When you have made all adjustments, click Save at the bottom of the screen.
To exclude a particular assignment from a student's final grade, click Recalculate Adjusted Final Grade next to the Adjusted Final Grade for that student. This allows you to recalculate that student's grade by choosing which assignments to include in the calculation.
6. To release final grades to students:
- To release final grades to all students, click
Release All in the toolbar near the top of the screen.
- To release final grades to select students only, click the box next to their name under the Release Adjusted Final Grade column.
To export grades as a CSV file:
Click Grades > Enter Grades > 
Export Grades
Choose the options you'd like under Export Options and Grades to Import then click Export to CSV.
