Blackboard Ultra (Faculty) - Gradebook: Grade an Assignment

Accessing Assignments for Grading

There are several ways to access assignments that need grading in Blackboard Ultra:

• From the Course Content page, select the assignment.
• In the Gradebook, locate the assignment column.
• In the Overview tab, in the Needs Grading table, click Grade next to the assignment.
• From the Activity Stream, click the notification that an assignment is ready to grade.

Grading an Assignment

1. Navigate to the assignment using one of the methods described above.
2. The Submission page will display. You can view the student's submission directly on this page or download it if needed.
3. To enter a grade, type the score directly in the "Grade" field in the top right corner.
   
   
   
   
4. Provide feedback to the student using the "Feedback to Learner" area. You can type text, attach files, or record audio/video feedback.
   
   
   
   
5. Use the rubric, if attached, to assist with grading.
6. Click the Save button.
7. Navigate to the next student submission with the right or left arrow in the top right corner next to the "Grade" field.

Using the Rubric

If a rubric is associated with the assignment, you can use it to grade the student's work.

1. Click the rubric icon to open the rubric panel.
   
   
   
   
2. Select the appropriate performance level for each criterion. The overall score will be calculated automatically.
3. Optionally, provide specific feedback for each criterion.
4. Save the rubric assessment. The score from the rubric will populate the "Grade" field.

Post Grades

Grades are not released to students until they are posted. Grades can be posted from a few different locations.

1. On the assignment Submissions page, a button to Post All Grades will appear at the top of the column.
   
   
   
   
2. On the Overview tab of the Gradebook, a table lists all grades that are ready to be posted. Click on the Post button next to the assignments that are ready to be released.
3. On the Gradeable Items tab of the Gradebook, in the Post column, click on Post # next to the assignments that are ready to be released.
4. Grades for assessments can be posted automatically if selected in the assessment settings. This is set up for each assessment (assignment, test, or form).
   
   
   
   

Downloading Submissions

Instructors can download student submissions individually or in bulk.

Downloading Individual Submissions

1. Navigate to the student's submission.
2. Click the file name to download the submission.

Downloading All Submissions

1. From the assignment's Submissions page, click the More options menu (three dots) in the upper-right corner.
2. Select Download All Submissions. Blackboard will create a ZIP file containing all student submissions that will be available in an email notification.
   
   
   
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3. From the Grades tab, click on the column heading, then select Download Submissions
   
   
   
   
4. A new window will open with a list of student names and the attempt status. Check the box next to the student names and click Create ZIP file.
   
   

Anonymous Grading

Blackboard Ultra supports anonymous grading to reduce potential bias. When anonymous grading is enabled, student names are hidden during the grading process.

Enabling Anonymous Grading

1. When creating or editing an assignment, expand the Assignment Settings section by clicking the gear.
2. Scroll to Anonymous grading and select the Hide student names checkbox.
   
   
   
   

Need Additional Support?

This guide aims to provide useful information, but as technology changes, interfaces or steps might vary. Please use the Comment button to let us know if anything differs from your experience. Your feedback helps us keep this information accurate. Thank you!