Example three — using scales

So far we have been using the gradebook with number grades (and also choosing to view these as letter grades). However, courses may also use scales, which are often words for grading instead of numbers. In Chapter 2, Customizing the Grades, we set up a word scale for Not yet complete, Pass, Merit, and Distinction. When marking work, we pick one of these words as the grade.

Remember that scales have a simple scoring system based on the number of items in the scale rather than true numbers. Therefore, they are not always the best option for complex calculations. However, let’s use some scales in the gradebook to see the calculations in action.

For this example, there are five tasks within the course and each one is graded on the PMD scale set up in Chapter 2, Customizing the Grades (with the following options for grading: Not yet complete, Pass, Merit, and Distinction).

You can see how these have been graded so far, in the following screenshot:

The course aggregation...