Overview

The Moodle gradebook will calculate totals for categories and the overall course total depending on how you set calculation on the Gradebook setup page. This section explains how to plan the grading scheme for your course and then how to set up the overall grade calculation.

Planning a Grading Scheme

Before configuring the Gradebook setup page to calculate the course grade, we recommend instructors review the following:

1. What are the graded assignments in the course? Which of these will be collected through Moodle.

2. How is each individual assignment scored? A 100 point scale, a 10 point scale? Something else?

3. How are items grouped on the syllabus? By category? By Unit?

4. How much should each assignment count toward the final course grade?

After planning your grading scheme, we recommend that you create any assignments, custom grade items, and categories you will need before setting up the calculation for the course total.

Grade Calculation & Aggregation

Moodle can calculate total grades using the following options:

• Natural: Sum of the points scored out of the points possible. This is the default option for the Course total column.

• Weighted mean of grades: Average of points scored scaled out of 100 points. Individual grades can be assigned item weights based on their percentage contribution to the course total.

• Custom grade formula: Grade items are assigned ID numbers to be used as values in a formula that uses common mathematical operators such as max, min, and sum. For more information on using custom formulas, please visit Grade Calculations (Moodle Docs).

Using a Sum (Natural Aggregation) for the Course Total

The default calculation option for the Course total is Natural aggregation which will sum together all the points awarded scored out of the points possible for all graded items.

To change the calculation method for the Course total column:

1. From the Gradebook Setup page, in the first row where the parent category for the course is listed (The category name will include the name of the course), select Actions > Edit > Edit settings. The Edit category page will open.

2. Change Aggregation to Natural, which will calculate a sum of all grades.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Save changes. The gradebook will recalculate grades using the new settings, and the Gradebook settings page will open.

Using a Weighted Average (Weighted Mean of Grades Aggregation) for the Course Total

If you break down grades in your syllabus by percentage, we recommend that you use Weighted mean of grades to calculate the course total. This calculation method will scale grades into an average out of 100 points, and items with higher weights will count more toward the final grade than those with lower weights.

To change the calculation method for the Course total to Weighted Mean of Grades:

1. From the Gradebook Setup page, in the first row where the parent category for the course is listed (The category name will include the name of the course), select Actions > Edit > Edit settings. The Edit category page will open.

2. Change Aggregation to Weighted mean of grades, which will calculate an average using the weights you will assign in a moment.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Save changes. The Gradebook setup page will open.

4. For each grade item that you want to contribute to the final grade, under the Weights column, enter a numerical value between 0 and 100. 

   • Weights should ideally add up to be a total of 100 so that they will match the percentages listed in your syllabus.

   • If you are using categories, you only need to assign a weight to the category and not the items contained in the category.

5. Once all weights are entered, scroll to the bottom of the page and select Save changes. The gradebook will recalculate grades using the new settings and Gradebook setup page will refresh showing the updated values.