Overview

The platform supports multiple ways to calculate grades. This article will cover:

1. Grading calculation weighting schemes.
   
2. Individual assessment grade calculation settings.
   
3. Grade weighting using categories.

Weighting schemes

Please note, CYPHER for business defaults to the term course. CYPHER for academia defaults to the term class. The terms course and class are interchangeable in this article.

1. Access the course or class.
   
2. Click Admin from the course navigation menu.
   
3. Click Assessments from the fly-out menu.
   
4. Scroll to the Weighting scheme section.

Weight equally

With this weighting scheme, each assessment contributes an equal amount to the final grade regardless of its max score settings.

Please note, CYPHER for business defaults to the term assessment. CYPHER for academia defaults to the term assignment. The terms assessment and assignment are interchangeable in this article.

1. A: 25%
   
2. B: 25%
   
3. C: 25%
   
4. D: 25%.
   

Overall score calculation: [A: 25% x (8/10) + B: 25% x (9/10) + C: 25% x (10/10) + D: 25% x (10/20)] = 80%

Weight by max score

With this weighting scheme, each assessment contributes to the final grade relative to its max score.

The total of all max scores = [10 (A) + 10 (B) + 10 (C) + 20 (D)] = 50

The assessments are worth a percentage of the total based on their max score:

1. A: (10/50) x 100% = 20%
   
2. B: (10/50) x 100% = 20%
   
3. C: (10/50) x 100% = 20%
   
4. D: (20/50) x 100% = 40%
   

Score calculation: [A: 20% x (8/10) + B: 20% x (9/10) + C: 20% x (10/10) + D: 40% x (10/20)] = 74%

Weight by points

With this weighting scheme, each assessment contributes to the final grade relative to its points, which is set in addition to its max score.

The total of all points = [10 (A) + 40 (B) + 100 (C) + 50 (D)] = 200

Assessments are worth a percentage of the total based on their points:

1. A: (10/200) x 100% = 5%
   
2. B: (40/200) x 100% = 20%
   
3. C: (100/200) x 100% = 50%
   
4. D: (50/200) x 100% = 25%
   

Score calculation: [A: 5% x (8/10) + B: 20% x (9/10) + C: 50% x (10/10) + D: 25% x  (10/20)] = 84.5%

Weight by percent

With this weighting scheme, each weighted assessment contributes a specified percent to the final grade, which is set in addition to its max score. The remaining assessments contribute an equal amount to the remaining percentage.

1. A: 20%
   
2. B: 10%
   
3. C: 10%
   
4. D: 60%
   

Score calculation: [A: 20% x (8/10) + B: 10% x (9/10) + C: 10% x (10/10) + D: 60% x (10/20)] = 65%

Individual assessment grading

1. Access the course or class.
   
2. Click Assessments from the course navigation menu.
   
3. Select an assessment.
   
4. Click Edit in the Options right panel.
   

1. Open the Grading drop-down menu and select an option (each option is covered in greater detail later in this article):
   
1. Normal.
   
2. Extra credit.
   
3. Ignore.
   
4. Not graded.
2. Click Save.
   

Extra credit

The assessment is a bonus, so the percentage that each normal assessment is worth is first calculated, and then the percentage that the extra credit assessments are calculated using the same scheme as the normal assessment.

The following examples assume that the grading setting for assessment D is Extra credit.

Weight equally example

With this weighting scheme, each assessment contributes an equal amount to the final grade.

The course has three normal assessments and one extra credit assessment.

Assessment	A	B	C	D (Extra credit)
Max score	10	10	10	20
Category	Homework	Homework	Quiz	Quiz
Score	8	9	10	10

The assessments are worth:

1. A: 33.3%
   
2. B: 33.3%
   
3. C: 33.3%
   
4. D: 33.3%
   

Score calculation: [A: 33.3% x (8/10) + B: 33.3% x (9/10) + C: 33.3% x (10/10) + D: 33.3% x (10/20)] = 106.6%

Weight by max score example

With this weighting scheme, each assessment contributes to the final grade relative to its max score.

Ignore

Individual assessments can be set so their grades are ignored during the grade calculation for the course. The assessment can be graded by the instructor for the purposes of providing useful feedback to the learner, but the assessment is completely ignored during all grading calculations. 

If the weighting scheme is weight equally and the D assessment is set to "Ignore", then the assessments are worth:

1. A: 33.3%
   
2. B:33.3%
   
3. C: 33.3%
   
4. D: Ignored

Score calculation: [A: 33.3% x (8/10) + B: 33.3% x (9/10) + C: 33.3% x (10/10)] = 90%

Not graded

The assessment is not graded by the instructor and is also completely ignored during all grading calculations.

Example

The course has four assessments. Assessment D is set to Not graded. The weighting scheme is set to max score.

The total of all max scores = [10 (A) + 10 (B) + 10 (C)] = 30

Assessments are worth:

1. A: (10/30) x 100% = 33.3%
   
2. B: (10/30) x 100% = 33.3%
   
3. C: (10/30) x 100% = 33.3%
   
4. D: Not graded

Score calculation: [A: 33.3% x (8/10) + B: 33.3% x (9/10) + C: 33.3% x (10/10)] = 90%

Late assessments

When assessments have a due date, they are marked as Missing if learners do not submit any work by the due date. 

You can allow late assessment submissions, which enables learner to submit their work after the due date. In this case, the submitted assessments can be graded when they are submitted and count towards the learner's final score.

To allow late assessments:

1. Access a course or class.
   
2. Click Assessments from the course navigation menu.
   
3. Click on an assessment.
   
4. Click edit on the Assessment right panel.
   

1. Click the Allow late? checkbox.
   

Weight using categories

By default, when a weighting scheme is being applied, all assessments are a part of a single grading category. However, the platform also allows you to create custom categories for assessments. You can then apply custom weighting to each category.

1. Access a course or class.
   
2. Click Admin in the course navigation menu.
   
3. Click Assessments on the fly-out menu.
   
4. Click the Group assessments by category when calculating weights checkbox in the Weight using categories section.

1. Select the checkbox next to a category.
   
2. Click Edit to edit the name of the category and assign a weight to the category.
   
3. Click + Add to add more categories.
   

To assign an assessment to a category:

1. Click Assessments from the course navigation menu.
   
2. Select an assessment.
   
3. Click edit on the Assessment right panel.
4. Click the Category drop-down and select a category.
   
5. Click Save.

Assessments are worth:

1. Homework: [A: 50%, B: 50%] x 60%
   
2. Quiz: [C:50%, D: 50%] x 40%
   

Score calculation: [A: 50% x (8/10) + B: 50% x (9/10)] x 60% + [C:50% x (10/10) + D: 50% x (10/20)] x 40% = 81%

Weight by max score example

1. Homework: [10 (A) + 10 (B)] = 20
   
2. Quiz: [10 (C) + 20 (D)] = 30
   

Assessments are worth:

1. Homework: [A: (10/20) x 100% = 50%, B: (10/20) x 100% = 50%] x 60%
   
2. Quiz: [C: (10/30) x 100% = 33.3%, D: (20/30) x100% = 66.6%] x 40%
   

Score calculation: [A: 50% x (8/10) + B: 50% x (9/10)] x 60% + [C: 33.3% x (10/10) + D: 66.6% x (10/20)] x 40% = 77.7%

Weight by points example

The total of all points in each grading group = 

1. Homework: [10 (A) + 40 (B)] = 50
   
2. Quiz: [100 (C) + 50 (D)] = 150
   

Assessments are worth:

1. Homework: [A: (10/50) x 100% = 20%, B: (40/50) x 100% = 80%] x 60%
   
2. Quiz: [C: (100/150) x 100% = 66.6%, D: (50/150) x 100% = 33.3%] x 40%
   

Score calculation: [A: 20% x (8/10) + B: 80% x (9/10)] x 60% + [C: 66.6% x (10/10) + D: 33.3% x (10/20)] x 40% = 86.1%

Weight by percent example

The following example assumes that the Homework category is weighted to be 60% and the Exam category is weighted to be 40%. 

Assessments are worth:

1. Homework [A: 20%, B: 80%]
   
2. Quiz: [C: 40%, D: 60%]
   

Score calculation: [A: 20% x (8/10) + B: 80% x (9/10)] x 60% + [C: 40% x (10/10) + D: 60% x (10/20)] x 40% = 80.8%

Weight using categories additional rules

• Only categories that have at least one assessment are considered in the weighting.
• If any categories are not allocated an explicit percentage weighting, then the unallocated percentage is allocated equally among those categories.
• If any assessments within a category are not allocated an explicit percentage weighting, then the unallocated percentage is allocated equally among those assessments.