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• Before you begin
• Set up course grade aggregation
• Set maximum grades for grade items
• Add a grade item manually as needed
• Set a grade item as extra credits

IMPORTANT: This page is for setting up a Moodle course gradebook that uses the Natural course grade aggregation method.

If you are new to the concept of Grade aggregation or don't know which grade aggregation to use for your course, please first create your course grade breakdown and select a matching grade aggregation method. If your course grade breakdown matches the Weighted Mean of Grades aggregation method, please visit the Gradebook Setup - Weighted Mean of Grades page instead.

A typical course grade breakdown that matches the Natural grade aggregation method should look similar to the sample structure below, which is a point-based system wherein the maximum points of a graded item represent its relative significance or value. For example, in the table below, assignment 3 (max pts: 100) holds greater importance or value than assignment 2 (max pts: 50). In this type of grading structure, a student's final course grade is calculated as the sum of the points earned.

The steps below delineate how to set up a Natural course gradebook using the grade structure above as an example.

First, set Natural as the course-level grade aggregation method. Please visit the Set up Moodle Course Grade Aggregation how-to guide.

Next, make sure the maximum points of individual graded items, such as assignments and quizzes, match the planned max points in the course grade breakdown. To set the maximum points for a graded item, you will,

1. Enable the Edit mode using the Edit mode toggle in the upper right corner of your Moodle course.
2. Go to the Settings page of a graded item, such as an Assignment, by clicking the vertical dots to the right of the activity and selecting Edit Settings.
3. On the Settings page, scroll down to Grade, use the Type of Grade drop-down menu to select Point or Scale depending on your needs. Read more about using Scales in Moodle. For Point, enter the maximum points, such as "100". Go to the bottom of the page and Save.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 to set up maximum points for all graded activities in your course. The steps might look slightly different depending on the type of activity. For example, in a Quiz activity, instead of going to the Settings page, you will go to the Questions page, adjust the Maximum grade and Save it as shown below in the screenshot.

Sometimes, instructors may need grade items in the calculation that don't have corresponding Moodle activities, such as a graded project that takes place in person instead of on Moodle. In this case, instructors can manually add a grade item in the course gradebook, so they have a column in the gradebook to enter grades for students and have them calculated as planned. Please read the Adding a Grade Item Manually page for more details.

To set a grade item as an extra-credit item, you can,

1. Go to the Gradebook setup page, and click the horizontal dots to the right of the target grade item and select Edit grade item.
2. In the Edit grade item pop-up window, check Extra credit and click Save.

Once the extra credit item is set, you should see that the course total point/grade remains unchanged, signaling that that grade item is indeed an extra-credit item. The extra points awarded to those who do complete the extra-credit task will be added to their final grade.

If your planned course grade breakdown looks very different from the sample on this page, i.e., the significance of a grade item is not represented by a specific maximum point value but by relative percentage, you should visit the Gradebook Setup - Weighted Mean of Grades page instead.

If you need help to confirm that your gradebook setup aligns with your planned course grade breakdown, you are welcome to reach out to Help Desk to schedule a gradebook consultation with the Instructional Services and Technology (InST) team.