Grade Weight System
The Grade Weight System in AMS allows colleges to create structured, flexible grading frameworks that support fair and transparent assessment processes across different LMS platforms. By following best practices and ensuring proper setup, administrators can maintain accurate and efficient grade calculations, supporting both student success and institutional compliance. Using the Grade Weight System, college administrators can organise course assessments into weighted categories that collectively determine a student’s final grade.
Core Concepts & Features
In Woolf’s AMS, the grade weight system operates as the backbone of academic and learning assessments. Each accredited course in AMS is assigned a grade weight system created by college administrators and customized to the course’s grading requirements. The grade weight system plays a critical role in determining both the Running Average and Final Average for each student.
- Mandatory Course Structure: Each course must include at least one regular and one summative assignment, both linked to a weight in the grade weight system. This requirement supports balanced assessments across the course.
- Manual Creation in AMS: College administrators set up grade weight systems directly in AMS, assigning each weight a specific percentage and quantity requirement. Read, How to Configure Grade Weight Systems.
- Weights: Each weight within the system represents a grading category assigned a percentage, which defines its impact on the final grade. Quantity requirements specify how many submissions are needed to fulfill each category, ensuring that a grade is awarded only after the required quantity is met.
- 100% Total Weight: All grade weights must total 100%, creating transparency in how each type of assignment affects the final grade.
- Multiple Grade Weight Systems: AMS accommodates multiple grade weight systems in two scenarios. Firstly, for colleges using Canvas, AMS supports cohorts of courses grouped under a single accredited course, allowing each Canvas course within a cohort to maintain its own grade weight system. Secondly, multiple grade weight systems are supported when a college needs to update the current system. In this case, the new grade weight system applies to future enrollments, while the previous system remains in place for existing students.
- Adjustable Weights: While grade weights can be modified after initial setup, administrators should plan adjustments carefully. Changes in an active course may impact the running averages of currently enrolled students. Read, How to Modify Grade Weight Systems.
- Participation Grades: Colleges have the option to create grade weights specifically for evaluating student participation, such as attendance, in-class engagement, or active participation in sessions. When a grade weight is designated as a participation grade, scores can be submitted without a formal assignment submission in AMS.
- Streamlined LMS Synchronization: Grade weight systems in AMS are seamlessly synchronized with Canvas, while other LMS platforms leverage the Airlock API to access and implement them efficiently. Read, Grades Synchronisation with Canvas and Grade Management using API.
Best Practices
AMS requires that college administrators manually configure grade weight systems. To establish an effective and reliable grading structure, consider the following best practices:
- Single Grade Weight per Assignment: Each assignment should have only one associated grade weight to maintain a consistent grading structure.
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Unified Grade Weight Categories for Similar Assignments: To streamline the grade weight system, group assignments with the same impact on the final grade (e.g., quizzes, essays) under a single grade weight category. This simplifies grading and reduces potential errors.
Note: Excessive grade weight categories can overcomplicate the system, increasing the risk of errors. If unsure, administrators can consult Woolf's Support. -
Editing Grade Weights in Inactive Courses: Grade weight adjustments are ideally performed in inactive courses that do not yet have enrolled students or assigned grades, as this allows changes to be universally applied to all course students. For courses already in progress, it is recommended to create a new version of the grade weight system by duplicating the existing one. This method safeguards the integrity of student grades by ensuring that any adjustments only affect future enrollments, keeping mid-course grading consistent for current students.
Tip: For courses with active students, consult Woolf's Support before making any changes to grade weights, especially for complex or high-enrollment courses.