Creating Total Calculations in Ultra

Owned by Cyrus Diamond
Last updated: yesterday at 7:53 pm by Jordan Vinikoor
4 min read

This article is intended for instructors looking to create Total Calculation columns in Ultra Course View. 

For Original Course View, refer to: Creating and Using Total and Weighted Calculated Columns - Teaching and Learning - UConn Knowledge Base

Overview

  • In the Ultra Gradebook, instructors can use Total Calculation columns to calculate grades based on other Gradebook columns.

  • A Total Calculation column can perform either:

    • A Points Calculation

    • A Weighted Calculation

Weighted:

When using a weighted calculation, you will assign percentages to assessment categories or individual assessments adding up to 100%.

  • The calculation page is organized around gradebook categories. (What’s a category?)

  • Your gradebook will take a category and calculate what its weight is in regard to the overall grade.

Example: If you have 7 assignments but want them to be worth 30% of the grade, in this case these assignments would have a weight of 30% on the overall grade.

When using a weighted calculation the total MUST add up to 100% to save the calculation.

Points:

When using a points system, your grade book will match the points that coincide with the value for each individual assignment.

This will be added together to form a total point value score with no weights.

Example: If you have two assignments worth 50pts. each, and four tests worth 100pts. your gradebook will look like this:

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Creating a Total Calculation Column

  1. From within your Ultra course, click the Gradebook tab from the top navigation menu.

  2. A Total Calculation column can be created from either the Gradable Items or Grades tabs.

    1. From Gradable Items:

      1. Hover over any grey line between gradable items, then click the . Then select Add Total Calculation.

    2. From Grades:

      1. Hover over any grey line between columns, then click the . Then select Add Total Calculation.

         

  3. This will open a Total Calculation window where you can adjust the following settings (pictured below):

    1. Change the name of the calculation

    2. Set the visibility status

    3. Select the calculation type: Points or Weighted

    4. Specify how the calculation will be displayed to students.

Setting up a Points/Weighted Calculation

 

B. Calculate the Total Calculation.

  1. To view the assessment items included in a category, click the drop-down arrow.

  1. To remove a category or assessment from the calculation, select the exclude (null) icon. When an item is excluded, the exclude icon will be highlighted purple. Click the icon again to re-include it.

  1. Click the unlink icon to remove an assessment from it’s category. This removes the assessment from the category drop-down so it can be given its own separate percentage. (Click the unlink icon again to add it back to its categpru).

  1. For weighted ONLY: Use the % text field to input the weight of a given category or assessment. Click the lock icon to lock the percentage value while you are adjusting the other percentages.

  1. For weighted ONLY: The total weight will be displayed below the assessments. *Please note: if the total does not add up to 100%, it’s not possible to save your progress.

Editing Calculation Rules for Categories

To drop grades in a certain category, follow the instructions found here: Dropping Grades in Ultra Course View.

Additional information on the Total Calculation Settings

Grade Schema

 

 

HuskyCT Default Letter will display the grade as a Letter Grade. To view the percentage ranges used for each letter, or to adjust them, follow the instructions here: Letter Grade Schemas

 

D. Click Save.