Creating and Using Total and Weighted Calculated Columns

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Last updated: Jun 20, 2023 by Jordan Vinikoor
4 min read

This article is for faculty and staff who wish to use total and weighted total columns to calculate final grades in HuskyCT.

Calculated Columns are created manually in the Grade Center and the values in the columns are generated by an instructor defined calculation. Four calculation types (Average, Total, Weighted, Min/Max) are available, but this article will only cover Total columns, which sum the designated columns, and Weighted columns, which apply weights to selected columns.

For Ultra Course View, refer to: Creating Gradebook Items in Ultra Course View | Creating a Gradebook Calculation (Calculated Column)

Using the Create Calculated Column Option

Calculated Columns use existing columns in the Grade Center to compute an Average, Weighted Total, Total, or to find the Max or Min value.

  • There is no “Points Possible” field.

  • There are 5 display options available, but those used most often are Score, Letter, and Percentage.

  • If using Score display with Weighted Total, the calculated value will not be out of 100 points unless each column used in the calculation has points possible of 100.

  • All Calculated Columns have a Running Total setting which can be Yes or No, both of which tend to create confusion. Instructors want to be sure that the setting is No at the end of the semester so any blank cells with no grade are treated as zeroes. It is highly recommended that Calculated Columns be set to Hide from Users until all columns that are part of the calculation have values.

  • The default Running Total setting is Yes.

    • When Running Total is set to Yes, the calculation only considers columns with values in them to compute each student's result.

    • When Running Total is set to No, all columns selected for calculation will be included to arrive at each student’s result and any grade cells with no value will be treated as a zero.

Total Column

 

  • The result will be the sum of the values in all columns selected to be part of the Total calculation.

  • The out of value for the Total column will be the total of all the Points Possible values input when the columns were created.

  • A Running Total setting of Yes can have a significant impact if students have columns with no values. In this case, the out of value will only reflect the total of the Points Possible for the columns that do have data.

    • Example:
      A Total column is set up by the instructor to include the columns for Test 1, Test 2, and Test 3. The Points Possible for Test 1 is 50, for Test 2 is 80, and for Test 3 is 20, for a total Points Possible of 150.

      One student has 40 for Test 1, 60 for Test 2, and 20 for Test 3. The Total they see when looking at My Grades is 120 out of 150 (sum of numerators over sum of denominators)
      Assume now that the student did not take Test 1, and just has scores of 60 for Test 2 and 20 for Test 3. If Running Total is set to Yes, the student will see 80 out of 100 for the Total, which is the sum of scores for the two tests taken over the sum of the Points Possible for those two columns. If Running Total is set to No, the student will see 80 out of 150, which is the sum of scores for the two tests taken over the sum of Points Possible for all three columns selected for the calculation.

Weighted Calculation Column

 

  • If the result is going to be displayed as a score, all columns included in the Calculation should have a Points Possible of 100.

  • If the columns have varying Points Possible values, select either Percentage or Letter for the display type.

  • Always check the Running Total setting. If Running Total is set to Yes, then only those columns selected for the calculation that have values in them will be used.

  • Example:
    Three exam columns and a term paper column have been selected for the Weighted Total Calculation. All are graded on a 100 point scale. 

    The exams are each worth 20% of the grade and the term paper is worth 40% of the grade. The scores on the exams are 80, 90, and 87. The term paper score is 95. The result of the calculation is 80*(.20) + 90*(.20) + 87*(.20) + 95*(.40). This equals 16 + 18 + 17.4 + 38, or a Score of 89.4 out of 100. Displayed as a Percentage, this will be 89.4%

    If all columns are on different point scales, the maximum points possible for the calculated score will not be 100. If Exam 1 score is 80/80 (100%), Exam 2 is 90/100 (90%), Exam 3 is 87/90 (96.6%), and the Term paper is 95/100 (95%), the weighted total as a Score will be 89.4/94. As a Percentage, it is 95.2%

    Weighted Totals are best calculated at the end of the term when all grades have been entered and Running Total is set to No.

Selecting Columns to Include in Calculation

  • For Total, Average, and Min/Max columns, the default is All Grade Columns. This setting usually needs to be changed to Selected Columns and Categories.

    Selected columns and categories option.

  • Click on column title(s) at left to select, and then use the arrow to move them to the Selected Columns box.

    Selected columns box.

  • For a Weighted Total, you will need to enter the percent of the total grade each column is worth. The sum of these percentages must be 100.

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