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gradestat
- This is the interface script to the GradeStat program.
It uses menu driven input to gather information from the
instructor about the student listing, course categories,
assignments/exams, and student grades. It is possible to
hand edit the datafiles if you don't want to use the menus,
but it should be done from inside the GradeStat program iteself
The first thing that needs to be created in 'gradestat' is
to modify the student listing. If your system supports
'ufinger' and the instructor's home directory is on the same
directory level as the students directories, then this will
be done automatically for you during gradestat setup time.
Otherwise you can add students via the Student menu.
The next step is to specify the course categories. This
allows the instructor to specify what percentage of the total
each breakdown is worth. (e.g. Homework = 40%, Midterms =
20%, Final Exam = 40%). This is done via the Category Menu.
Once categories have been established the instructor must
then add individual assignments/exams to the course via the
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Assignment Menu.
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At this point, the course setup is complete, and you need
only add scores for each student via the Scores Menu. From
there, student scores can be added by the 'add' menu item, so
that scores are input one at a time, or via the 'edit the
scorefile' menu item, where are the scores are edited via
your favorite editor.
Categories and Assignments can be added, removed, or changed
at any time over the course of the class.
Posting Scores
- After the necessary information about the course has been
entered chosing the "Generate HTML and Text Output" menu item
from the main menu will generate the text output files, the
instructor's text standing files, and the HTML output files.
This posting of scores also takes care to make a backup of
the datafiles in the 'gradestat/backup' directory in case
you ever need to go back to a previous state of the grade
listings.
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Policy with Regards to Posting of Scores
- In the "1996 Grading Information Booklet",
within the section "Privacy Rights of Students" under the
subsection "Alternatives to the Posting of Grades", the
4th paragraph reads ...
"Another alternative involves the assignment of a number to
each student. The numbers should be assigned in such a manner
that it is not possible for a third part to identify the student
and number. Grades for all students in a course could be
posted using such a scheme."
Following is a link to said policy.
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The Mail Menu
- This menu allows the instructor to send generic email
to all the students defined course.
This menu also allows the insturctor to mail each student
his/her secret number that GradeStat uses in its generated
output files.
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Preferences Menu
- There are several user preferences that may be set to
different values. These preferecnes are listed under the
Preferences Menu.
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Future Plans
- There is a new version of Gradestat program is under construction.
New version of Gradestat will have following features.
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Will have much more User frieldly graphical as well as text based
interface. Text based interface is included to gradestat in order
to allow the user to be able to run Gradestat outside of campus using
telnet sessions.
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Will have the option to automate many time consuming tasks such as:
* Inputing the grades into master data file, which were recived from
graders.
* Automatically updates the web page reflecting the changes.
* Notifying the graders of the due date to return the grades.
* Updates the course roster from ACS account, keep track of students
whose course accounts have been droped , added, or suspended.
Gradestat, notify the user for any of these changes, making it very
easy for user to update the course roster.
* Gradestat will be able to produce raw data files competible with other
programs based upon delimitors entered by user.
* Gradestat all be able to display calculations, displaying the student's
progress over the quarter/semster. This option will be very useful to
determine the grades for students.
Gradestat will keep a log of data files, which can be used to recover from bad data entry.
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