Marking a Blackboard Assignment

This guide details how to mark an assignment submitted via Blackboard. For guidance on marking assignments submitted through Turnitin see the specific Turnitin Helpsheets on the Digital Education Resources Hub page.

The Grade Centre in Blackboard is similar to a spreadsheet. When an assignment is submitted, a yellow icon will appear in the cell where the students name intersects with the assignment column.

Viewing an Assignment

1. In the site management panel click on Full Grade Centre.
2. Select Full Grade Centre.

3. Click the arrow on the right of the cell with a Needs Marking icon and select the Attempt DD/MM/YY.

4. Click the Download button in the centre of the screen to download the file. You will also see a list of submitted documents on the right hand side of the display, you can click the title of these to download each file.

5. The file will download. Navigate to the file on your computer and open it. It will open in the software it was created in. (e.g. if it was uploaded as a Word document, it will open in Microsoft Word.).

Hiding Grade Centre Columns

Until marking is complete and grades are ready to be released, it is recommended to hide the Grade Centre column for the assignment.

If the column is not hidden students are able to see their grades as soon as they are entered.

1. Click on the dropdown arrow on the column title.
2. Select Hide from Students (on/off).

3. A pink line will be displayed on the column header to show that the column is hidden from students.
4. To show the column click on the dropdown arrow on the column title and select Hide from Students (on/off).

Entering a Grade and Feedback

1. The date, time and name of the marker will be recorded. To give a mark, click in the Attempt field and enter the mark.
2. Enter your feedback in the Feedback to Learner section. You can attach a file by clicking on the (+) Add Content icon.
3. You should choose the ‘Insert Local Files’ option from the menu that opens.

3. Click Submit or Save Draft to return and complete the feedback later.
4. The grade will now show in the Grade Centre.

Leaving Comments for Colleagues

1. Once marking is complete, it may be helpful to leave notes for colleagues e.g. second markers. These notes are not visible to students.
2. Click Add Notes from the feedback panel, as shown in the previous image.

1. Enter your comment and attach a file if necessary.
2. Click Submit.

“How do students view their marks and feedback?”

Once grades and feedback have been entered, and the column is made visible in the Grade Centre, this will be visible to students in their My Grades area.