Grade Schema

Overview

Paradigm supports the use of concurrent grading systems to give providers flexibility on how academic outcomes are awarded to course enrolments, unit enrolments, and assessments. The grading system within Paradigm is also equipped to handle changes to grading schemas that are necessary to make over time. This knowledge article will provide a detailed workflow on how you can search, add, and edit grade items according to the business requirements of your institution.

Key Terms and Concepts

Grade Types

The default configuration of Paradigm includes a set of generic grade types that reflect common grading systems used by Australian-based education providers.

• Assessment Grade = default grading system used when marking assessments within Paradigm

• Competency Grade = a Competent / Not Yet Competent grading system intended for use by VET providers

• Course Grade = defines the set of progression statuses that can be assigned to a student's course enrolment

• ELICOS = basic grading system intended for Providers offering language studies

• Unit Grade = default grading system used within Paradigm for assigning academic outcomes to student unit enrolments

Grade Point Average (GPA)

The acronym GPA stands for grade point average, which in turn requires the allocation of grade points to each unit enrolment outcome. Specifically, this involves allocating a grade point value (e.g. 5) to a specific letter score (e.g. credit). Australian providers differ on the exact grade point scale to use, but the process is always the same.

Grade Point Average (GPA) is a summary statistic that represents a student’s average performance in their studies over a stated period of time, such as one semester or over the entire course. GPAs are numbers that are often calculated to two decimal places. They are used as indicators of average grade (numerically) to provide a less ambiguous and more concrete measure of student performance than a lettered grade. GPA is also used for sorting groups of students into rank order for awards and merits.

Paradigm implements GPA in a way that reflects industry practice. It requires the allocation of grade points to each unit enrolment outcome. Specifically, this involves allocating a grade point value (e.g. 5) to a specific letter score (e.g. credit). Australian providers differ on the exact grade point scale to use, but the process is always the same. We implemented GPA in a way that reflects industry practice. You may define your own GPA scale by adding the relevant information to the grading schema defined in the user interface, Go to SYSTEM > Search Grade Type > search for UNIT_GRADE >, and then Edit Grade Points against each Grade Type.

GPA is calculated as:

Weighted Grade Point Average (Weighted GPA)

This value represents the weighted grade points for all unit enrolments that contain a grade point value. ie The grade points are not blank. The formula for this field is as follows

Weighted Average Mark (WAM)

The Weighted Average Mark (WAM) calculation requires the following fields to be populated within Paradigm:

• Grade description (student unit enrolment)

• Final Grade Percentage (student unit enrolment)

• Credit points (student unit enrolment and/or base unit)

• Grade Point (grade schema)

Weighted Average Mark is calculated based on the rule that a unit enrolment has been assigned a published grade that has a Grade Point value attached to the associated grade schema.

You can check that by going to System > Search Grade Type > Search for UNIT_GRADE, and check whether Grade Points have been set against each grade.

Weighted Average Mark (WAM) is calculated based on a student’s actual marks (e.g. 58, 65, and so on) and the year level and weighting level defined at each base unit. If no weighting level is defined at the base unit then the system will assume a weighting of one.

Here is the detailed calculation method the system follows:

• Multiply the unit mark (Final Grade Percentage) by the unit credit point value (Credit Points) and then by the weighting level

• Sum the resulting values (Weighted Marks)

• Multiply the unit credit point value (Credit Points) by the weighting level

• Sum the resulting values (Weighted Credit Points)

• Divide the sum of the Weighted Marks by the sum of the Weighted Credit Points

• Calculate to three decimal places.

You can find the Calculated WAM button on the student’s course enrolment page.

Using the above table the WAM is calculated as follows: 5480 / 76 = 72.10

Grades and Enrolment Status Code

Certain grades need to be paired with enrolment status codes. e.g. a Fail grade needs to be paired with a Failed Status code so that the student is able to re-take the unit again in a subsequent study period and report the failed TCSI status code for the unit, see Map Status and Code Items to TCSI Values

Refer to the workflow below [D. Set the Unit Enrolment Status for a Grade Item] for the instructions on how to automatically set the Unit Enrolment Status when a Grade is set.

Multiple Grade Schema

Multiple grades schema can be used in Paradigm at the same time for different Courses. For example, a VET level course uses Competency Achieved / Competency not Achieved as opposed to a Higher Education Course that uses the HD, DN, CR, P, F system. When a Course of Study is established, the grading schema to be used for it can be selected as part of the setup. This is achieved by setting the Unit Grade type and the Assessment Grade type options within the Course record. When this option has not been set or selected (the field is left blank) the system will default to using the unit_grade for the grading system.

Percentages and Grades

For example, if a CR requires a minimum grade of 60.0 and the student achieves a 59.99 the grade will be recorded as the lower grade of a Pass.

Implications

Workflows

(A) Search for a Grade Type

If you want to search for a Grade Type by Id or a keyword of the Grade System, you can do so by typing in the Grade Type Id field and click the SEARCH GRADE TYPES button. However, if you want to search for all the Grade Types to display, follow the instructions below.

1. Choose the System menu > Search Grade Type > Click the SEARCH GRADE TYPES button.

2. After doing the steps above, a list of all Grade Types will appear as shown below. Select the hyperlink next to the Grade type to be viewed (e.g. Assessment Grade, Competency Grade, Course Grade, ELICOS Grade, or Unit Grade).

3. After selecting a Grade Type to view, a screen the same as below will display all the possible grades a student can achieve on that specific Grade Type.

In the example above, all possible grades a student can get after completing a unit are displayed.

(B) Add a New Grade Item to a Grade Type

1. Search for the Grade Type that you want to add a possible Grade Item to, refer to the above workflow on how to search and load a Grade Type.

2. After selecting a Grade Type to add another possible grade item, a screen the same as below will display all the possible grades a student can achieve for that specific Grade Type. Click the ADD GRADE button to add another possible Grade of that chosen Grade Type.

3. A form to add another possible grade of your chosen Grade Type will appear. Fill out the “GRADE ITEM DETAILS” Form. Refer to the guide below:

   • Grade Id – A unique ID Code that you choose for your institution, that identifies this specific grade within this grade type.

   • Grade Type Id – System-generated code that identifies the grade type, and is common across all grade items of that same grade type id.

   • Grade – Abbreviated code for the grade item e.g. HD, DN CR

   • Grade Points – The number of points contributed to the Grade Point Average and the calculation of the Weighted Average Mark.

   • Order – The order or sequence number for the grade item to appear in dropbox.

   • Visibility – This allows you to choose whether the grade item appears in relevant dropdowns, by setting the visibility status to Hidden or Visible.

   • Description – Full name of the grade item e.g. High Distinction, Distinction, Credit, etc.

   • Descriptor – [Optional] An alternative description used for a system-generated report.

• Minimum Mark – The minimum percentage grade required to achieve this grade.

• Maximum Mark – The maximum percentage grade required to achieve this grade.

• Result Status – The unit status that is paired with this grade item e.g. when setting a pass equivalent the status should be "Completed", and when setting a fail equivalent the status should be "Fail".

• Contributes to Credit Points – Indicates whether this result contributes to a Grade Point Average.

• Outcome Identifier - National – The AVETMISS-compliant national code for this grade identifies this result. This field is not required and should be left blank for Higher Education Grading System.

• Allowed to Recalculate – If set to NO, this will not change the final unit outcome.

• Final Mark Result – This field is only to be used at the Assessment Level. If a student obtains enough marks or less to pass a unit but still fails on the hurdle condition.

4. Once all the details have been filled out, click the SAVE GRADE button to add the newly created possible grade a student can get on that Grade Type.

(C) Edit an Existing Grade Item

1. Search for the Grade Type that you want to edit a Grade Item to, refer to the above workflow on how to search and load a Grade Type.

2. After selecting a Grade Type to edit, a screen the same as below will display all the possible grades a student can achieve within that specific Grade Type. Locate the Grade item that you want to edit and click the PENCIL icon to edit.

3. A form to edit the details and conditions of the chosen possible grade under a Grade Type will appear. Update the fields as necessary, while ensuring that any fields that must be unique, are not changed to overwrite an existing record with that value.

4. After editing the fields, click the SAVE GRADE button to apply the changes.

(D) Set the Unit Enrolment Status for a Grade Item

1. Edit the existing grade item where you want to set the Unit Enrolment Status, see the above workflow

2. With the Grade Item Details loaded, set the Result Status field to its equivalent Unit Enrolment status.

In the sample screenshot below, the HD grade is mapped to a Completed Unit Enrolment status.