Automatic zero grading for missing and late submissions in D2L Brightspace

Overview

The automatic zero grading feature automatically assigns a score of zero (0) to missing (unsubmitted) or late student activities once the due date passes. This automation eliminates the need for instructors to manually assign zeros to missing and late submissions, simplifying the process of identifying students who have not submitted their course work.

The automatic grading option comprises two main features:

• Automatically assigning a grade of zero for unreceived past due date. This feature ensures that any assignment or quiz not submitted by the due date is automatically given a zero.
• Automatically tagging the assigned zero grade. This indicates that the grade was automatically added, not manually graded by the instructor.

Opting into automatic zero grading

The Automatic Zero for Missing Submissions option appears in Grade Settings. When turned on, Automatic zero grading applies to supported course activities with a future due date, and only runs when the due date is missed.

Enable Automatic Zero in course grade book

1. Navigate to the Grades.
2. Select Settings in the grades toolbar.
3. Click Calculation Options and scroll down to Grade Calculations.
4. Select the Automatic Zero for Missing Submissions checkbox.
   
5. Click Save, then click Close.

How course activity types interact with automatic zero grading

To run automatic zero for missing submissions, all activities must have grades associations and have a due date setting in the future.

Supported course activities

Note: Quizzes already have functionality that automatically grades and sends the result to the Grade book when the time allowed is exceeded. In cases where a student is attempting a quiz and it is still in progress after the due date, when automatic zero grading is enabled, the quiz is marked as 0 regardless of other timing settings for the quiz. If a student submits a quiz attempt after receiving an automatic zero, the new grade overwrites the zero grade.

Unsupported course activities

The following course activity types are not supported by automatic zero grading:

• Synchronous quizzes (do not have due dates)
• Discussions (do not have due dates)
• Checklists (do not have a grade association)
• Surveys (do not have grade associations)
• SCORM objects (can be configured by Campus Site Admin to send a grade of 0 to the grade book at any time once a student has accessed the Object)
• On-paper and observed in-person assignments (even if assigned a due date, the system is not able to evaluate the timing of the submission)

Viewing automatic zero grades versus manual grades

Instructors can differentiate between system-added zero grades and manually entered zero grades in the grade book.

• On the instructor’s Grades > Enter Grades , zero (0) score with a dashed underline appears. Hovering over or focusing on the score displays a tooltip indicating it was automatically applied by the system. Instructors must manually enter a comment if they want to provide feedback on the zero grade.
  • For missing (unsubmitted) submissions, no submission icon appears for the student.
    
  • For late submissions, a submission icon appears for the student.
    
• On the student’s Grades , a zero (0) grade appears for the activity’s grade item.

Automatic zero grading in your course

Timing

• The Automatic Zero feature is most effective when implemented at the start of a course. Once automatic zero grading is turned on, only activities with due dates in the future will be able to trigger automatic zero grading.
• Automatic zero will not affect grades retroactively. Manually grading missed submissions is still required in this situation.
• There is no retroactive automatic zero grading applied for new users enrolled after the due date has passed for activities. Courses with frequent additions of new users should consider this limitation.
• This feature is based on local time zones for both instructors and students. It follows the same rules as existing due dates.
• Automatic zero grading is triggered within minutes of a due date passing. Note that it may take up to 15 minutes for zero grades to appear in the gradebook.

Availability

• Automatic zero grading only applies to course activities with grade associations and a future due date. Editing an activity to change its past due date to a future due date also applies the automatic zero grading feature.
• Automatic zero grading only applies to visible and available activities. If an assessment has Release Conditions and due date, a student will only receive an Automatic Zero if they meet the release conditions when the due date passes.
• Automatic zero grading is course-wide setting. It cannot be selectively enabled or disabled at the activity or grade item level.
• Automatic zero grading applies to individual and group assignments.
• Automatic zero grades apply to special access due dates. In the event special access is added after the original due date, the original 0 grade remains in place until the activity is evaluated manually.
• Students can submit a course activity after the due date after they have received an automatic zero (if the activity remains available). Instructors can manually grade and override the zero.
• Automatic zero functionality publishes grade items with zero to students automatically in the Grades view.
• Like other grade settings, automatic zero setting is respected and copied over when copying a course. Note the setting does not persist when importing or exporting a course.