Configuring graded content in Open edX

In Open edX, graded content is assigned to the grading criteria at the subsection level. If you haven't yet set up your own grading policy and assignment types, you'll want to do that before you get to this step.

Configuring graded content

Find the subsection you want to configure as graded, and click the small configure icon which looks like a cogwheel.

From the Grade as: drop down menu, select the type of graded content you want Open edX to treat this subsection as.

Click Save

Open edX will now treat all content within this subsection as a whichever option you choose. This is indicated to both you in Studio and your learners in the Learning Management System (LMS). 

Top: Studio view. Bottom: LMS view.

How grades are calculated from graded content

When a subsection is configured as graded, Open edX will treat the sum total of all problem components in that subsection as one of whatever assignment type you've chosen. This means that regardless of whether or not you have one unit or a hundred units within that subsection, if you tell Open edX that the subsection contains "Homework," the total of all the problem components within all units of that subsection will be considered by Open edX as "1 Homework." This also means that if you have two "Homeworks" of different sizes, the questions in the smaller of the two will effectively be weighted more heavily. 

If you utilize more traditional quizzes or exams as ways of assessing your learners, it's generally a good idea to keep these confined to a single subsection. Within that subsection, you are free to organize the contents of the exam into as few or as many units as possible. If you have a lot of questions, we recommend breaking that up into separate units. This helps Open edX performance and make the experience less daunting for your learner. To learn more about breaking up exams into multiple units, read our article on using content libraries and randomized content blocks in Open edX.

Graded content helps you and your learners track course progress

The Progress page in an Open edX course shows a learner their grades in all of the graded subsections across the course. Utilizing low-stakes graded content throughout a course can therefore be a great tool to help you see how your learners are progressing through a course. 

For staff, this same information can be seen for all learners in a course by looking at the course gradebook (for smaller courses) or by downloading a grade report.