MoodleDocs - User contributions [en]

Working Groups

2015-09-24T14:31:03Z

Mcka0074: /* Gradebook working group */

===What is a working group?===

Working groups bring together experienced users, researchers and developers who are interested in working together to make Moodle better. They happen at MoodleMoots.

Working groups have the following characteristics.

* Topics are suggested from surveys, the Moodle [[Roadmap]] and from forum discussions. In future, topics may be put forward from the Moodle Association.
* Generally there is a leader (or leaders) who establishes the working group; the leaders may maintain some leadership during the project, such as mediating discussions and documenting ideas, but work is done by all participants.
* Most participants will be experienced end-users (teachers, admins, researchers, IDs) or developers, but advanced technical skills are not required.
* Participants may be asked to be involved in preparation prior to the working group in focussed discussions about the target Moodle function.
* On the first day of the MoodleMoot, working group members will meet together. A developer will be available to provide technical advice to the group, if necessary. The day is likely to progress as follows.
** Introductions and group formation
** Sharing of pre-existing solutions
** Discussion about target areas and generalisation focussing on the "what" rather than the "how"
** Iteration over work areas, elaborating and prioritising ideas in a collaborative document
** Preparing a report to share with the MoodleMoot
** Preparing questions for developers at the Hackfest
* In the next two days of the MoodleMoot, working groups will be given the opportunity to put their ideas to the community at the MoodleMoot and to gather feedback. Short plenary sessions are planned for this purpose.
* The day after the conference there will be a [[Developer_meetings|Hackfest]] that will bring together Moodle developers. Developers will have a chance to consider how the ideas of the working group can become a reality. Working groups will be represented by the working group leaders at the Hackfest.
* After the MoodleMoot, working group members are encouraged to remain involved as changes are implemented in later Moodle versions.
* Working group members may wish to experimentally test the value of their work as a research project, collaborating towards publishable results. While this is encouraged, it is not a mandatory part of working groups and will depend on the nature of the project.

===Moodle Gradebook Working Group 2014===
Leaders: Mark McKay, Bob Puffer

The Moodle Gradebook Working Group (MGWG) was originally planned to be part of the Moodle Research Conference that was to be held in California, USA. When the MRC was cancelled, the MGWG was expanded to a two day development conference.

* Most of the groups work was captured as Tracker issues in MDL-44673
* Significant outcomes of the working group were released in [[Moodle_2.8_release_notes|Moodle 2.8]] and included the following.
** Natural weighting: [[Natural_weighting|Spec]], MDL-43378
** Improvement of the Grader report: [[Grader_report_2014|Spec]], MDL-25544
** Grade history report: MDL-46191
** Gradebook setup improvements
* Ongoing work in [https://moodle.org/course/view.php?id=17231 course on moodle.org]

===MoodleMoot IEUK 2015===

Two working groups were held at [https://mootieuk15.moodlemoot.org/mod/page/view.php?id=75 MootIEUK15].

====Dashboard====
Leader: Mark Glynn

The working group looked at what teachers and students need from their Dashboard / My Home page, what other organisations have done and what should be changed and built for core Moodle.

* [https://mootieuk15.moodlemoot.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=21 Discussion]
* NEED INFORMATION HERE

====Form Simplification====
Leader: Artis Ivanovs

The purpose of this working group was to review and simplify forms that users (including new users) use every day and to provide more control to administrators over such forms.

* [https://mootieuk15.moodlemoot.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=20 Discussion]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/11HaLRgcxdJY_20cQkdfi-5KTHLL6rCFihJV1wU_qvfM Working group notes/spec]

The working group reviewed a number of commonly used forms and made recommendations for usability improvements. Some reflected pre-existing issues and others were created as new issues.

* Epic: MDL-50230

===MoodleMoot Australia 2015===

Two working groups were held at [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/mod/page/view.php?id=30 MootAu15].

====Course archiving and roll-over====
Leader: Jason Maddern

The group looked at workflow issues relating to course administration at the beginning and end of course use.

* [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=8 Course on MooAu15 site]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rDqbEQcgcZJzc1t9INehS0YlQwWhFtyw1MfzuMdQti0 Working group notes and specifications]

The working group suggested a number of new features and improvements
* Better bulk handling of courses within Moodle
* New course welcome wizard
* A freeze “flag” on all contexts
* Grade archiving
* Consistency in all backup-based tools
* Ability to set ‘relative’ dates
* Easier/nicer alternative to import
* A new ‘Default visibility’ flag for all course modules

====Assessment Analytics====
Leader: (no leader after last minute change)

The group looked at utilising information relating to assignment feedback and how that can be made more useful and available to students and teachers.

* [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=9 Course on MooAu15 site]
* [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/mod/url/view.php?id=319 Working group notes and specifications]
* [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/mod/url/view.php?id=321 Presentation shared with MootAu15 community]

The group prioritised and developed three main improvements.
* Allowing students to indicate whether feedback they received was useful
* Adding elements to the Dashboard and Gradebook to entice students to view feedback in the assignment
* Recording whether a student has viewed feedback and making this information together with the feedback available when marking subsequent assignments

===MoodleMoot US 2015===

There were three working groups held at [https://mootus15.moodlemoot.org/mod/page/view.php?id=25 MootUS15].

====Moodle Instructional Assistant====
Leader: Michelle Moore

* [https://mootus15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=7 Course on MootUS15 site]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XpTiIW4heYV7aOZOx-KxLAUpLUqf_Abg3KpkP88mb0A/edit#heading=h.g1c333f6weno Working group notes]

The group brainstormed the potential and functionality of an instructional assistant and a preliminary block was created..

====Moodle Gradebook Working Group====
Leader: Mark McKay, Ryan Hazen, Jason Hadin

This was a continuation of the Moodle Gradebook Working Group started in 2014 (see above).

* [https://mootus15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=5 Course on MootUS15 site]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OAf3f5lcliGyfA2xYEhbkYeKzYuT7xCXWAT40myBo3I/edit Working group notes]

The group reviewed a number of issues and suggested possible improvements.
* Standardising gradebook entries so that all entries have a start date, due date and cut off date.
* Change behaviour so that, on an activity level or category level, by the due date or cutoff date, values switch from dash (as not counted) to a dash being a 0.
* Make grade items (Categories and Items) view configurable

====Learning analytics====
Leader: Elizabeth Dalton, Bob Puffer, Steve Miley

* [https://mootus15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=6 Course on MootUS15 site]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NeF37C72VxuCkbUG-yMQH19OV8y8GJDH_MnzUFHK3b0/edit#heading=h.7im84395ofs2 Working group notes]
* [[Learning Analytics Specification]]

The group proposed a system with a number of interfaces.

* List of students & status viewable by teachers and other support staff
* Detail view per student showing how their status was determined viewable by teachers and possibly the students themselves
* Configuration Interface that would allow status calculations to be tweaked on-the-fly (may be incorporated into List of students)
* Push notifications based on status-based triggers

The group discussed the information that would be needed by this system.

* Status (e.g., “At risk”, “Normal”, “Ahead”...) calculated for a user with a role based on multiple pre-gathered...
** Metrics being based on observed events or queries
* ...and having...
** Validation calculations based on final results to measure the accuracy of earlier status calculations and future refinements.

===Other===

* [https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=316811 Moodle 2.9 Usability study]
* [http://collaborate.athenpro.org/group/moodle/ Moodle Accessibility Collaboration Group]

Working Groups

2015-09-24T14:30:14Z

Mcka0074: /* Gradebook Working group 2014 */

===What is a working group?===

Working groups bring together experienced users, researchers and developers who are interested in working together to make Moodle better. They happen at MoodleMoots.

Working groups have the following characteristics.

* Topics are suggested from surveys, the Moodle [[Roadmap]] and from forum discussions. In future, topics may be put forward from the Moodle Association.
* Generally there is a leader (or leaders) who establishes the working group; the leaders may maintain some leadership during the project, such as mediating discussions and documenting ideas, but work is done by all participants.
* Most participants will be experienced end-users (teachers, admins, researchers, IDs) or developers, but advanced technical skills are not required.
* Participants may be asked to be involved in preparation prior to the working group in focussed discussions about the target Moodle function.
* On the first day of the MoodleMoot, working group members will meet together. A developer will be available to provide technical advice to the group, if necessary. The day is likely to progress as follows.
** Introductions and group formation
** Sharing of pre-existing solutions
** Discussion about target areas and generalisation focussing on the "what" rather than the "how"
** Iteration over work areas, elaborating and prioritising ideas in a collaborative document
** Preparing a report to share with the MoodleMoot
** Preparing questions for developers at the Hackfest
* In the next two days of the MoodleMoot, working groups will be given the opportunity to put their ideas to the community at the MoodleMoot and to gather feedback. Short plenary sessions are planned for this purpose.
* The day after the conference there will be a [[Developer_meetings|Hackfest]] that will bring together Moodle developers. Developers will have a chance to consider how the ideas of the working group can become a reality. Working groups will be represented by the working group leaders at the Hackfest.
* After the MoodleMoot, working group members are encouraged to remain involved as changes are implemented in later Moodle versions.
* Working group members may wish to experimentally test the value of their work as a research project, collaborating towards publishable results. While this is encouraged, it is not a mandatory part of working groups and will depend on the nature of the project.

===Moodle Gradebook Working Group 2014===
Leaders: Mark McKay, Bob Puffer

The Moodle Gradebook Working Group (MGWG) was originally planned to be part of the Moodle Research Conference that was to be held in California, USA. When the MRC was cancelled, the MGWG was expanded to a two day development conference.

* Most of the groups work was captured as Tracker issues in MDL-44673
* Significant outcomes of the working group were released in [[Moodle_2.8_release_notes|Moodle 2.8]] and included the following.
** Natural weighting: [[Natural_weighting|Spec]], MDL-43378
** Improvement of the Grader report: [[Grader_report_2014|Spec]], MDL-25544
** Grade history report: MDL-46191
** Gradebook setup improvements
* Ongoing work in [https://moodle.org/course/view.php?id=17231 course on moodle.org]

===MoodleMoot IEUK 2015===

Two working groups were held at [https://mootieuk15.moodlemoot.org/mod/page/view.php?id=75 MootIEUK15].

====Dashboard====
Leader: Mark Glynn

The working group looked at what teachers and students need from their Dashboard / My Home page, what other organisations have done and what should be changed and built for core Moodle.

* [https://mootieuk15.moodlemoot.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=21 Discussion]
* NEED INFORMATION HERE

====Form Simplification====
Leader: Artis Ivanovs

The purpose of this working group was to review and simplify forms that users (including new users) use every day and to provide more control to administrators over such forms.

* [https://mootieuk15.moodlemoot.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=20 Discussion]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/11HaLRgcxdJY_20cQkdfi-5KTHLL6rCFihJV1wU_qvfM Working group notes/spec]

The working group reviewed a number of commonly used forms and made recommendations for usability improvements. Some reflected pre-existing issues and others were created as new issues.

* Epic: MDL-50230

===MoodleMoot Australia 2015===

Two working groups were held at [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/mod/page/view.php?id=30 MootAu15].

====Course archiving and roll-over====
Leader: Jason Maddern

The group looked at workflow issues relating to course administration at the beginning and end of course use.

* [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=8 Course on MooAu15 site]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rDqbEQcgcZJzc1t9INehS0YlQwWhFtyw1MfzuMdQti0 Working group notes and specifications]

The working group suggested a number of new features and improvements
* Better bulk handling of courses within Moodle
* New course welcome wizard
* A freeze “flag” on all contexts
* Grade archiving
* Consistency in all backup-based tools
* Ability to set ‘relative’ dates
* Easier/nicer alternative to import
* A new ‘Default visibility’ flag for all course modules

====Assessment Analytics====
Leader: (no leader after last minute change)

The group looked at utilising information relating to assignment feedback and how that can be made more useful and available to students and teachers.

* [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=9 Course on MooAu15 site]
* [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/mod/url/view.php?id=319 Working group notes and specifications]
* [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/mod/url/view.php?id=321 Presentation shared with MootAu15 community]

The group prioritised and developed three main improvements.
* Allowing students to indicate whether feedback they received was useful
* Adding elements to the Dashboard and Gradebook to entice students to view feedback in the assignment
* Recording whether a student has viewed feedback and making this information together with the feedback available when marking subsequent assignments

===MoodleMoot US 2015===

There were three working groups held at [https://mootus15.moodlemoot.org/mod/page/view.php?id=25 MootUS15].

====Moodle Instructional Assistant====
Leader: Michelle Moore

* [https://mootus15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=7 Course on MootUS15 site]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XpTiIW4heYV7aOZOx-KxLAUpLUqf_Abg3KpkP88mb0A/edit#heading=h.g1c333f6weno Working group notes]

The group brainstormed the potential and functionality of an instructional assistant and a preliminary block was created..

====Gradebook working group====
Leader: Mark McKay, Ryan Hazen, Jason Hadin

This was a continuation of the working group started the previous year (see above).

* [https://mootus15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=5 Course on MootUS15 site]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OAf3f5lcliGyfA2xYEhbkYeKzYuT7xCXWAT40myBo3I/edit Working group notes]

The group reviewed a number of issues and suggested possible improvements.
* Standardising gradebook entries so that all entries have a start date, due date and cut off date.
* Change behaviour so that, on an activity level or category level, by the due date or cutoff date, values switch from dash (as not counted) to a dash being a 0.
* Make grade items (Categories and Items) view configurable

====Learning analytics====
Leader: Elizabeth Dalton, Bob Puffer, Steve Miley

* [https://mootus15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=6 Course on MootUS15 site]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NeF37C72VxuCkbUG-yMQH19OV8y8GJDH_MnzUFHK3b0/edit#heading=h.7im84395ofs2 Working group notes]
* [[Learning Analytics Specification]]

The group proposed a system with a number of interfaces.

* List of students & status viewable by teachers and other support staff
* Detail view per student showing how their status was determined viewable by teachers and possibly the students themselves
* Configuration Interface that would allow status calculations to be tweaked on-the-fly (may be incorporated into List of students)
* Push notifications based on status-based triggers

The group discussed the information that would be needed by this system.

* Status (e.g., “At risk”, “Normal”, “Ahead”...) calculated for a user with a role based on multiple pre-gathered...
** Metrics being based on observed events or queries
* ...and having...
** Validation calculations based on final results to measure the accuracy of earlier status calculations and future refinements.

===Other===

* [https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=316811 Moodle 2.9 Usability study]
* [http://collaborate.athenpro.org/group/moodle/ Moodle Accessibility Collaboration Group]

Working Groups

2015-09-24T13:53:56Z

Mcka0074:

===What is a working group?===

Working groups bring together experienced users, researchers and developers who are interested in working together to make Moodle better. They happen at MoodleMoots.

Working groups have the following characteristics.

* Topics are suggested from surveys, the Moodle [[Roadmap]] and from forum discussions. In future, topics may be put forward from the Moodle Association.
* Generally there is a leader (or leaders) who establishes the working group; the leaders may maintain some leadership during the project, such as mediating discussions and documenting ideas, but work is done by all participants.
* Most participants will be experienced end-users (teachers, admins, researchers, IDs) or developers, but advanced technical skills are not required.
* Participants may be asked to be involved in preparation prior to the working group in focussed discussions about the target Moodle function.
* On the first day of the MoodleMoot, working group members will meet together. A developer will be available to provide technical advice to the group, if necessary. The day is likely to progress as follows.
** Introductions and group formation
** Sharing of pre-existing solutions
** Discussion about target areas and generalisation focussing on the "what" rather than the "how"
** Iteration over work areas, elaborating and prioritising ideas in a collaborative document
** Preparing a report to share with the MoodleMoot
** Preparing questions for developers at the Hackfest
* In the next two days of the MoodleMoot, working groups will be given the opportunity to put their ideas to the community at the MoodleMoot and to gather feedback. Short plenary sessions are planned for this purpose.
* The day after the conference there will be a [[Developer_meetings|Hackfest]] that will bring together Moodle developers. Developers will have a chance to consider how the ideas of the working group can become a reality. Working groups will be represented by the working group leaders at the Hackfest.
* After the MoodleMoot, working group members are encouraged to remain involved as changes are implemented in later Moodle versions.
* Working group members may wish to experimentally test the value of their work as a research project, collaborating towards publishable results. While this is encouraged, it is not a mandatory part of working groups and will depend on the nature of the project.

===Gradebook Working group 2014===
Leaders: Mark McKay, Bob Puffer

The Gradebook working group was originally planned to be part of the Moodle Research Conference that was to be held in California, USA. When the MRC was cancelled, the Gradebook working group still took place.

* Most of the groups work was captured as Tracker issues in MDL-44673
* Significant outcomes of the working group were released in [[Moodle_2.8_release_notes|Moodle 2.8]] and included the following.
** Natural weighting: [[Natural_weighting|Spec]], MDL-43378
** Improvement of the Grader report: [[Grader_report_2014|Spec]], MDL-25544
** Grade history report: MDL-46191
** Gradebook setup improvements
* Ongoing work in [https://moodle.org/course/view.php?id=17231 course on moodle.org]

===MoodleMoot IEUK 2015===

Two working groups were held at [https://mootieuk15.moodlemoot.org/mod/page/view.php?id=75 MootIEUK15].

====Dashboard====
Leader: Mark Glynn

The working group looked at what teachers and students need from their Dashboard / My Home page, what other organisations have done and what should be changed and built for core Moodle.

* [https://mootieuk15.moodlemoot.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=21 Discussion]
* NEED INFORMATION HERE

====Form Simplification====
Leader: Artis Ivanovs

The purpose of this working group was to review and simplify forms that users (including new users) use every day and to provide more control to administrators over such forms.

* [https://mootieuk15.moodlemoot.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=20 Discussion]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/11HaLRgcxdJY_20cQkdfi-5KTHLL6rCFihJV1wU_qvfM Working group notes/spec]

The working group reviewed a number of commonly used forms and made recommendations for usability improvements. Some reflected pre-existing issues and others were created as new issues.

* Epic: MDL-50230

===MoodleMoot Australia 2015===

Two working groups were held at [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/mod/page/view.php?id=30 MootAu15].

====Course archiving and roll-over====
Leader: Jason Maddern

The group looked at workflow issues relating to course administration at the beginning and end of course use.

* [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=8 Course on MooAu15 site]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rDqbEQcgcZJzc1t9INehS0YlQwWhFtyw1MfzuMdQti0 Working group notes and specifications]

The working group suggested a number of new features and improvements
* Better bulk handling of courses within Moodle
* New course welcome wizard
* A freeze “flag” on all contexts
* Grade archiving
* Consistency in all backup-based tools
* Ability to set ‘relative’ dates
* Easier/nicer alternative to import
* A new ‘Default visibility’ flag for all course modules

====Assessment Analytics====
Leader: (no leader after last minute change)

The group looked at utilising information relating to assignment feedback and how that can be made more useful and available to students and teachers.

* [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=9 Course on MooAu15 site]
* [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/mod/url/view.php?id=319 Working group notes and specifications]
* [https://mootau15.moodlemoot.org/mod/url/view.php?id=321 Presentation shared with MootAu15 community]

The group prioritised and developed three main improvements.
* Allowing students to indicate whether feedback they received was useful
* Adding elements to the Dashboard and Gradebook to entice students to view feedback in the assignment
* Recording whether a student has viewed feedback and making this information together with the feedback available when marking subsequent assignments

===MoodleMoot US 2015===

There were three working groups held at [https://mootus15.moodlemoot.org/mod/page/view.php?id=25 MootUS15].

====Moodle Instructional Assistant====
Leader: Michelle Moore

* [https://mootus15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=7 Course on MootUS15 site]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XpTiIW4heYV7aOZOx-KxLAUpLUqf_Abg3KpkP88mb0A/edit#heading=h.g1c333f6weno Working group notes]

The group brainstormed the potential and functionality of an instructional assistant and a preliminary block was created..

====Gradebook working group====
Leader: Mark McKay, Ryan Hazen, Jason Hadin

This was a continuation of the working group started the previous year (see above).

* [https://mootus15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=5 Course on MootUS15 site]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OAf3f5lcliGyfA2xYEhbkYeKzYuT7xCXWAT40myBo3I/edit Working group notes]

The group reviewed a number of issues and suggested possible improvements.
* Standardising gradebook entries so that all entries have a start date, due date and cut off date.
* Change behaviour so that, on an activity level or category level, by the due date or cutoff date, values switch from dash (as not counted) to a dash being a 0.
* Make grade items (Categories and Items) view configurable

====Learning analytics====
Leader: Elizabeth Dalton, Bob Puffer, Steve Miley

* [https://mootus15.moodlemoot.org/course/view.php?id=6 Course on MootUS15 site]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NeF37C72VxuCkbUG-yMQH19OV8y8GJDH_MnzUFHK3b0/edit#heading=h.7im84395ofs2 Working group notes]
* [[Learning Analytics Specification]]

The group proposed a system with a number of interfaces.

* List of students & status viewable by teachers and other support staff
* Detail view per student showing how their status was determined viewable by teachers and possibly the students themselves
* Configuration Interface that would allow status calculations to be tweaked on-the-fly (may be incorporated into List of students)
* Push notifications based on status-based triggers

The group discussed the information that would be needed by this system.

* Status (e.g., “At risk”, “Normal”, “Ahead”...) calculated for a user with a role based on multiple pre-gathered...
** Metrics being based on observed events or queries
* ...and having...
** Validation calculations based on final results to measure the accuracy of earlier status calculations and future refinements.

===Other===

* [https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=316811 Moodle 2.9 Usability study]
* [http://collaborate.athenpro.org/group/moodle/ Moodle Accessibility Collaboration Group]

Natural weighting

2014-09-03T11:36:54Z

Mcka0074: /* Example 3 typical weighted categories */

{{Infobox Project
|name = Natural Weighting
|state = Specification
|tracker = MDL-43378
|discussion = https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=263318
|assignee = Moodle HQ
}}
{{Work in progress|forumurl=https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=263318}}

Natural weighting is a modification to how grades are combined.

When 'Sum of Grades' aggregation is chosen (and natural weighting is active), there will be a weight column with form fields, looking like "Weighted mean" is in 2.7. By default, the weight column shows the natural weights given to all categories and items based on gradebook structure.

Weights can be overridden by modifying the values in the form fields.

A "Reset weights" button in each category resets the weights to their defaults.

<p class="note">A clear overview of what is proposed here can be seen in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw9xtl9pGac&feature=youtu.be from about 1:30:00 to about 1:38:00. </p>

==Rationale==

;In grading, '''weight''' is the proportion of an item's value in relation to all the other items in its container (category or course).
;Value is most often represented as 'points'.
;Every grade has a weight.
;There are three fundamental approaches to dealing with weighting in a gradebook
:- Simple (or natural) weighting, maximum points earnable for each item are appropriately in relation to one another. Example - If you have two items in a category, one worth 10 points and the other worth 30, then item 1 is 25% (10/40) and item 2 is 75% (30/40).
:- Adjusted weighting. Users often want to adjust categories and even items to have a weight other than the natural weight, essentially ignoring the points entirely. An example would be, Quizzes=40%, Assignments=50%, Attendance=10%.
:- Mean of grades. If I have a category made up of five quizzes all worth different points and I want a category percentage to just tell the average (or mean) of all the quiz results' percentage correct, I would choose this approach again, disregarding the points.
;Simplifying the understanding of weighting reduces the aggregation methodology down to 'either/ or'
:- either 'leave weights as is -- natural'
:- or 'adjust to suit my needs -- adjusted weights'

;This greatly simplifies the interface needed to present these options
:- They don't need to select an aggregation type
:- They don't need to know how each aggregation type performs
:- The '''actual''' weight of every item and category is '''always''' displayed to them.
:- If those are not the weights they want, they merely adjust them.
:- Much easier for the common user to grasp.

This interface and calculations are expected to suit the needs of all except very edge cases (which can still be handled with formulas). If it turns out that this is enough for everyone then we can potentially remove quite a lot of aggregation code from the gradebook at a later stage, improving speed and readability.

===How natural weights meets the requirements of the aggregation types===
;Sum of grades: Moodle determines the "natural weights" for this by default based on point values.
;Mean of grades: Set all weights equal to each other. Doesn't matter what the number is, as in legacy behavior Moodle will automatically adjust so the sum equals 100%. However, in this implementation the group wants to have a pop-up warning the user the weights don't add up to 100% and they will therefore be adjusted uniformly to equal 100%.
;Weighted mean of grades: Adjust weights as desired. No change from current behavior.
;Simple weighted mean of grades: Leave all weightings as is, no change necessary. Same as Sum of grades.
;Mean of grades (with extra credits): Extra credit has a natural weight that takes the total container (category/ course) weight above 100% (hence, 'extra'). Extra credit is available at all times no matter what scheme of weighting is chosen.
;Highest : User would input the value '1' for 'Keep highest' in the category
;Lowest : Of doubtful use. Not possible using natural weights, but it can also be done by a calculation into a new item.
;Median / Mode of grades: Not possible using natural weights, but it's doubtful anyone uses these anyway so perhaps this can be deprecated entirely.

==Implementation stages==

To be safe, we plan to implement this in stages:

STAGE 1) Implement natural weighting as part of the Sum of Grades aggregation type, with admin settings that allow them to disable all other aggregations if they choose. (Moodle 2.8)

STAGE 2) Once people have been using this for a while, explore the possibility of removing other aggregation code or making them into optional plugins. (Moodle 3.0 perhaps)

==Interfaces==

=== Category editing ===

Prototype from luther.edu:
[[Image:NaturalWeights.png]]

In addition the weights should be editable form fields here, and there would be one button per category to "reset weights" back to a natural Sum of Grades.

=== Admin settings ===

New setting to "Force Natural Weighting" (on/off). This would default to OFF on upgraded sites and ON for new sites.

ON: this will hide the aggregation menu and all new categories will default to "Sum of grades" and natural weights. It will not affect existing gradebooks with other aggregations set (see upgrade script below for a conversion strategy).

OFF: aggregation menu is shown, but Sum of Grades will still contain new natural weighting UI and logic.

==Upgrade script==

If a site is switching to forced natural weights, they will probably want to upgrade all existing categories.

This new optional upgrade script will examine all grade categories looking at aggregation methods. It should report on what exists and allow the admin to perform an automated upgrade as follows:

# If GRADE_AGGREGATE_WEIGHTED_MEAN then:
#* Store value of 'aggregationcoef' fields to 'weight' fields in grade_items
#* Set 'weightoverride' field in grade_items
# If ... then:
#*
#*

(We need exact strategies here for ALL aggregation types)

==Database changes==

;Add three fields to grade_items
# extracredit, tinyint, notnull, default: 0
# weight, decimal(10,5), notnull, default: 0
# weightoverride, tinyint, notnull, default: 0

; Add one field to grade_grades
# weight, decimal(10,5), notnull, default: 0

;This fixes the use of '''aggregationcoef''' representing both extra credit and weight in 2.7.

== Unit test changes==

==Functional test changes ==

==Logic changes==

Sum of Grades aggregation must be fixed to '''exclude''' hidden items and to '''exclude''' non-graded items

Determination of range (in Grader and User report) and Max grade (in Setup screen) must be fixed to '''exclude''' extra credit items

Natural weights must be saved and applied to the form.

Natural weights are calculated for the Setup screen, the Grader report, and the User report. The calculation for the User report is different than that used for the Setup screen and Grader report.

Weights should be stored in grade_items for the Setup screen and the Grader report and in the grade_grades table for the User report.

==Functional Logic==

# calculate up each container’s (category or course items) adjusted weight percentage and grademax associated with the items adjusted (need this for weighting, so could be done here or after the next step)
# calculate points (must be first, you cannot calculate weights until you have the finalgrade and grademax for categories). For each gtree->levels starting with highest (items) to lowest (course) for both finalgrade and grademax
## include hidden only if hidetotalsifcontainhiddenitems is set to GRADE_REPORT_SHOW_REAL_TOTAL_IF_CONTAINS_HIDDEN
## ignore ungraded items if aggregateonlygraded is set, does not apply when calculating total points for Setup (Categories and items) screen
## include extra credit items in finalgrade calculations only, not grademax
## ignore items that have been dropped from drop low or keep high
## accumulate all other finalgrades and grademaxes into parent category finalgrade and grademaxes
# calculate weights (must be done before calculating contributions). For each gtree->levels starting with highest (items) to lowest (course)
## weight is always percentage grade * weight... in this case PERCENTAGE:[item grademax / (container grademax - adjusted grademax for the container from step 1)] * WEIGHT:[(100 - adjusted weight for the container from step 1)]
# Adjust weights in a container to always equal 100
# calculate contributions (needed in order to accurately drop lowest, keep highest. Also needed to provide the most percentages). For each gtree->levels starting with highest (items) to lowest (course)
## contribution is always the item’s percentage * the item’s weight * the container’s weight… so (finalgrade / grademax) * item weight * container weight
# limit categories - drop lowest, keep highest (need to have contributions in order to accurately drop low and keep high)
## remove contribs
## remove finalgrades from parent finalgrade
## remove maxgrade from parent maxgrade
# during the process of limiting categories the points for containers is adjusted so we don’t need to recalculate points
# recalculate weights since we’ve removed items by dropping
# Adjust weights in a container to always equal 100
# recalc contributions since we’ve adjusted weights because of dropped items

==The Math==
The sum of weights for all containers (categories and course) add up to 100% except in the case where extra credit is used in which case 100% is exceeded by the weight of the extra credit

'''Setup screen and Grader report'''
For the purposes of the calculations below the total category or course points is its total maximum points - (all of the below)
# extra credit items' points
# hidden items' points (unless hidetotalsthatcontainhiddenitems = GRADE_REPORT_SHOW_REAL_TOTAL_IF_CONTAINS_HIDDEN)
# all points associated with contained items or categories who've had their weights overridden

'''User report'''
For the purposes of the calculations below the total category or course points is its total maximum points - (all of the below)
# extra credit items' points
# hidden items' points (unless hidetotalsthatcontainhiddenitems = GRADE_REPORT_SHOW_REAL_TOTAL_IF_CONTAINS_HIDDEN)
# ungraded items' points (if aggregateonlygraded is on))
# any items dropped through container's drop lowest or keep highest conditions
# all points associated with contained items or categories who've had their weights overridden

A multiplicator is used when some natural weights have been manually adjusted = sum(all adjusted weights) / 100

The natural weight for each item contained in a category or course (including extra credit items) is 'item maximum points' / 'total category or course points' (in which the item is contained) * multiplicator (if any)

The natural weight for each category (including extra credit categories) is 'total category points' / 'total category or course points' (in which the category is contained) * multiplicator (if any)

==Calculation examples==

===Example 1 simple sum===

In this case you have three assignments: A (10 points), B (10 points) and C (10 points) plus a final quiz D (20 points), and you just want their scores added together (out of 50).
:No action is required of the user regarding weights.

===Example 2 simple mean===

In this case you have three assignments: A (10 points), B (10 points) and C (10 points) plus a final quiz D (20 points), and you want the final grade to be the simple mean percentage of all these scores.
:User should adjust all weights to be the same, i.e., 25%

===Example 3 typical weighted categories===
User has multiple categories whose category totals are not in relation to each other as the user desires. They want the 'Quizzes' to be worth 20%, the 'Exams' to be worth 50% (with the midterm worth 20% and the final worth 30%), 'Papers' worth 20%, and 'Attendance' worth 10%
: User would edit the weights and
::- place the value 20 on the Quizzes category line
::- place the value 50 on the Exams category line
::- place the value 20 on the midterm exam item line
::- place the value 30 on the final exam item line
::- place the value 20 on the Papers category line
::- place the value 10 on the Attendance category (or item) line
: Then the user would save their weight settings

===Example 4 (complex)===

Category 1 contains seven items
# Item A = 20 points
# Item B = 10 points is extra credit
# Item C = 30 points
# Item D = 40 points is extra credit
# Item E = 50 points is hidden
# Item F = 50 points is ungraded
# Item G = 10 points whose natural weight has been adjusted to 50% of the category grade

; In the Setup screen and the Grader report the following conditions will exist
:- Category grademax = 120 (10 + 50 + 30 + 10 + 20)
:- Remainder minus adjusted weights = 110 (50 + 30 + 10 + 20) the 10 points adjusted out represent 50% of the final category grade
:- Multiplicator for each weight calculation to adjust for the 50% of weight already accounted for = .5 (50% / 100%)
:- A weight = 8.33% (20 / 120 * .5)
:- B weight = 4.16% (10 / 120 * .5)
:- C weight = 12.5% (30 / 120 * .5)
:- D weight = 33.33% (40 / 120) extra credit is not adjust, retains its value regardless of weights being overridden
:- E weight = 0%
:- F weight = 25% (50 / 120 * .5)
:- G weight = 50% (adjusted)

; In the User report the following conditions will exist
:- Category grademax = 70 (10 + 30 + 10 + 20)
:- Remainder minus adjusted weights = 60 (30 + 10 + 20) the 10 points adjusted out represent 50% of the final category grade
:- Multiplicator for each weight calculation to adjust for the 50% of weight already accounted for = .5 (50% / 100%)
:- A weight = 16.66% (20 / 60 * .5)
:- B weight = 8.33% (10 / 60 * .5)
:- C weight = 25% (30 / 60 * .5)
:- D weight = 66.66% (40 / 60) extra credit is not adjust, retains its value regardless of weights being overridden
:- E weight = 0%
:- F weight = 0%
:- G weight = 50% (adjusted)
== See also ==

- [https://docs.google.com/document/d/18SCqecGsZT2w6wLaubFvX9nVXoF6I5xoQJ5-kLauLOU/edit Specifications for Natural weighting] (Google Doc) from the Moodle Gradebook Working Group

Gradebook configuration improvements

2014-08-08T01:31:52Z

Mcka0074: /*Simplify Gradebook Report Settings/Preferences (MDL-46734)*/

{{Infobox Project
|name = Gradebook configuration improvements
|state = Implementation
|tracker = MDL-46177
|discussion = https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=???
|assignee = ???
}}
{{Work in progress|forumurl=https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=???}}
XXX

==Gradebook Settings Standardization (MDL-46733)==

# "Recover grades" default should be set to 'Yes'
# Remove "Aggregate including subcategories" from settings altogether because when used it blows up the grades.
# Scales: "Include scales in aggregation" should be off by default b/c assignments allow an integer vs. a pulldown menu that can be set at a max by admin
# All of the gradebook default settings - at the admin level - should be forcible and hideable. Similar to what is done for the site admin > Grades > Grade category settings - ex: Drop the lowest
# Default values should be called ‘checked’ or ‘unchecked’ instead of Default:Yes or Default:No unless the values are ‘Yes/No’ (see attachment)
# Dropdowns that contain 2 or 3 items should be radio buttons or a checkbox depending on the options. If a yes/no, checkbox

==Simplify Gradebook Report Settings/Preferences (MDL-46734)==
[[File:GraderReportPrefs.png|200px|thumb|left|]]

Re-organize the user report admin settings: Each report needs a cog that takes you straight to the settings and preferences for that report instead of having a settings tab with all report settings.
# Preferences and settings for a report should be combined on the same pop-up screen
# As noted in the example, the default value should be clearly displayed in its own column
# Access to these Prefs and settings should be through using the standard cog icon
# Each gradebook report should have a Preferences and settings pop-up
# "Preferences" and "Settings" should be removed from the drop down and tabs for the gradebook
# It should be clearly noted on the pop-up which items affect anyone using the course (Settings) and which only affect the view of the current user (Preferences)

[[File:CatsAndItemsSettings.png|200px|thumb|left|]]

Create a "Setup" (Categories and items) pop-up whereby the current user can change what columns are displayed in the Setup screen
# Access through the standard cog icon
# Standard Moodle add/ remove arrow interface

.

==New functionality==
# UMN has added additional navigation: Report item order; Import order;Export order
# Sort order ability for scales
# Adding a toggle for view hide multiplicator and the offset (similar to toggle for keep lowest)
# Add the calculation setting to administrative settings giving them the ability to make it available or not available.
# Preconfigured setting packs

== Future work ==

XXX

== See also ==

* XXX

Gradebook configuration improvements

2014-08-08T01:30:51Z

Mcka0074: /*Gradebook Settings Standardization (MDL-46733)*/

{{Infobox Project
|name = Gradebook configuration improvements
|state = Implementation
|tracker = MDL-46177
|discussion = https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=???
|assignee = ???
}}
{{Work in progress|forumurl=https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=???}}
XXX

==Gradebook Settings Standardization (MDL-46733)==

# "Recover grades" default should be set to 'Yes'
# Remove "Aggregate including subcategories" from settings altogether because when used it blows up the grades.
# Scales: "Include scales in aggregation" should be off by default b/c assignments allow an integer vs. a pulldown menu that can be set at a max by admin
# All of the gradebook default settings - at the admin level - should be forcible and hideable. Similar to what is done for the site admin > Grades > Grade category settings - ex: Drop the lowest
# Default values should be called ‘checked’ or ‘unchecked’ instead of Default:Yes or Default:No unless the values are ‘Yes/No’ (see attachment)
# Dropdowns that contain 2 or 3 items should be radio buttons or a checkbox depending on the options. If a yes/no, checkbox

==User interface==
[[File:GraderReportPrefs.png|200px|thumb|left|]]

Re-organize the user report admin settings: Each report needs a cog that takes you straight to the settings and preferences for that report instead of having a settings tab with all report settings.
# Preferences and settings for a report should be combined on the same pop-up screen
# As noted in the example, the default value should be clearly displayed in its own column
# Access to these Prefs and settings should be through using the standard cog icon
# Each gradebook report should have a Preferences and settings pop-up
# "Preferences" and "Settings" should be removed from the drop down and tabs for the gradebook
# It should be clearly noted on the pop-up which items affect anyone using the course (Settings) and which only affect the view of the current user (Preferences)

[[File:CatsAndItemsSettings.png|200px|thumb|left|]]

Create a "Setup" (Categories and items) pop-up whereby the current user can change what columns are displayed in the Setup screen
# Access through the standard cog icon
# Standard Moodle add/ remove arrow interface

.

==New functionality==
# UMN has added additional navigation: Report item order; Import order;Export order
# Sort order ability for scales
# Adding a toggle for view hide multiplicator and the offset (similar to toggle for keep lowest)
# Add the calculation setting to administrative settings giving them the ability to make it available or not available.
# Preconfigured setting packs

== Future work ==

XXX

== See also ==

* XXX