Hiding grades from students – best practice

We recommend that you hide grades from students during the marking process. This means that when you upload grades and feedback to a student that they can’t immediately see their results. This helps facilitate second marking practices, where grades and feedback may get adjusted before they are given to students. Also when marks and feedback are given to some students ahead of other students, concerns have been raised by those students who have yet to receive theirs.

However, do not simply hide the My Grades link as students can still access their grades via other routes. Hiding all of My Grades also means that students cannot see other feedback they have received for past assessments. Instead you should hide the specific Grade Centre column you are uploading grades and feedback to (and the weighted total column) from students.

Hiding a Grade Centre column is a quick process, and only needs to be done once for an assessment. To check if a Grade Centre column is hidden or not, simply look at the column name in the Grade Centre. If it has a symbol next to it like this hidden Grade Centre column then it indicates the column is hidden to students.

To hide a Grade Centre column:

Enter the Grade Centre. Click on the chevron next to the title of the column you wish to hide. Select Show/Hide Column to Students (note the Show/Hide Column to Students option may be located in different places in the dropdown menu).

Grade Centre column menu

Remember when the provisional marks and feedback are agreed that you need to make the column available to students again. This will ensure they can see their results immediately.

To unhide a Grade Centre column from students:

Enter the Grade Centre. Click on the chevron next to the title of the column you wish to show students. Select Show/Hide Column to Students again.

The symbol indicating the column is hidden should then disappear and students will be able to see their grades via the My grades link in the Blackboard site menu.

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