Missing grades that should be visibly posted, grade calculations are off, or grade total discrepancies are reported

Blackboard Ultra Overview

In regards to Blackboard Ultra, when students report discrepancies in their total versus how many points are actually available for a course or they report duplicate assignments in their grade book, it is likely that the course has hidden columns in the instructor view that are still calculated in the total and/or still visible to students.

If you find yourself asking this question: "I posted Discussion/Group Discussion Grades for Week 1 of my current course by using Discussion> Name of Discussion>Discussion Settings. I can see my comments and grades there; however, they do not show up in the Gradebook for the course." There are likely duplicate columns in the Gradebook.

Instructions

In Blackboard Ultra Course View, hidden items, duplicated grade items, and separate discussion grading settings behave differently than in the Original Course View.

If students see extra points/duplicate assignments or if grades entered via the Discussion board don't appear in the main Gradebook, here is how to resolve it:

1. Check Gradebook View Settings for Hidden Items:
Unhide items hidden from students.

In Ultra, hidden items are hidden from students, but instructors see them with a closed eye icon. If an item is hidden from students but included in calculations, it distorts their total points.

  1. Open the Gradebook from the top course navigation bar.

  2. Switch to the Grid View (top-left icon) or Students/Items list.

  3. Look for columns displaying a hidden eye icon (a circle with a line through an eye).

  4. Click the eye icon next to the item title and select Visible to students or Hidden from students depending on whether the assignment should exist.

  5. If the item should be hidden from students, click the three dots (...) next to the column header > Edit > uncheck Include in overall grade calculation.

Verification: Check the student's Overall Grade preview or switch to Student Preview mode to confirm the overall point total matches the active assignments.

2. Link Discussion Board Grading Correctly:
Resolve duplicate discussion columns.

When you set up a Discussion in Ultra, enabling grading automatically creates its Gradebook column. Manually creating a Gradebook column and turning on Discussion grading results in two separate columns.

  1. Navigate to the Discussion item in your course content or Discussion tab.

  2. Click the Gear icon (Discussion Settings) in the top right corner.

  3. Ensure Grade discussion is checked and assigned the correct point value/due date.

  4. Save settings. This links the grade entered directly in the Discussion to the single auto-generated Gradebook column.

  5. Go to the Gradebook, locate the duplicate/unlinked column that you created manually, click its three dots (...), and select Delete.

Verification: Enter a test grade directly in the Discussion board and verify that the grade immediately populates in the main Gradebook column for that student.

3. Verify Overall Grade Calculation Schema:
Audit points and weights.

If point totals still show discrepancies, review the Overall Grade calculation setup.

  1. In the Gradebook, click the Gear icon (Gradebook Settings) in the upper-right corner.

  2. Select Manage Overall Grade Settings (or edit the Overall Grade column).

  3. Check whether the calculation is set to Points or Weighted.

  4. Ensure excluded or duplicate assessment categories/columns are explicitly removed from the calculation rule.

Verification: The calculated total points displayed in the calculation preview should equal the exact sum of all active course assignments.

If you are having trouble, or have any questions, please give us a call at 1-877-899-1499 and we can assist you further.

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