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Overview

Paradigm supports the use of concurrent grading systems to give providers flexibility on how academic outcomes are awarded to course enrolments, unit enrolments, and assessments. The grading system within Paradigm is also equipped to handle changes to grading schemas that are necessary to make over time. This knowledge article will provide a detailed workflow on how you can search, add, and edit grade type according to the business requirements of your institution.

Complexity:

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Workflow

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titleAssumptions

Assumptions

  • Your account is able to access the SYSTEM menu.

  • You have an understanding that making changes to the Paradigm Grading System may significantly impact historical records and the generation of reports including the Academic Transcript.

  • You have been authorised by your institution to make changes to the Grading System.

Key Terms and Concepts

Select the sections below for a detailed explanation on some of the key terms and concepts in relation to this Paradigm feature.

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titleGrade Types

Grade Types

Note

BE ADVISED:  The choice of grade schema at a unit enrolment or assessment level can be defined against each unique base course record. If the grade schema is not defined then the system will default to using Assessment Grade and Unit Grade.

The default configuration of Paradigm includes a set of generic grade types that reflect common grading systems used by Australian based education providers.

  1. Assessment Grade = default grading system used when marking assessments within Paradigm

  2. Competency Grade = a Competent / Not Yet Competent grading system intended for use by VET providers

  3. Course Grade = defines the set of progression statuses that can be assigned to a student course enrolment

  4. ELICOS = basic grading system intended for Providers offering language studies

  5. Unit Grade = default grading system used within Paradigm for assigning academic outcomes to student unit enrolments

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titleFields within the Grade TypesType fields

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FieldsGradeTypes

Fields within the Grade Types

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Grade Id – System generated ID Code that identifies the grade.

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Grade Type Id – System generated code that identifies the type of grade.

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Grade – Abbreviated code for the grade e.g. HD, DN CR

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Grade Points – The number of points contributed to the Grade Point Average and the calculation of Weighted Average Mark.

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Order – The order or sequence number for the grade to appear in the drop box.

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Visibility – This will let you set the visibility status to Hidden or Visible.

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Description – Full name of the grade e.g. High Distinction, Distinction, Credit, etc.

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Descriptor – [Optional] It is an alternative description used for system generated report.

Note

BE ADVISED: Setting the Minimum and Maximum Mark should not overlap, otherwise Paradigm won’t know which grade to choose to make the conditions true.

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Minimum Mark – The minimum percentage grade required to achieve this grade.

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Maximum Mark – The maximum percentage grade required to achieve this grade.

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Result Status – The unit status that is paired with this grade e.g. when setting a passing grade pass equivalent the status should be "Completed", and when setting a failing grade fail equivalent the status should be "Fail".

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Contributes to Credit Points – Indicates whether this result contributes to a Grade Point Average.

Info

INFO: This field is not required and should be left blank for Higher Education Grading System.

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Outcome Identifier - National – The AVETMISS compliant national code for this grade that identifies this result.

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Allowed to Recalculate – If set to NO, this will not change the final unit outcome.

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Final Mark Result – This field is only to be used at the Assessment Level. If a student obtains enough marks or less to pass a unit but still fail on the hurdle condition.

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titleGrade Point Average (GPA)

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Grade Point Average (GPA) is a summary statistic that represents a student’s average performance in their studies over a stated period of time, such as one semester or over the entire course. GPAs are numbers that are often calculated to two decimal places. They are used as indicators of average grade (numerically) to provide a less ambiguous and more concrete measure of student performance than a lettered grade. GPA is also used for sorting groups of students into rank order for awards and merits.

GPA requires the allocation of grade points to each unit enrolment outcome. Specifically, this involves allocating a grade point value (e.g. 5) to a specific letter score (e.g. credit). Australian providers differ on the exact grade point scale to use, but the process is always the same. We implemented GPA in a way that reflects industry practice. You may define your own GPA scale by adding the relevant information to the grade schema defined in the user interface, Go to SYSTEM > Search Grade Type > search for UNIT_GRADE >, and then Edit Grade Points against each Grade Type.

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titleWeighted Average Mark (WAM)

Weighted Average Mark (WAM)

Note

BE ADVISED: The Weighted Average Mark (WAM) calculation requires the following fields to be populated within Paradigm:

  • Grade description (student unit enrolment)

  • Final Grade Percentage (student unit enrolment)

  • Credit points (student unit enrolment and/or base unit)

  • Grade Point (grade schema)

NOTE: Weighted Average Mark calculates based on the rule that a unit enrolment has been assigned a published grade that has a Grade Point value attached on the associated grade schema.

You can check that by going to System > Search Grade Type > Search for UNIT_GRADE, check whether Grade Points have been set against each grade.

Weighted Average Mark (WAM) is calculated based on a student’s actual marks (e.g. 58, 65 and so on) and the year level and weighting level defined at each base unit. If no weighting level is defined at the base unit then the system will assume a weighting of one.

Here is the detailed calculation method the system follows:

  • Multiply the unit mark (Final Grade Percentage) by unit credit point value (Credit Points) and then by the weighting level

  • Sum the resulting values (Weighted Marks)

  • Multiply the unit credit point value (Credit Points) by the weighting level

  • Sum the resulting values (Weighted Credit Points)

  • Divide the sum of the Weighted Marks by the sum of the Weighted Credit Points

  • Calculate to three decimal places.

You can find the Calculate WAM button on the student’s course enrolment page.

Unit

Credit Points

GPA

Weighting Level

Mark

Grade

Included In WAM

Weighted Marks

Weighted Credit Points

WAM101

12

0

1

22

F

Yes

12 X 1 X 22 = 264

12 x 1 = 12

WAM102

12

4

1

78

D

Yes

12 x 1 X 78 = 936

12 x 1 = 12

WAM103

12

1

90

HD

NO

NA

NA

WAM104

12

2

1

E

NO

NA

NA

WAM105

12

3

68

C

YES

12 x 1 x 68 = 816

12 x 1 = 12

WAM106

5

2

99

HD

NO

NA

NA

WAM107

12

6

2

91

HD

YES

12 x 2 x 91 = 2184

12 x 2 = 24

WAM108

8

4

2

80

D

YES

8 x 2 x 80 = 1280

8 x 2 = 16

Totals

5480

76

Using the above the table the WAM is calculated as follows: 5480 / 76 = 72.10

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titleGrades and Enrolment Status Codes

Grades and Enrolment Status Code

NOTE: Certain grades need to be paired with enrolment status codes. e.g. a Fail grades needs to be paired with a Failed Status code so that the student is able to re-take the unit again in a subsequent study period and report the failed HEIMS status code for the unit.

Enrolment Status Code

Grade

Enrolled

No Grade / Select Grade

Completed

  • HD

  • DN

  • CR

  • Pass

  • NGP

  • Concede Pass

  • Withheld

Failed

Fail

Exempt

  • RPL

  • RPE

  • Credit for Prior Learning

Incomplete

Incomplete

Withdrawn

  • WD (Withdrawn)

  • WN (Withdrawn Not Failed)

  • WPC (Withdrawn Pre-Census)

  • WF (Withdrawn Fail)

Audit

Audit

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titleMultiple Grade Schema.

Multiple Grade Schema

Multiple grades schema can be used in Paradigm at the same time for different Courses. For example a VET level course uses Competency Achieved / Competency not Achieved as opposed to a Higher Education Course that uses the HD, DN, CR, P, F system. When a Course of Study is established, the grade schema to be used for it can be selected as part of the set up. This is achieved by setting the Unit Grade type and the Assessment Grade type options within the Course record. When this option has not been set or selected (the field is left blank) the system will default to using the unit_grade for the grading system.

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titlePercentages and Grades

Percentages and Grades

NOTE: When final grades are either entered or imported from LMS (e.g. Blackboard or Moodle) the system won't round grades up or down.

For example if a CR requires a minimum grade of 60.0 and the student achieves a 59.99 the grade will be recorded as the lower grade of a Pass. 

Implications

Note

BE ADVISED: Changing any of the grade values will cause historical reports to print according to the new grade values. Consult with your "nominated contact person" or other Paradigm Expert before making any changes. If you are the "nominated contact person" or Paradigm Expert for your institution and need further help, please consult the Silverband Helpdesk for more information.

NOTE: Updating the grading system is not a frequent or regular occurrence, and is usually done when the institution is changing from one grading system to another e.g. from numerical grades to letter grades, or when adding a new grading system (e.g. Vocational Learning of Competency Achieved, Competency not Achieved.)

Workflow

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Choose from below on what you want to do with the Grade Types:

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titleSearch for Grade Types and all possible grades under eacha Grade System

Search for

Grade Types and all possible grades under each

a Grade System

  1. Choose the System menu.

  2. Choose Search Grade Type.

  3. Click the SEARCH GRADE TYPES button.

  4.  After doing the steps above, a list of all Grade Types will appear as shown below. Select on the Blue hyperlink next to the Grade type to be viewed (e.g. Assessment Grade, Competency Grade, Course Grade, ELICOS Grade, or Unit Grade)

5. After choosing a Grade Type to view, a screen the same as below will display all the possible grades a student can achieve on that specific Grade Type.

Info

INFO: In the example above, all possible grades a student can get after completing a unit is displayed.

Add another possible grade to a Grade Type
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titleAdd another possible grade to a Grade Type
new Grade System

Add new Grade System

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Choose
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System >
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Search Grade Type >
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Click the SEARCH GRADE TYPES button.

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A list of all Grade Types in the system will appear, as shown below:
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Select the Grade Type that you want to add another possible grade.

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After selecting a Grade Type to add another possible grade, a screen the same as below will display all the possible grades a student can achieve on that specific Grade Type.
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Click the ADD GRADE button to add another possible Grade of that chosen Grade Type.

Info

INFO: In the example above, a UNIT_GRADE Type is chosen.

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A form to add another possible grade of your chosen Grade Type will appear.
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Fill out the “GRADE ITEM DETAILS”Form. Refer to the Fields within the Grade Types section above for the description of each fields.
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Once all the details have been filled out, click the SAVE GRADE button to add the newly created possible grade a student can get on that Grade Type.

Edit details and conditions in one of the possible grades of a Grade Type
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titleEdit details and conditions in one of the possible grades of a Grade Type
existing Grade System

Edit existing Grade System

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Choose
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System >
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Search Grade Type >
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Click the SEARCH GRADE TYPES button.

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A list of all Grade Types in the system will appear, as shown below:
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Select the Grade Type that you want to edit.

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After selecting a Grade Type to edit, a screen the same as below will display all the possible grades a student can achieve on that specific Grade Type.
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Select the Grade that you want to edit and click the PENCIL📝 button to edit.

Info

NOTE: In the example below, the D grade under the UNIT_GRADE

type

Type has been chosen.

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A form to edit the details and conditions of the chosen possible grade under a Grade Type will appear.
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Edit/Update the required fields. Refer to the Fields within the Grade Types section above for the description of each fields.
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After editing the fields, click the SAVE GRADE button to apply the changes.

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