If excluding Empty Grades, students' grades at the end of the term may not be a true reflection of their performance (any missed work will not be calculated in the grade total).  Be mindful to reverse this action to Include empty grades at the end of the term.

The gradebook default is set to penalize students for assignments that have not been attempted; the missing grades calculate as zeros. As the term goes on and more assignments are completed, the students' grades will rise. At the end of the course, grades will be a true reflection of students’ achievement.

If you would like to change your gradebook to calculate course total based on assignments completed (vs. all assignments within the course), you may check the Exclude Empty Grades option within your gradebook settings. 

You will find this setting through the following steps (leave all other settings at their defaults):

Exclude Empty Grades

  1. From within the course, click Gradebook from the Course Navigation Menu.
  2. Click on the Setup tab.
  3. Click Edit in the Action column to the right of the Course name.
    • Select Edit Settings.
  4. Under Grade Category, click Show more...
  5. Check the Exclude Empty Grades option.
  6. Click Save changes.