About eGradebook

Initial development of an online gradebook that would allow Scanning Services results to be placed on the Web began in the fall of 2002. The Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment, through its Measurement and Evaluation Center, planned to make answers, answer keys, scores, and the statistics generated from Scantron exams accessible via the Internet. Besides reducing paperwork, the developers thought that this electronic gradebook might make it easier to distribute grades to all students, not just those whose answers were read from bubble sheets.

In fact, creating an environment in which all grades could be posted online seemed a natural extension of the highly successful UTDirect, within which final class grades could already be submitted online. The DIIA’s vision, of enabling students to view grades on the Web using their EIDs instead of lining up in a hallway scanning lists of Social Security numbers for their grades, was jump-started in March of 2003 when Provost Sheldon Ekland-Olson, in response to an administrative database breach earlier in the month, declared that

"… all academic work grades, including final course grades, exams, quizzes, and homework, or any other confidential student information may not be publicly disclosed or posted, on the Web or by any other medium, using any part or combination of a student's Social Security number without the written consent of each student."

The policy permitted continued use of student-specific password protected systems (such as UT Direct and its applications) to provide grades or other confidential information to individual students. In response, the DIIA escalated development of eGradebook, and released a pilot version later in 2003. The initial offering allowed for hand-entered scores as well as scores uploaded by MEC staff from Scantron exams.

In September, 2003, Information Technology Services (ITS) and DIIA teamed up to improve eGradebook’s features, with electronic uploading of spreadsheets as a key enhancement. As of the fall semester of 2003, eGradebook is being used by almost 400 faculty representing over 800 classes.

Please send comments to: eGradebook Help