Create Extra Credit (Bonus) Grade Items in D2L Gradebook

You can add an extra credit (bonus) item to the Gradebook by creating a new “Bonus” item or editing an existing item and making it a “Bonus” item. Bonus items do not add points to the total points possible in a course.

Create a “Bonus” Grade Item

  1. Select Grades on the Navbar
  2. Select Manage Grades
  3. Select New, and then select Item (or edit an existing item by selecting it, then skip to step 6)
  4. Select Numeric
  5. Give the item a Name and point value. If using a weighted system, you must also give the item a weight. (Caution: In a weighted system, be careful of how much weight you give Bonus items since your entire gradebook is based on a 100-point scale).
  6. Check the box for Bonus
  7. Save and Close

NOTE 1: If you put your bonus item inside a Category along with non-bonus items, you must decide if you want the category to exceed maximum points or weight. For example, if the total points in a category is 150, and you add a 10-point bonus item, can a student potentially get 160/150? If so, you must edit the category and allow it to exceed its points or weight, otherwise the category will be capped at 150.

  1. Go to Manage Grades
  2. Select the Category
  3. Check the box for Can Exceed
  4. Save and Close

NOTE 2: If you create a category in a Points Gradebook that ONLY has bonus items in it, you MUST edit the category and select the Can Exceed box. Otherwise, the points will be trapped inside the category, which is technically worth 0 since it is not contributing to the total points possible in the course.

  1. Go to Manage Grades
  2. Select the Category
  3. Check the box for Can Exceed
  4. Save and Close

[For a Weighted Gradebook – Do not create a 0-weighted category that ONLY has bonus items in it as the points will be trapped inside the category and will not help the student. Instead, create a Bonus Item as a stand-alone item outside of all categories.]

NOTE 3: If you want to allow the Final Grade to exceed the total points possible, you must edit the Final Grade. For example, if the total for the course is 200, and you add 10 bonus points, a student can potentially get 210/200 points. To show final grades that exceed 200 points, you must do the following.

  1. Go to Manage Grades
  2. Select the Final Calculated Grade
  3. Check the box for Can Exceed
  4. Save and Close
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