Entering and Managing Grades

The core functionality of the Academic Tracker revolves around recording and managing your grades. This guide will walk you through the process of entering assessments, calculating weighted grades, and organising your academic data effectively.

Recording New Assessments

Assessments are individual graded items like exams, quizzes, assignments, or projects. Here's how to add them to your Academic Tracker:

Adding a New Assessment

1. Navigate to the subject where you want to add an assessment 2. Click the "Add Assessment" button 3. Enter the assessment details: - Name - A descriptive name for the assessment (e.g., "Midterm Exam" or "Research Paper") - Type - Select the assessment type from the dropdown (e.g., Exam, Quiz, Assignment) - Date - When the assessment was completed or returned - Score - Your grade on the assessment (see below for format options) - Weight - How much this assessment counts toward your final grade (as a percentage) - Notes (optional) - Any additional information about the assessment 4. Click "Save Assessment"

The new assessment will appear in your subject's grade list, and your average grade will automatically update.

Grade Format Options

The Academic Tracker supports multiple grade formats to accommodate different grading systems:

• Percentage - Enter a percentage value (e.g., 85%)
• Points - Enter points earned and total points (e.g., 42/50)
• Letter Grade - Select a letter grade from the dropdown (e.g., A, B+, C)

You can switch between these formats when entering grades based on how your assessments are scored. The system will automatically convert between formats using your configured grading scale.

Managing Existing Assessments

Once you've entered assessments, you can manage them in several ways:

Editing an Assessment

1. Navigate to the subject containing the assessment 2. Find the assessment in the list 3. Click the edit icon (usually a pencil) next to the assessment 4. Modify any details as needed 5. Click "Save Changes"

Deleting an Assessment

1. Navigate to the subject containing the assessment 2. Find the assessment in the list 3. Click the delete icon (usually a trash can) next to the assessment 4. Confirm the deletion when prompted

Note: Deleting an assessment is permanent and cannot be undone. Make sure you want to remove it completely before confirming.

Understanding Grade Calculations

The Academic Tracker uses weighted averages to calculate your grades at different levels:

Assessment Weighting

Each assessment has a weight that determines its impact on your subject grade:

1. When adding an assessment, assign it a weight percentage 2. The sum of all assessment weights in a subject should equal 100% 3. If weights don't sum to 100%, the system will normalise them proportionally

Subject Grade Calculation

Your overall grade for each subject is calculated as a weighted average of all assessments:

Subject Grade = Σ(Assessment Score × Assessment Weight) ÷ Σ(Assessment Weight)

For example, if you have:

• Midterm Exam: 80% score with 30% weight
• Final Project: 90% score with 40% weight
• Quizzes Average: 85% score with 30% weight

Your subject grade would be: (80 × 0.3) + (90 × 0.4) + (85 × 0.3) = 85.5%

Term GPA Calculation

Your term GPA is calculated based on your subject grades and their respective weights (usually credit hours):

Term GPA = Σ(Subject GPA × Subject Weight) ÷ Σ(Subject Weight)

The system converts percentage or letter grades to GPA values using your configured grading scale before performing this calculation.

Advanced Grade Management

The Academic Tracker offers several advanced features for managing your grades:

Assessment Categories

You can organias assessments into categories with their own weights:

1. Navigate to a subject's settings 2. Enable "Use Assessment Categories" 3. Define categories (e.g., "Exams," "Homework," "Projects") with their respective weights 4. When adding assessments, assign them to a category 5. The system will calculate your grade based on category averages rather than individual assessments

Best Practices for Grade Management

To get the most out of the Academic Tracker's grade management features:

• Enter grades promptly after receiving them to maintain an accurate record
• Double-check weights to ensure they accurately reflect your course syllabus
• Use consistent naming conventions for similar assessments across subjects
• Regularly review your grade calculations to catch any errors or discrepancies