weighted grading schemes Archives

Author and Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe

Since its inception in 2017, the Ask ADDIE column has been an integral part of the TOPkit Digest as a function of topkit.org, providing recommendations and strategies to questions asked by the readers – faculty members, instructional designers, and management alike. The last review of Ask ADDIE articles and trends was provided in 2022. Since 2025 is soon coming to an end, a current review of Ask ADDIE through the intervening years of 2023 – 2025 may provide some insight into trends and practices encountered in the instructional design field – and where we go from here.

Ask ADDIE originally emerged as a space where online developers and instructors could share strategies for challenges and difficulties in the online environment and receive guidance and resources. While Ask ADDIE continues to be a collaborative resource for these purposes, it has also evolved into a space discussing hypothetical scenarios, project and program-based strategies, and forward-looking ideas into the evolutionary processes and trends of online higher education. Some of these trends may be advances in technology, emerging technologies, and teaching strategies that provide students with the skills necessary to navigate turbulent workplace and cultural waters within the context of their chosen disciplines.

While all of the columns written for Ask ADDIE are worthwhile reading since all address real challenges provided by our readers or specific programmatic strategies, some of them have been particularly timely and delivered in concert with issues higher education has faced over the years.

Take, for example, the issue titled, Implementation of AI in Online Teaching and Learning (Issue 29), that was a response to the overwhelming rise and use of artificial intelligence (AI) within online courses through chatbots and video generators, for example (ChatGPT, Otter.ai, Dall-E2, etc.) This article, written by Dr. Jann Sutton from the University of North Florida, explored how artificial intelligence has been in use in the educational setting for decades. Dr. Sutton detailed strategies for how to use various new AI tools in course activities and assignments that would assist students to harness the power of AI rather than falling victim to its errors and limitations.

Or, what about Considerations of Generative AI for Content Creation (Issue 32), which brought readers back to the need for AI prompts to follow design and learning theory models for content creation. In the rising prevalence of AI tools, Anastasia Bojanowski reminds readers that learning theory provides a basis for constructing prompts or activities that include Gagne`’s (1985) events of instruction. Using a learning theory model helps to scaffold learning activities in meaningful ways. Ms. Bojanowski is an instructional specialist in the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL) at the University of Central Florida (UCF).

ADDIE discusses challenging scenarios, project & program strategies, and future trends in online higher education.

In Navigating the Fast Lane: Essential Strategies for Accelerated Course Design (Issue 36), Dr. Denise Lowe provided strategies that had recently been developed by the Center for Distributed Learning (CDL) at UCF in developing resource materials for several different types of accelerated course formats. By providing strategies for instructors, readers were reminded that, although challenging, accelerated course formats should focus on identifying essential concepts for course mastery. Student resources identified options for their educational journey and success strategies for accelerated courses. Resources provided included infographics, web pages for faculty and students, interactive decision trees, course maps, and the use of chatbots to realign content within specific formats for conversion processes. Dr. Lowe is a Senior Instructional Designer and adjunct faculty member at UCF.

Looking back at some of the articles focusing on course design and LMS functionality specifically, some topics dealt with quiz analytics, multi-modal course offerings, grading schemes and weights, and strategies for dealing with large online courses. Each of these topics represented a specific challenge for instructors and instructional designers that often create confusion and frustration. Written by different authors, the resources provided helped to lessen this frustration and create more productive communication pathways to assist faculty in managing their online courses.

Ask ADDIE also dealt with topics that were more personal in nature which could have negative impacts upon online teaching and learning. From transitioning from a K-12 environment into the instructional design field, mitigating student anxiety, to cyberbullying of faculty – these articles, also written by various authors, provided meaningful strategies to consider for all levels of higher education from students to institutional leadership.

Moving forward, Ask ADDIE may find a continued focus on the increasing development and use of AI tools that build and expand upon the strategies already mentioned in previous articles. This may be a similar situation for the use of open educational resources as a way to mitigate educational cost while continuing to provide a quality education experience for students, building upon Demystifying OER and Open Pedagogy: A Practical Guide (Issue 37), in which Dr. Denise Lowe and Joe Fauvel – both of UCF – provide a graphic to identify the differences between the two constructs.

Ongoing articles such as these provide relevant information, tips, and suggestions for all of us working in course design or online teaching. The benefits of such collective learning cannot be overstated since many of us deal with similar challenges within our own institutions. There is much wisdom among us – we all improve when it is shared!

What other ideas do you have that could improve the Ask ADDIE approach to inviting questions or article ideas? Please share your thoughts with our TOPkit community on LinkedIn!

Ask ADDIE Editor:

Dr. Denise Lowe, Senior Instructional Designer, Division of Digital Learning, UCF, July 2018 – current

Ask ADDIE Authors 2023 – 2025:

Lowe, D. (2025, November). Ask ADDIE: Years in Review: 2023 – 2025 (Issue 39). Retrieved from TOPkit website: https://topkit.org/2025/11/07/years-in-review-addie-2023-2025-issue-39/

Otto, M., and Staton, J. (2025, August). Ask ADDIE: Too many tabs, not enough time: Strategies for large online courses (Issue 38). (D. Lowe., Ed.). Retrieved from TOPkit website: https://topkit.org/2025/08/18/too-many-tabs-not-enough-time-strategies-for-large-online-courses-issue-38/

Lowe, D. (2025, May). Ask ADDIE: Demystifying OER and Open Pedagogy: A Practical Guide (Issue 37). Retrieved from TOPkit website: https://topkit.org/2025/05/20/demystifying-oer-and-open-pedagogy-a-practical-guide-issue-37/

Lowe, D. (2025, March). Ask ADDIE: Navigating the fast lane: Essential strategies for accelerated course design (Issue 36). Retrieved from TOPkit website: https://topkit.org/2025/03/05/navigating-the-fast-lane-essential-strategies-for- accelerated-course-design-issue-36/

Lowe, D., Jowallah, R., McNulty, R., Swenson, N., & Williams, T. (2025, March). Accelerated course design for educators. University of Central Florida, Division of Digital Learning. https://cdl.ucf.edu/teach/strategies/accelerated-course-design/

Lowe, D., Jowallah, R., McNulty, R., Swenson, N., & Williams, T. (2025, March). Are accelerated courses right for you? University of Central Florida, Division of Digital Learning. https://cdl.ucf.edu/support/student/accelerated-courses/

Smith, J. A. (2024, November). Ask ADDIE: Unlocking the power of quiz analytics for smarter assessments (Issue 35). (D. Lowe., Ed.). Retrieved from TOPkit website: https://topkit.org/2024/11/13/unlocking-the-power-of-quiz-analytics-for-smarter-assessments-issue-35/

Jones-Roberts, C. (2024, May). Ask ADDIE: Multimodal Learning (Issue 33). (D. Lowe., Ed.).Retrieved from TOPkit website: https://topkit.org/2024/05/30/multimodal-learning-issue-33/

Bojanowski, A. (2024, February). Ask ADDIE: Considerations of Generative AI for Content Creation (Issue 32). (D. Lowe., Ed.). Retrieved from TOPkit website: https://topkit.org/2024/02/06/considerations-of-generative-ai-for-content-creation-issue-32/

Jones-Roberts, C. (2023, November). Ask ADDIE: Strategies to Mitigate Student Anxiety (Issue 31). (D Lowe., Ed.).. Retrieved from TOPkit.org website: https://topkit.org/2023/11/15/strategies-for-mitigating-student-anxiety-issue-31/

Lowe, D. (2023, August). Ask ADDIE: A “Weighty” Issue: Course Design and Grading Schemes (Issue 30). Retrieved from TOPkit.org website: https://topkit.org/2023/08/17/a-weighty-issue-grading-schemes-and-course-design-issue-30/

Sutton, J. (2023, May). Ask ADDIE: Implementation of AI in Online Teaching and Learning (Issue 29). (D. Lowe., Ed.). Retrieved from TOPkit website: https://topkit.org/2023/05/22/implementation-of-ai-in-online-teaching-andlearning-issue-29/

Lowe, D. (2023, February). Ask ADDIE: Cyberbullying: A guide for supporting faculty under attack (Issue 28). Retrieved from TOPkit website: https://topkit.org/2023/02/08/cyberbullying-a-guide-for-supporting-faculty-under-attack-issue-28/

Lowe, D. (2022, October). Ask ADDIE: E-Learning: The key to online teaching success (Issue 27). Retrieved from TOPkit website: https://topkit.org/2022/10/12/e-readiness-the-key-to-online-teaching-success-issue-27/

Author and Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe, University of Central Florida

Dear ADDIE,

Thanks for your responses to the issues we all share in Instructional Design. I’m an ID at FAU and work with some amazing faculty. Of course, the faculty member has the ultimate say in their course. One question that I have been ‘pondering’ has to do with the weighted percentages many faculty like to use. I have been wondering if there is an effective way to explain that concept to students. At times I am unclear about the grouping of assignments and the ultimate value of specific assignments. I imagine that students are also somewhat muddled by this concept. Thanks in advance for any clarification you can provide, both for me and to share with others.

Signed,

Muddled and Confused

Dear Muddled,

What a great question for this forum! I’m sure many instructional designers – and even faculty new to teaching – have wondered this same thing. Some faculty choose to use a simple point system for grading of assignments that may or may not include extra credit points as well. In this case, there is a maximum number of points for all assignments given in a course. The total points earned for these assignments equals a specific letter grade. Very simple to understand and implement – so why would an instructor elect to use a weighted system in which certain groups or individual assignments have a higher percentage weight in the course than others? It can, indeed, be confusing for students to understand and calculate where they stand in a course at any given time.

First, let’s understand that “grouping” assignments can be used for simple point or weighted grading systems. In simple point grading schemes, this grouping places similar assignments together for ease of viewing and course planning. In a “weighted” grading scheme, however, the assignment groups reflect specific percentages of the total course grade, and those percentages equal 100%. When the overall points for a specific assignment group are calculated, they are multiplied by the percentage attached to that group. The final grade is determined by adding the group percentage grades to obtain a total. The great thing is that all learning management systems work well with weighted systems. Canvas specifically has a “What-if” function that allows students to see what their final grade would be in they earned various grades on remaining assignments (Barrett-Fox, 2023).

Pie chart with 30% Discussions, 50% Quizzes, and 20% Research grading categories. — **Weighted Grading Scheme**

The learning management system will determine the overall course grade by performing this calculation:

Final Grade = (average Research grade) x 20% + (average Discussion grade) x 30% + (average Quiz grade) x 50%

Many proponents of weighted assignments claim there are several advantages to this system of grading. According to CTLD Support at Metropolitan State University of Denver (2021), making the assignment points equal a specific number is unnecessary; points do not need to be shuffled when assignment changes occur; and weighting ensures that more in-depth assignments will be worth more than multiple small assignments. The instructor can determine and reflect which assignments are of greater value, which provides them greater flexibility. Instructors may also be able to view patterns of student grades within the gradebook subcategories for specific types of assignments to allow for tutoring or intervention – while students can see their own individual activity patterns for improving their academic skills (Salt Lake Community College, 2021). The best part is that you don’t need to worry about the math and all those potentially moving points!

Critics of this grading method, however, argue that students may have less incentive to do well at coursework that counts less towards the overall course grade. I would argue that this could occur using either grading scheme, as students may still be less likely to expend their energy on lower-point activities. Franke (2018) concludes that weighting of assignments, especially final assignments, should be done in a critical and intentional manner since uncritical assignment weighting can discount student learning that has occurred throughout the course, not just at the end.

Weighting assignments should be done in a critical and intentional manner.

Considering the pros and cons for using a weighted grading scheme, here are some best practices for implementation (CTLD, 2021):

Instructors should thoroughly explain the system to their students, using graphics as visual references.
Important assignment groups should be weighted more heavily than less assignment groups.
All assignment groups should total 100% – unless extra credit is provided.
Individual assignments should still be worth the number of points that make sense, based on the grading criteria used.
With each assignment group, points are still relevant when compared to one another. For example, a 60-point discussion assignment will have greater impact on the final grade than a 20-point discussion assignment.

For an example of how to share the weighted assignment grading scheme with your students, you might want to point them to this video for How Weighted Grades Work (Warner, 2016). The video provides an easy-to-understand instructional format with examples to demonstrate weighting grades in practice. Another simple instructional video is How Do Weighted Grades Work (McCrady, 2021) – similar title, but a different presenter.

What other ideas regarding the use of assignment grouping and weighting – or other grade book strategies – have you applied or are exploring at your higher education institution? Please share your thoughts with our TOPkit community on LinkedIn!

References

Barrett-Fox, R. (2023, August). Lighten your load: Weight grades. Rebecca Barrett-Fox.https://anygoodthing.com/2020/10/15/lighten-your-load-weight-grades/

Franke, M. (2018). Final exam weighting as part of course design. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 6(1), 91-103. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.6.1.9

McCrady, V. [Victoria McCrady]. (2021, January 19). How do weighted grades work [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L16_SgnBxcw

Metropolitan State University of Denver, Center for Teaching, Learning and Design (2021, April 19). Weighted Grading. https://ready.msudenver.edu/canvas-spotlight/weighted-grading/

Salt Lake Community College. (2021, August 3). What are the benefits of weighting assignment groups in Canvas? SLCC Knowledge Base. https://slcconline.helpdocs.com/instructional-best-practices/what-are-the-benefits-of-weighting-assignment-groups-in-canvas

TOP HAT. (nd). Weighted Grades. https://tophat.com/glossary/w/weighted-grades/

Warner, B. [Brent Warner]. (2016, July 29). How weighted grades work [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WJT-ckF6PU

Tag: weighted grading schemes

A “Weighty” Issue: Grading Schemes and Course Design (Issue 30)