Student Grade Evaluator by Osman YILMAZ

Student Grade Evaluator by Osman YILMAZ

(Some of the following information may not be valid for EVA98 5.0. This user guide will be updated soon)

EVA 98 USER GUIDE

For further questions call Mustafa Kara (2420) or mail tol: mustafa.kara@emu.edu.tr

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Win 95+ , 16+ MB RAM (very slow with 8 MB)

EVA 98 was designed as a stand-alone program. Avoid installing or using in a network environment since the data is prone to misuse.

UPGRADING

Difference between EVA3.1 and EVA98

EVA 98 have been designed as a 32-bit application, which means that it can run only on Win 95 (or higher) or Win NT environment.

EVA 98 has the capability of auto-updating (save) while editing class list.

It can do more detailed statistical analysis.

It has a universal and practical letter grading system.

It is capable of hiding desired columns while printing. It has other print options.

It has a file options form to fix default file locations and enable backup on opening a file.

It has a better graphic user interface.

And much more.

Difference between EVA98 5.0 and the previous version

It is more or less the same except that EVA 98 is more bug (problem) free.

FILE OPERATIONS

Creating a New File

Click “File/Create New File” Menu command.

Creating a file for Manual Student Information Input

CreateNewManual.jpg (3356 bytes)

Choose "Manual Entrance" and proceed with filling the rest of the form as defined below.

Creating a File by Importing Student Information from Another Data Source

This option is useful if you can get a soft copy (file) of the student list from the Registrar's Office.

Choose "From File" option and select the source file by using the "Browse" button. Make sure that asked and detected data fields (like student No, group etc) match with each other.

CreateFromFile.jpg (24966 bytes)

Entering the Assessment (exam) Data

On the "Assessment Data" frame:

AssesmentData.jpg (18752 bytes)

Click “Add” button after you input exam type, weight and maximum mark ("out of") data for an exam. You can do the changes on the grid as well.

You can change the appearance order (order of exam columns on class list) by clicking the “up” and “down” buttons after selecting an exam row on the grid.

Defining the Course Properties:

Define the course properties on the "Course Data" frame. If you don't know the number of groups, and if you are importing data from a file, click "Import group data from source file" button.

CourseData.jpg (17149 bytes)

You can edit the instructor names later.

Defining the Location and Name of the File Being Created:

Define the location and name of the file being created on "Save File As" frame. The recommended name is automatically written as you type the course info.

SaveFileAs.jpg (7913 bytes)

Creating the File:

Click the “Create New File” button. The new file is automatically created and made ready for use.

Using EVA 98 for Multi-instructor Courses

Copies of the EVA 98 (mdb) database file can be distributed to the instructors. They can work on their students’ records.

If the grading is done course-wide then the exam data of all instructors can be combined in any open file by using “File/Merge Data” menu command.

Updating the Class List after Add-Drop Period

Obtain the new dbase file containing the updated class list.

Open the EVA-file which is to be updated

Use “File/Update Class List after Add-Drop Period” menu command. The following form will appear:

UpdateAfterAddDrop.jpg (18127 bytes)

Select the dbase file by using the "Browse" button.

Update the class list by clicking "Update" button.

Note that this operation will delete records of students who dropped the course, add the records of students who added the course and check the group numbers of all students to correct any group changes.

Opening an EVA File

To open one of recently opened 4 files click the name of desired file on “File” menu command list or use “File/Open” menu command for other files.

Saving Student Records

There is no file save command. All the changes on student records are saved automatically while editing the student records.

PRINTING

Printing Class List and Statistics

Use “File/Print” menu command. The following form will appear:

PrintForm.jpg (38380 bytes)

Select the groups which are going to be printed from

Deselect the column names (like name, last name, group number, department number, note etc) to be hidden on the printed form.

Make "Print Course Definitions" and "Print Statistics" and underlying other options checked according to your purpose.

Click "Print" button to start printing.

If more than one group is selected, the student records are printed on a single form sorted in an order defined on the main form. If you want to obtain class list for each group separately, do this by selecting a single group each time before you click "Print"..

Printing Attendance Forms

Use “File/Print Attendance Form” menu command and set the print options on the coming form:

AttendanceForm.jpg (26309 bytes)

Select (by clicking) the groups to be printed. Note that the attendance forms are printed group by group irrespective of the number of selected groups.

EDITING STUDENT RECORDS

Class list is edited by using a data aware grid. Any change on any student record is automatically updated (saved) when the user skips to another student record. Therefore there is no “Save” option on the file menu.

DataAwareGrid.jpg (19863 bytes)

Changing Student Records

Scroll down to the desired student record. You can use "Find Student” frame with " student no" or "by name" or "by last name" text fields to locate student record.
Click into the cell you are going to change.
Edit changes. Note that the record placeholder will show a pen mark while you edit.
Jump to another record to update (save) the change. Note that the pen mark will disappear after the update process.

Using the Data-aware Grid

To navigate through a student record use “left” or “right” arrows. If you have done any change in a cell, press ENTER before pressing any arrow button.
Pressing “up” or “down” arrow keys will end up with automatic save of any changes on the existing record.
Pressing “Tab” will set the focus to another control on the form, therefore don’t use tab to navigate within the class list.

Note: Copying and pasting of a whole record does not work on the data-aware grid.

Adding New Student Records

Scroll down to the last row of the class list. Note that the placeholder of this row has * mark.
Click into any cell in this row. (The placeholder will be converted to a pen)
Enter student information appropriately.
Jump to any other record to update the change. If you close the file without jumping to a new record, the record is not saved.

AddingANewRecord.jpg (7106 bytes)

Deleting Student Records

Click the placeholder of the student record to be deleted. (The whole row is highlighted)

Press “DEL” button.

Calculation of the Total Mark

The total mark is automatically calculated when you skip to another student record.

Hiding Columns

Click the header of the column to be hidden.
Click “View/Hide Selected Column” menu command.

HidingColumns.jpg (14419 bytes)

Displaying Hidden Columns

Click “View/Show Hidden Columns” menu command.

Displaying Students of Desired Groups

To show all groups, make the “Show All Groups” box checked.
To display certain groups,

Make the “Show All Groups” box unchecked.

Select the groups to be displayed from the “Show groups” list box. The grid (class list) will be refreshed automatically.

Note that no record is lost but the student records of unselected groups are made invisible by this procedure.

Sorting Class List

Use the “Record Sort Order” list box to change the sort order.

SortingRecords.jpg (19470 bytes)

By clicking the , or buttons you may move the column names up or down or top,accordingly, to determine the sort order. The class list is automatically refreshed as you change the sort order. Note that the student list has been sorted by "GRD", then by "TOT" in an ascending order on the above example.

Finding (locating) Student Records

Focus on “Student No” or “Name” or “Last name” fields of “Find Student” frame on the class list form.

SearchingStudentRecords.jpg (14790 bytes)

Search mechanism works on the background as you type the student ID. On any match, the record of the found student becomes the current record. You can use “Find Next” or “Find Previous” command buttons if necessary.

Random Mark Input

Click “Edit/Random Exam Score Input” menu command.

RandomMarkInput.jpg (35086 bytes)

Select the exam to be edited.

Enter the student number. Student record is automatically searched and student information and any existing mark is displayed. If found, focus is automatically set to the exam mark box.

Pressing ENTER or “Update” button updates the exam mark. Focus is set to "student no" box for the next student search.

AUTOMATIC LETTER GRADING

Letter grades of students can automatically be assigned by EVA with a very user friendly module called Grader. This module draws a distribution curve and allows like "satisfactory", unsatisfactory, "honour" are also calculated automatically. Grader also allows some variations like different grading systems like S/U, treatment of missing exam or total marks etc.

How to run grader:

Click "View/Grader" menu command. The following form will appear.

Grader.jpg (94570 bytes)

Changing the Letter Garade Limits (bounds)

LimitControl.jpg (21599 bytes)

You can change the limits by three ways:

By typing the limit. Set focus (click) to the desired leter grade limit text box (for example C-/C bound, ) and type the desired number. li>
Click right or left spin buttons of the letter grade bound.
Drag the slider pointer of total mark axis to desired total mark.

Interpretation of Letter Grade Limits:

Consider the letter grade "C" on above example form. It shows that lower and upper limits for "C" are 55 and 60 respectively. This means that the computer assigns a "C" grade to any student with a total mark between 54.50 to 59.49.

Treating Blank Exam Marks:

This applies to student records with one or more missing exam marks as shown below:

MissingMark.jpg (5042 bytes)

Use the option buttons in Blank Exam Marks frame.

BlankExamMarks.jpg (6195 bytes)

If one is going to do a make-up exam for the missing exams for some students, giving an incomplete grade (like "I") is advised. To do this, choose "Incomplete Exam. Give Letter grade..." option button. In this case Grader will not consider the total grades of these students in statistics and assign "I" as letter grade to such students.

If you choose "Count as Zero" option, Grader will convert blank marks to 0 and assign a letter grade corresponding to the calculated total mark.

If you don't know what to do with blank exam marks but do not want them to effect the statistics, choose "Don't count. Give no letter grade" option.

Treating Blank Total Marks:

This applies to student records with no exam mark (meaning no total mark) as shown below:

MissingTotal.jpg (7744 bytes)

Use the option buttons in "Blank Total Marks" frame:

BlankTotalMarks.jpg (5545 bytes)

You can choose "Give letter grade: " option if you want to assign a valid special letter grade to such students who did not attend any exam, by typing the letter grade. The default is "NG" (Nill Grade at Eastern Mediterranean University)

The other options are similar to the ones in explained in the "Treating Blank Exam Marks" section.

Changing the Letter Grade System:

Data for 4 different systems is stored in a database file called Grading System.mdb. Grader automatically choses the one previously defined as "default" (by clicking the "Make Default" button). The default is "X, X+, X-" (letter grade system of Eastern Mediterranean University).

LetterGradeSystem2.jpg (5573 bytes)

If you want to change the system to a previously defined one, click the arrow of the drop-down listbox and choose the appropriate system.

LetterGradeSystem.jpg (5689 bytes)

If you want to make the chosen system as default, click "Make Default" button. To turn back to the default system, click "Use Default" button.

If you want to add a new system, click "View / Add System" button. A new form will appear on the screen:

GradeSystemDefinition.jpg (19339 bytes)

On this form, click "New Sytem", give a name, and define each letter grade with their default upper and lower limits, credits and status.

Automating the Letter Grade Limits:

Use the buttons in "Letter Grade Limits" frame:

LetterGradeLimits.jpg (4438 bytes)

Click "Make Default" if you want to make the limits default for all other courses.

Click "Use Default" if you want to turn back to the default limits.

Click "Distribute Around Avg." if you want to distribute the letter grades around average.

Printing the Grader form:

Click "Print" button to print the form with distribution curve, letter grade limits, and statistics.

Updating the Student List:

Once the letter grade limits are fixed, click "Update" button. Grader will update all student records and assign a letter grade as defined on the form.