The gradebook default is set to penalize students for assignments that have not been attempted; the missing grades calculate as zeros. As the term goes on and more assignments are completed, the students' grades will rise. At the end of the course, grades will be a true reflection of students’ achievement.
If you would like to change your gradebook to calculate course total based on assignments completed (vs. all assignments within the course), you may check the Exclude Empty Grades option within your gradebook settings. You will find this setting through the following steps (leave all other settings at their defaults):
While in the course…
- Select Grades.
- Select the Setup tab.
- Select Edit to the right of the course name.
- Select Edit Settings.
- Under Grade Category, click Show more...
- Check the Exclude Empty Grades option.
- Click Save changes.
Please note that at the end of the term, students with incomplete work will not be penalized for the incompletions and you may want to repeat these steps to include empty grades to get an accurate reflection of your students' performance.