Categories can be used in the Gradebook to group together a number of related graded items. A category might be "Homework" or "Weekly Reflections." You do not need to use categories unless you have a lot of graded items that you would like to organize, or want to weight related items in your Gradebook.
A category allows faculty to customize the Gradebook according to the designated methods of assessment stated in the syllabus. A category's function varies according to whether your Gradebook is points- or percentage-based.
Categories in a Percentage-Based Gradebook
In a percentage-based Gradebook, the category tool can automatically calculates the weight of each item within the category. For example, if the "Homework" category contains four assignments, each can automatically be worth 25% (1/4) of the total score for that category. You can also manually weight items in a category so that not all weights are equal If you decide to manually weight items within a category.
Categories in a Points-Based Gradebook
In a points-based Gradebook, categories organize items together for display, but don't adjust the weights of categories or assignments. Each graded item in a category in a points-based Gradebook is always worth exactly the points assigned to the graded item.
Extra Credit Categories
Extra credit can be given within a Gradebook and then taken into account during the calculation of the final grade for a student. Any category can be marked as extra credit. Every graded item in a category will be used in the extra credit calculation when generating a student's final grade in the class.