Faculty Guide to gradeIT

1. Decide which form to use

The General Purpose Answer Sheet is the most widely used gradeIT form at VCU. It is a basic five-answer, multiple-choice form with 230 questions and an additional 5 bonus questions. See Obtaining Answer Sheets for more information.

2. Decide who supplies the forms

About half of faculty choose to provide forms for their students. This can make it easier to ensure that every student has a form to fill out. It also tends to reduce scanning errors, thereby getting you the test results more quickly.
About half of faculty choose for students to provide their own forms. The forms can be printed at Cabell Library for about 12 cents or purchased from bookstores near campus. This reduces office costs, but can lead to the use of mismatched or damaged forms. Scanning errors are higher and delays are more frequent when processing individually procured forms.
More information can be found at Obtaining Answer Sheets.

3. Create the answer key(s)

Answer keys must be made by filling out the same form type as was used for that examination.

In the Name field, write “Key”.
Bubble in the Test ID using a dark pencil or pen.
1. This is especially important for multi-key tests.
Leave the V Number field blank.
1. If you fill out a v-number, the key may be automatically recognized and categorized as a student form.
Bubble in your answers to the questions in the remaining fields using a dark pencil or pen.

4. Submit your test for processing

Print and fill out a Grading Request Form.
1. All fields must be filled out. Blank fields may cause delays or the inability to process your tests.
Prepare your test set.
1. Ensure your students' answer sheets are in an orderly stack without staples, paper clips, or extraneous papers.
2. Place your answer key on the top of the stack in the same orientation as the answer sheets.
3. Place your Request Form on top of the answer key.
4. Optional: Package your test set in a manila envelope.
Drop off your prepared test set at the VCU IT Support Center. We have two locations:
1. Cabell Library, Room B-30: Just outside our office is located a secure drop box. If you did not already package your test set, you may place it in the provided tamper-evident bag and deposit it in the box.
2. VMI, Room 311: Inside the office, there is a red bin which is monitored at all times. If you did not already package your test set, you may place it in the provided tamper-evident bag and deposit it in the bin.
Tests will be processed and the results sent to your VCU email account within two business days. We are unable to guarantee same day or even 24-hour delivery. Please plan accordingly.

Tests may not be submitted electronically or via mail.

5. Check your VCU email for results

You will receive the results of your grading request via email within two business days. Results are provided in PDF format with individual grades, class averages, and extensive statistical information. By clicking on the links below, you can view a sample of each report included in the PDF:

Additionally, if you requested a Canvas or Excel file, you will receive the Canvas .csv file or the .xls file.

Instructions on how to upload your results to Canvas can be found in Appendix item C.

6. Appendix

A. Retreiving your proccessed tests

Individual answer sheets can be provided as a PDF upon request by replying to your test results email. An electronic copy of each test is retained for one year following the end of the semester in which it was processed. Physical copies of processed tests are held for 30 days before they are shredded through the official VCU records destruction service. An appointment is required for picking up scanned tests. Visit https://appointlet.vcu.edu and select the location where you submitted your tests.

B. Resolving v-number errors

When you receive your results, you may find that some student data is missing. This can occur when a student does not bubble in their v-number properly.

It is possible that a student has done one of the following:

Provided no v-number
Provided a v-number which does not exist
Provided a v-number which belongs to another individual

In the event that a student does not bubble in their v-number properly, their individual results may be assigned a generic marker (i.e. V1, V2, etc.) or appear under the incorrect v-number or another name in the test results. If we catch the error:

We will pull the student's test from the set and place it on top of the set so that it is conveniently located at the front (The test will be marked with red ink).
We will indicate in the test results email the names of the students who did not provide their v-numbers (or provided nonexistent v-numbers). This way, you will know which student names are missing from their results in your report.

To combat this issue, we encourage faculty and staff administering exams to impress the importance of correctly filled forms to their test-takers. Consider the gradeIT Answer Sheet like a DMV form; any missing information can hinder the process and may cause the form to be rejected.

C. How to upload grades to Canvas

It is recommended to create an assignment into which you will import the grades before uploading. This is for your ease of navigation and to ensure students receiving assignment notifications see the correct assignment name when you upload the file.

Save the CSV file from your results email
Log into Canvas and open the desired course
Click Grades to open the Gradebook
Open the Actions menu and click Import
Click Choose file and select the CSV file on your computer
Click Open then Upload Data
Identify any students who were not matched to your roster
- This could be due to a v-number error by the student or a mix-up between sections
Choose whether to assign the grades to an existing assignment or to create a new assignment and select the maximum raw point value
- The point value is automatically set to the number of answers in the key you provided; changing this will not automatically update student scores
Optionally, adjust students scores
Click Save Changes
After the file upload completes, the grades will appear in your gradebook
If you opted to create a new assignment, click on the column header titled Assignment to navigate to the assignment page and click Edit to update the name and any other details

Please email gradeIT@vcu.edu or call the IT Support Center at 804-828-2227 with any questions or problems.

This article was updated: 03/3/2025