An introduction to Smart Views

In this article, we’ll take a look at what a smart view is and the the types available. We’ll also look at the basic steps needed to set up a smart view.

What is a smart view?

A smart view is a focused look at the Grade Centre that shows only the columns and rows that match a set of criteria. You can create a menu shortcut for your smart view and add it as a favourite. You can then access the smart view via Control Panel>Gradecentre (where you will see a list of favourited smart views).

What types of smart view can I create?

Below is a quick summary of the different types of smart view that you can create.

• Course Group: Choose from sub-sections of students. (For example, marking groups, tutor groups). Note, you must create groups before you can use them as selection criteria.
• Performance: View student performance based on a single items.
  • Allows you to focus on a particular assessment based on Gradecentre Column heading.
  • Choose a condition to return results on eg. all scores which are greater than or less than a particular pass mark.
• User: View individual students (from a list of all users).
• Category and Status:
  • Choose a Blackboard category type (eg. Assignment, Survey, Test, Turnitin assignment).
  • Choose users or groups.
  • Filter by status (eg. Completed, Exempt, In Progress, Needs Marking, Not Attempted).
• Custom: Select students by using a combination of attributes.

What can I use a smart view for?

Below are some examples of scenarios where you may want to create a smart view.

• For markers to access marking groups (this can be particularly useful for large cohorts, to allow markers to focus on the specific students).
• Check which students have passed or failed a test (for example a mandatory academic malpractice or a health and safety test).
• Check when students last accessed a Blackboard course

How do I create a smart view?

You can watch the short video below, which shows how to create a smart view. In this example, we’ll be creating a smart view based on course group, so that a marker can view a particular marking group.

Quick steps for creating a smart view:

Alternatively, you can follow the steps below on how to set up a Smart view.

• Open the relevant Blackboard space and ensure that Edit Mode is switched ON.
• Go to the Control Panel>Gradecentre>Full Gradecentre.
• Next choose the menu Manage and select Smart Views.
• A new window will open with a list of any existing smart views.  Above the list of Smart Views click on the button Create Smart View.
• In the Create Smart View window.  Give the Smart View a Name.
• Scroll down and add a tick to the checkbox Add as Favorite (this will create a menu shortcut).
• In Selection Criteria select the type of smart view that you would like to create.
• The options that you select next will depend on the type of smart view you are creating. (The video shows how to create a smart view based on groups).
• Choose Submit to save the smart view.
• You should now see that your smart view has been created and added as a favourite.
• To check the smart view, scroll down and click Ok to close the smart view list.
• Next return to Control Panel>Gradecentre>Full Gradecentre. You should see your smart view menu short cut. Click the menu link to access the filtered view of the Gradecentre.

Further resources:

Managing Smart Views (how to add and remove menu shortcuts and edit a smart view)