Here is a fast introduction for those who have to figure out the grading programs in the next twenty minutes, because they have to return graded term work in twenty-five minutes.
Typically that means you are a TA who has just finished marking the first assignment in a course, but anyone else is welcome too.
First
Your instructor sent you mail containing the initial empty grades file. You saved it in a file called "gfile" (or whatever).
If gfile is a raw mail file (rather than a saved attachment), edit it to remove the mail header, and also the trailing blank line that mail programs like to attach.
Second
Check that the file is in the right format:
glint gfile
Oops
If you get a Unix error saying that glint wasn't found, use its full path name or add its directory to your $path. You can find out where it is from "Where are the grading programs?".
Oops 2
Glint ran, but it gave error messages. Make sure you removed the mail header. If you did, read "Sending grades files by mail". If you still have problems, consult with your instructor.
Third
If glint ran without complaint, you're ready to enter marks.
Find out the name of the mark you're entering. Suppose it's the first assignment. Look at the grades file: it should have a line near the beginning that says
A1 / 10
(or something similar). That means the name of the first assignment is "A1", and it's marked out of 10. If you marked out of something else — say, 20 — then:
- Think hard: did your instructor say anything about what to mark out of?
- Edit the grades file to change the 10 to 20.
Now use grades to put in the marks for A1:
grades gfile
Grades is sort of like a kindergarten-level spreadsheet, and you can just type the marks in the right column, then save and close the file.
Finally
Once again:
glint gfile
to see if you did anything obviously silly.
Then mail gfile to your instructor.
Sometime…
You might want to know more about the grading programs. Go back to the introduction to start reading the complete description.