Evaluating Engrade

Engrade is a free online gradebook. It offer many features that are helpful for teachers both in and out of the classroom. I created a fake class to test out Engrade and this is what I thought.


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 There was many features that I liked and some that I disliked. I loved how easy it was to create a class. It was easy to select how your grades are configured, I chose weighted grades. I also liked that you could easily create lessons, quizzes and flashcard activities on the site. I found the flashcard program to be very useful in helping students prepare for tests and quizzes. It is an interactive study aid that allows them to study the flashcards, match the definitions to the concept and then answer multiple choice questions about the vocabulary. Lastly I liked the calendar in that it posts the assignments on the calendar on the date they are due. Students then have a visual reminder of due dates and can use the same links to check grades once the assignment is complete.

I did not like that the students or their parents have to have an email address in order to create an account and view their grades. I posed as a student to see what the process is like. I was able to fairly easily create an account as the student. The view of the grades from the students perspectives was good. They can click on assignments to view individual grades as well as see their real time overall. I was also not a fan of the attendance page. I would take attendance in the form that my school prefers and I would not record it twice. It would not be of use to me. I think it is good for students to be able to view their grade at any time. However, if the teacher is not diligent in inputting grades to keep it accurate, problems can arise.

My biggest suggestion for Engrade would be for them to make the access code capable of allowing the students to see their grades without having to make an account using an email address.