Brightspace-CUNYfirst

ADVANCED BRIGHTSPACE GUIDELINES FOR FACULTY

Brightspace to CUNYfirst Grade Sync Guide

This user guide provides instructions for the CUNYfirst process of importing grades from the Brightspace Learning Management System (LMS) into CUNYfirst.

The Brightspace to CUNYfirst Grade Passback process is an additional and streamlined option for instructors to import grades into the CUNYfirst grade roster. However, the current methods for entering grades into the CUNYfirst grade roster, such as manual entry or importing via Excel and CSV files, remain available for use until the final submission of the grade roster.

The CUNYfirst Grade Passback process allows final grades entered in the Brightspace Learning Management System (LMS) to be transferred directly into the CUNYfirst grade roster, saving time and reducing manual entry errors. The process of importing final grades is one way from Brightspace to CUNYfirst Grade Roster, which serves as the official record for students’ grades. The grade roster does not send grades back to Brightspace upon updating or posting grades in CUNYfirst.

CUNYfirst

The grade import process begins with preparing the Brightspace gradebook, ensuring alignment with your institution’s grading policies, and entering grades in Brightspace. Next, you would log into CUNYfirst to import the grades into the grade roster and resolve any discrepancies. Finally, review and submit the grades for all students on the grade roster. The grades will be posted to the student’s record upon posting.

The grade passback process cannot be applied to merged courses (unmerging courses is not advisable).

Step I

Release Final Calculated Grade in Brightspace

Releasing the final grade column (either Final Calculated Grade or Final Adjusted Grade) in Brightspace means making it visible to students. If grades are not released, an eye icon with a strikethrough will appear next to each of them.

Set which column will be released to students.

a) Release Calculated Final Grade

b) Release Final Adjusted Grade

Step II

Remove CUNY Demo Student Account (optional)

If you have never created a CUNY Demo Student account, skip this step. Otherwise, click the button below to learn how to remove the CUNY Demo Student account.

Delete CUNY Demo Student Account

Step III

Set Hostos grading schema

Make sure that your Brightspace grading schema is set to Hostos Letter. Numeric grades will not be imported into CUNYfirst.

Hostos Gradng Schema

Step IV

Initiate Grade Import

On the Grade Roster page in CUNYfirst, navigate to the Grade Import from Brightspace section.

This feature will be available on May 16 in CUNYfirst Grade Roster.

Read instructions

Use the informational icon to review the following instructions:

“Once your grade book is completed and no further changes are necessary, change the Approval Status to Submit Grades to Register and click the Post button to make the grades available to students. Note: You CANNOT change your grades after this step and must follow your campus Grade Change process.”

Import grades

Click the Import Grades button in your grade roster on CUNYfirst.

Click yes under the “Importing grades will override current entries” option.

Confirm that the import log is complete.

Importing grades will override current entries in CUNYfirst

Step V

Check the grades before posting

During the grade import process, errors may occasionally arise due to incompatible grading schemes, incomplete gradebook setups, or final administrative grades being posted (e.g., WN).

The report contains detailed information about the specific student and problems encountered. Each grade error must be reviewed and resolved prior to submitting grades to the registrar for posting. Once the issue is identified, adjustments can be made directly in CUNYfirst on the grade roster or in Brightspace, then imported into CUNYfirst.

Access the Grade Import Error Log

To review errors, click on the Grade Import Error Log button. Remember, the Grade Import Error Log button and report only display when import errors exist.

Note: The Last Import field on the left of the button displays the date and time grades are imported from Brightspace. This field is refreshed each time grades are imported from Brightspace.

Common import issues & resolutions

Error Message	Description	Resolution
No grade was sent this student	No final grade in Brightspace grade roster for this student	Add the grade to the CUNYfirstgrade roster – Using the current manual process
The grade submitted is not a valid grade for the student	The grade in Brightspace grade roster is not a valid grade for this student	Add the grade to the CUNYfirst grade roster or update the grade in Brightspace to the proper grade
Student does not exist on roster	Student does not exist in CUNYfirst Grade Roster	Contact Registrar (For Demo Student: remove the Demo Student from the Classlist in Brightspace)
Student does not exist in LMS	Student does not exist in Brightspace Grade Roster	Contact EdTechSupport@hostos.cuny.edu
Duplicate Student in LMS	Student is listed multiple times in Brightspace grade roster	Contact EdTechSupport@hostos.cuny.edu
Unable to import grades	Data retrieval error from Brightspace	Contact EdTechSupport@hostos.cuny.edu
Org Unit ID not found for course code: BAR01_CIS_9480 _1252_201X	Class not found in Brightspace: BAR01_CIS_9480_1252_201X	Contact EdTechSupport@hostos.cuny.edu

Save but not Submit

Click Save to save the imported or entered grades.

Note: When the Approval Status is set to Save but not Submit, the grade roster is saved and may be reviewed later.

Step VI

Post the grades

After all errors are resolved and a grade is entered for each student, you are ready to submit the grades.

Post Grades on CUNYfirst

Frequently Asked Questions

Who to contact for support?

Contact

EdTech staff members are happy to assist you. Feel free to use this page to request a course design...

Is the instructor prompted at any point during the import process to select a schema, within Brightspace or CUNYfirst?

No, there is no prompt to select grade schema in Brightspace or CUNYfirst? In Brightspace, instructors may select the appropriate schema for the course. In CUNYfirst, there is no option for the instructor to select the grading scheme.

Are the Final Calculated Grade column grades automatically converted to a letter grade if the instructor forgets to change them in Brightspace?

No, the instructor must change the grading scheme in Brightspace to a letter grade schema to use the Import Grade feature.

Note: Numeric grades will not be imported into CUNYfirst.

Will the Import Grade feature work for merged/cross-listed courses?

No, the Import Grade feature cannot be used for merged courses. Instructors may use the current grade entry methods, such as manual entry or importing grades via Excel and CSV file upload.

If an instructor pulls grades from Brightspace and then notices that the grade is incorrect, are manual grade edits possible for individual students in CUNYfirst, and will the Import Grade button continue to show to re-pull the grades?

Use of the Import Grade feature overrides all entered grades and reflects the grades imported from Brightspace. The Import Grade button is available until the grade roster option Submit to the Registrar and Post are selected. Upon completing this action, grades are posted to the student’s record.

Once the grade roster is posted, follow your current campus processes to submit a grade change request as no further edits may be made to the posted grade roster.

Is there any way for an instructor to clear the import and start over before they select Save or Post? Or is subsequent re-import the only option?

Prior to selecting grade roster option Submit to the Registrar and Post,
instructors may use the current grade entry methods, such as manual entry or importing grades via Excel and CSV file upload. Additionally, the Import Grade feature is available until the grade roster is submitted to the registrar and posted to the student’s record.

Note:
The process of importing grades is one way from Brightspace to CUNYfirst. The grade roster does not send grades back to Brightspace upon updating or posting grades in CUNYfirst.

What happens if an instructor changes a grade in Brightspace after they've had CUNYfirst import and officially Post final grades?

Note:
The process of importing grades is one way from Brightspace to CUNYfirst. The grade roster does not send grades back to Brightspace upon updating or posting grades in CUNYfirst.

Will the Registrar need to reset the grades to allow a re-import?

No, the Import Grade feature is available and may be used continually to pull grades from Brightspace until the grade roster option Submit to the Registrar and Post are selected which posts the grades to the student’s record.

Note: Check all grade entries before submitting the grade roster to the registrar for final posting.

Is there any way to make reviewing and clearing the Error Log a required step before submitting grades to registrar and posting grades to the student’s record.

There is no feature to clear the error log. The user can only view the error logs for the most recent errors pulled from Brightspace. The instructor must review and manually correct entries (by manually entering grades or importing grades via Excel and CSV file upload) before selecting the grade roster option Submit to the Registrar and Post. This action will post the grades to the student’s record and prevent any further edits to the grade roster.