Grade totals can be calculated using manually entered formulas to ensure you get exactly the calculation you want.
Although grade totals are normally calculated automatically in Totara Learn it is possible to set your own calculations as well. If you have a specific calculation you wish to perform then this can be entered as a formula on any manually added grade item or grade category in the gradebook.
If you do not wish to add a manual calculation then you may want to consider how you might utilise features such as grade aggregation and grade weighting within the system.
Adding a calculation
Anyone with editing rights on a course can add a grade calculation. Before you can add a calculation you need to make sure you have setup a manual grade item or grade category, then follow these steps:
- On the course go to Grade > Setup > Gradebook setup in the Administration block.
- Alongside the grade item or category you wish to set the calculation for click Edit > Edit calculation.
- Enter the calculation you wish to use in the Calculation box.
- When you are done click Save changes.
ID numbers
To perform a calculation you will need to give the items you wish to include in the calculation an ID number. This can either be done in the grade items settings or when adding the calculation, by adding an ID number in the box alongside the item and then clicking Add ID numbers.
Editing a calculation
If you wish to make a change to an existing calculation follow these steps:
- On the course go to Grade > Setup > Gradebook setup in the Administration block.
- Alongside the grade item or category you wish to edit the calculation for click Edit > Edit calculation.
- Edit the existing calculation in the Calculation box.
- When you are done click Save changes.
Calculation functions
There are a number of grade calculations supported in Totara Learn. Every calculation must start with an equal sign (=) and you can use comas (,) as a separator.
Certain language packs use different characters for some functions. These are as follows:
- Separator: English uses a coma (,) some other languages use a semicolon (;)
- Decimal: English uses a dot (.) some other languages use a coma (,)
| Function | Example | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Average | =average([[item1]], [[item2]]...) | Show the average of the grades included. |
| Maximum grade | =max([[item1]], [[item2]]...) | Shows the maximum (highest) grade in the list. |
| Minimum grade | =min([[item1]], [[item2]]...) | Shows the minimum (lowest) grade in the list. |
| Power | =power(base, power) | Raises a number to the power of another. |
| Round | =round(number, count) | Rounds a number to a predefined accuracy. |
| Sum | =sum([[item1]], [[item2]]...) | Returns the sum total all all items included in the list. |
| Multiple | =[[item1]]*[[item2]] | Multiples one item by another using an asterisk (*) to represent a multiplication symbol. |
| Divide | =[[item1]]/[[item2]] | Divides one item by another, by using a forward slash (/) to represent divide symbol. |
A number of mathematical functions are also supported:
- sin
- sinh
- arcsin
- asin
- arcsinh
- asinh
- cos
- cosh
- arccos
- acos
- arccosh
- acosh
- tan
- tanh
- arctan
- atan
- arctanh
- atanh
- sqrt
- abs
- ln
- log
- exp
The Totara Academy has a whole course dedicated to using Grading, completion and certificates in Totara Learn. Here you can learn more on how to use these tools, see best practice, and give it a go yourself.
