2.1. User Interface Overview

2.1. User Interface Overview

When first opened, Easy Grader will appear as it does in Figure 1. The Menu bar (Figure 2) is attached to the larger window seen in Figure 1. Easy Grader does not open a class file by default and instead displays empty Name and ID columns with an empty area to the right of these columns. When a class file is opened or created, the Name and ID columns are filled with Student information and the area to the right of those columns is filled with the Classes Grade Items.

Figure 1	Figure 2

Common Menus

There are two cartagories of menu in Grader Plus, those that all versions of the software (Teacher, Student and Teacher's Assistant). This section will cover those that do not change, and outline the functions of the other menus. The menus that change from version to version are addressed in that version's sub-section.

Figure 3

The Edit Menu contains commands for manipulating the data contained within the class file and can be seen in Figure 3. All versions of this menu are identical.

Edit->Undo will reverse the last change made to the Class. This includes all changes from grade entries to curving the entire class.
Edit->Redo will re-apply the last change that was removed by Edit->Undo. Edit->Undo and Edit->Redo can remove or re-apply all changes made since the user opened the current class file.
Edit->Cut will place a copy of the selected data fields into the clip board and place null data entries in those data fields if those fields are pasted from the clipboard. Depending on the kind of field cut from, a null entry might be a zero or no grade what so ever.
Edit->Copy will place a copy of the selected data fields into the clip board.
Edit->Paste will place whatever data is on the clipboard into the selected fields.
Edit->Delete will place null entries in the selected data fields.
Edit->Find allows the user to choose a string of text to search for within the class. This will search within student names, Grade Item names and student scores.
Edit->Find Next repeats the last search, finding the next entry that matches the string entered into find. Searches proceed in a row-major column-minor order.
Edit->Replace creates a window where the user can enter a string to find (like Edit->Find) and a string to replace the first string when it is found. After telling Easy Grader to replace the first string with the second, Easy Grader reports how many strings were replaced and highlight the fields that were changed.
File->Select All allows the user to select all Students(with File->Select All->Students) or Categories(File->Select All->Categories).

The View menu allows the user to organize how they view the data in their class. This menu can be seen in detail in Figure 4. This menu is the same for all users.

View->Customize Toolbar is used to change which buttons (if any) are in the area directly below the menu bar. This area is empty by default.
View->Plot Histogram opens a separate window with a Histogram of the grades displayed. This view will be discussed in more detail later.
View->Plot Pie Chart opens a separate window with a Pie Chart of the grades displayed. This view will also be discussed in more detail later.
View->Prediction places the class into prediction mode. This mode will be discussed in more detail later.
View->Sort By->Student Name will sort the students and their associated grades by Student name in alphabetical order.
View->Sort By->Student Grade will sort the students and grades by grades in the selected assignment in descending order from the top of the screen. If no assignment is selected, Easy Grader asks which assignment to sort by.
View->Sort By->Overall Grade will sort students and grades in descending order from the top by overall grade. This means the student with the highest grade will be at the top. Finally,
View->Sort By->Team will order students by team. The teams are sorted by alphabetical order and, within the teams, the students are also sorted by alphabetical order.

Figure 4	Figure 5

The Window menu allows the user to track the windows they have open and manage them. Figure 5 shows a mockup of the window menu, though the contents will change depending on which windows the user has open. This menu is the same for all users.

Window->Name of first window brings the identified window to the forefront of the user interface.
Window->Name of last window performs the same function as Window->Name of first window, but operates on the final window instead. There is an entry for each window that has been opened in this list, and each entry performs an operation identical to
Window->Name of first window, with the window they identify. The windows are ordered first to last in order of their creation.
Window->Cascade Windows re-organizes all windows such that all menu bars are visible running from the top of the user interface and running as far down as possible before starting again at the top, offset to the right slightly.

Figure 6
	The final common menu is the very simple Help menu. It contains only one item for all users and can be seen in Figure 6. Help->About Easy Grade will show a small window with version and copyright information.

Version-Sensative Menus

The preceeding menus are common throughout all versions of Grader Plus. However, the File and Class menus' contents will depend on the version of the program you're using. For more information, please see the sub sections below.

Teacher User Interface

Teacher's Assistant Interface

User Interface Overview

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