Linking an assignment to the Gradebook

Assignments cannot transmit non-calculated grades to the Gradebook tool.

In Assignments, instructors have two options for creating an initial relationship between an assignment and a Gradebook item:

Select Add Assignment to Gradebook.
Select Associate with existing Gradebook assignment.

In general, choosing Add Assignment to Gradebook is the simplest option because you can enter and edit assignment grades in one place (in the Assignments tool), and they will display both there and in the Gradebook.

However, for percentage gradebooks, you may want to associate the assignment with an existing gradebook item, because this will give you flexibility in setting the relative weight for the gradebook items.

These recommendations are based on the following issues regarding the relationship between the Assignments and Gradebook tools:

Using the Add Assignment to Gradebook option

You must use the Assignments tool when you want to edit the point value and due date of an assignment. Also, you must grade assignments in the Assignments tool.
The settings Gradebook retains for this item are Release this item to Students, Include this item in course grade calculations, and Category (if you've created categories).
A grade you assign for an individual assignment through the Assignments tool cannot be overridden in the Gradebook.
Grades you assign for an individual assignment do not display in the Gradebook (even for the instructor) until you release the grades or return a grade to a student from the Assignments tool. In the Gradebook, assignment grades will not show up for students if you have not selected (in the Gradebook) the Release this item to Students setting.
It may be confusing that, after starting with Add Assignment to Gradebook, you have to use the default Associate with existing Gradebook assignment setting upon further editing in the Assignments tool.
For percentage gradebooks, if you choose this option, a gradebook item will be created with a relative weight of 1, and there is no way to change this relative weight.

Note: The limitations of using this option are that you can't use the Gradebook to override an assignment grade, and you must make any changes to settings, as well as any grade changes, in the Assignments tool. An additional limitation with percentage gradebooks is that you cannot set the item's relative weight to any value other than 1.

Using the Associate with existing Gradebook assignment option

You must change the point value and due date settings in both the Assignments and Gradebook tool (i.e., you must manually synchronize them).
Grades you assign in the Assignments tool do not display in the Gradebook (even for the instructor) until you release the grades or return a grade to a student from the Assignments tool. In the Gradebook, assignment grades will not show up for students if you have not selected (in the Gradebook) Release this item to Students.
A grade you assign for an individual assignment through the Assignments tool can be overridden in the Gradebook. However, the change will not be reflected in the Assignments tool.
If you click Release Grades in the Assignments tool, any grades you have changed in the Gradebook tool will be overridden by those in the Assignments tool.
For percentage gradebooks, you can set the item's relative weight to any value and change it at any time.

Note: The biggest disadvantage of using this option is that if you want to edit settings, you must make the changes in both the Assignments and Gradebook tool. The advantage is that you can use the Gradebook to override an assignment grade, though the change won't be reflected in the Assignments tool. For percentage gradebooks, this method is recommended because it allows you to choose the item's relative weight.

Additional issues

When you import assignments and Gradebook items from another site, the items in the Gradebook that you created with the Add Assignment to Gradebook option won't appear in the Gradebook. You will have to use the Assignments tool to add them again.
For imported assignments that you created using the Associate with existing Gradebook assignment option, you will have to use the Assignments tool to re-associate them with the appropriate Gradebook items.