Iterating with Ungrading
Concurrent Session 2
Brief Abstract
How can we support student success with alternative assessment methods? We will share how we transformed the student experience in our master’s program by implementing an ungrading philosophy as an act of social justice. In this session, you will learn about the triumphs, challenges, and discoveries of our journey.
Presenters
Extended Abstract
In this interactive session, we (online master’s program directors and instructors) will share our journey and experiences with transitioning our program from traditional grading structures to an ungrading philosophy. We will share challenges, lessons we learned, triumphs, impact on students and instructors, and how we have iterated our approach from our Fall 2020 pilot through today. We will explain our philosophy, practice, and favorite resources to help you prepare to engage in this work. We frame all of this in an iterative mindset.
This work is important as we consider the experience of adult learners and try to create learning environments that are focused on supporting individual growth. This philosophy and approach challenges the norms of what assessment and feedback looks like and encourages all of us to continually re-examine our teaching practices with a critical lens. Above all, our shift to ungrading is a human-centered act of social justice and the implementation of this philosophy is meant to reduce bias in assessment, which is an area of critical concern at all levels of education.
Participants will leave this session with
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an increased understanding of what ungrading is,
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ideas of how ungrading can work in both fully online and face-to-face courses,
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ideas about how to work as an instructional team to have a shared vision of ungrading,
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an understanding of the implications ungrading has for social justice, inclusivity, and accessibility
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strategies for soliciting feedback from instructors and learners to support evaluation and iteration
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how to prepare for your own journey into ungrading.
Throughout the presentation, we will welcome questions, create opportunities for self-reflection, and engage in small group discussions about ungrading. We don’t promise to have all the answers, but we promise to share what we have learned and support your journey.