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This semester CETL is focused on grading 鈥� how we do it, why we do it, and how we can do it better (ohhh...and maybe stop doing it altogether).

I know, I know, we must grade. But wait, do we? Or do we have to do so much of it? Or do we have to do it in the same ways we鈥檝e been doing it? I鈥檝e been asking a lot of questions lately about what grades are doing for students. Are they motivating students to learn? Do students understand what they鈥檝e learned and the progress they鈥檝e made in their mastery of course content with the grades I assign? Likely no, or not as much as we hope.

One idea we鈥檒l be talking about this year is Ungrading. Now before you stop reading, hear me out! Ungrading isn鈥檛 鈥榥ot giving grades.鈥� Jesse Stommel, a leading voice in the Ungrading movement in higher education, says that Ungrading  鈥渕eans raising an eyebrow at grades as a systemic practice, distinct from simply 鈥渘ot grading.鈥� The word is a present participle, an ongoing process, not a static set of practices.鈥� (). Ultimately, Ungrading is any assessment/grading practice that 鈥渄ecenters the action of an instructor assigning a summary grade to student work鈥� (). 

Full transparency, I have not given up grades completely, but I鈥檝e been moving in that direction.  I have moved toward partnering with students in assessment, using a lot of peer review, and asking students to reflect on their work and learning. 

Even in Ungrading there鈥檚 a summative grade for the course.  But Ungrading changes the way that we get to that grade. It鈥檚 about feedback, student-teacher conversations, and trust. The shift is in having students reflect on their learning, read and respond to instructor feedback, and improve their work throughout the semester. It鈥檚 about students reflecting on the learning outcomes and thinking about their own mastery. Ideally, students are focused on their learning, and not the grade. They are excited to read and discuss your feedback, not nervous to see the grade you鈥檝e assigned.

Ungrading isn鈥檛 just about one practice, it鈥檚 about your whole approach to pedagogy and assessment. So, I hope you鈥檒l engage with us this year in discussions about grading. From the feedback we give, to the time we spend grading, to our grading policies - we are discussing it all! I鈥檓 excited about all four webinars in the Equity-Minded Grading webinar series, but I鈥檓 especially excited for you to get a peek into what an Ungrading classroom looks like with our session Labor-Based and Anti-Racist Grading and our session on Specifications Grading. I hope to see you at a webinar this semester. In the meantime, check out the  Ungrading reading list to learn more.

Ungraded Reading List

• Peter Elbow, 1997,
• Alfie Kohn, 2011,
• Linda Nilson, 2014,
• Jeffrey Schinske and Kimberly Tanner, 2014,
• Cathy Davidson, 2015,
• Alfie Kohn, 2018, (available for check-out at Michener Library)
• Susan Blum, 2020, (available as an e-book from Michener Library)
• Erica M. Dolson, 2022,