Alternative Approaches to Grading - OneHE

Activity

Guidance and help, Setting the tone activities

Alternative Approaches to Grading

Maha Bali

Mia Zamora

Jasmina Najjar

Laura Gibbs

Clarissa Sorensen-Unruh

Arley Cruthers

Consider different approaches to grading and how they can affect the classroom atmosphere and more!

Share:

ACTIVITY PURPOSE

Consider different approaches to grading and how they can affect the classroom atmosphere and more!

USEFUL FOR

Giving students agency over their learning and removing competition among students and the stress of grades on students and teachers.

PREPARATION

Lots. Think carefully about what your underlying values are and how you can make them work within your institutional constraints; think about how much you can involve students in the process and have those conversations with them.

INSTRUCTIONS

Watch the video above for practical tips, or check out the resources for several different alternative approaches. Arley Cruthers’ infographics are a good visual introduction; the podcast with Jesse Stommel, Asao Inoue and Maha Bali is a good auditory intro; and the blogposts by Jesse Stommel, Alfie Kohn and Munir Fasheh are a good starting point. If you’re up for a longer read, we suggest Asao Inoue’s books and the edited volume by Susan D. Blum.

DURATION

Variable depending how you plan to implement it.

ADAPTATIONS AND EXAMPLES

You can do it for an entire course, or parts of a course.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

N/A

USEFUL RESOURCES

Arley Cruthers infographics (which inspired this conversation)
Jesse Stommel’s blogpost: How to Ungrade
Alfie Kohn – The Case Against Grades
Munir Fasheh – The Trouble with Knowledge
Asao Inoue’s book – Antiracist Writing Assessment Ecologies: Teaching & Assessing Writing for a Socially Just Future
Asao Inoue’s book: Labor-Based Grading Contracts: Building Equity & Inclusion in the Compassionate Writing Classroom
Susan D. Blum’s edited volume: Ungrading
Getting Rid of Grades (book chapter) by Laura Gibbs
David Buck’s Ungrading Virtual Book Club
Some resources emerging from ungrading slowchat

Watch Video

ABOUT

Educator prep: High
Student prep: None
Synchronous, Asynchronous
No tech needed
Duration: Variable

This activity is one of a series of activities from Equity Unbound, focused on equitable online community building.

Do you have an activity that you would like to suggest?

Do you have feedback or suggestions?

More activities

Course

Introduction to Teaching with Zines

by Dawn Stahura

Course

Engaging Students Through Screen-Capture Video Feedback

by Michelle Cavaleri

Course

An Introduction To Enhancing Academic Integrity

by Camilla J. Roberts

Course

Improving Feedback in Asynchronous Online Courses

by Leigh Graves Wolf

Course

Self and Peer Assessment In/For a Digital World

by Chie Adachi

Course

Enhancing Self-Generated Feedback

by David Carless

Course

Working with Flexible Assessment

by Sam Elkington

Course

Supporting Students’ Use of Feedback

by Naomi Winstone

Course

Introducing Capstone Projects

by Dave Lewis

Resource

Mid-Semester Feedback: 5 A Method

by Niya Bond

Course

Introduction to the VALUE Rubrics: An Authentic Approach to Assessment

by Jessica Chittum

Resource

3 Quick Feedback Strategies

by Niya Bond

Video discussion

3 Ways To Provide Effective Feedback To Students

by Christina Moore

Activity

Peer Review in the Classroom: How to Frame Your Feedback

by Christina Moore

Activity

Appreciative Inquiry (AI)-Based Feedback

by Niya Bond

Interview

‘Ungrading’: An Interview with Susan D. Blum

by Susan D. Blum

Learning path

Community Building

by Maha Bali

Video discussion

Deliberate Dialogue: Discussing Academic Integrity in the Classroom

by Niya Bond

Curated Activities

Guidance and help

by

Curated Activities

Reflective Activities

by

Curated Activities

Ongoing engagement

by

Curated Activities

Liberating Structures

by

Curated Activities

Setting the tone activities

by

Curated Activities

Introductory activities

by

Activity

Sailboat Retrospective for Reflection

by Maha Bali

Activity

Live, Love, Learn and Leave a Legacy

by Maha Bali

Activity

Roses, Thorns, and Buds

by Maha Bali

Activity

Decolonising Academic Writing through Spoken Word Poetry

by Jenna Goddard

Activity

Origin Stories

by Felecia Caton Garcia

Activity

Learning to Love

by Felecia Caton Garcia

Activity

Getting at Metaphor

by Felecia Caton Garcia

Activity

Checking in with GIF, Emoji or Meme

by Maha Bali

Course

Academic Integrity In The Hybrid World

by Tricia Bertram Gallant

Webinar recording

Identifying Plagiarism

by

Activity

Personalised Conversation Cards

by Scott Bowyer

Curated Activities

Warm up activities

by

Activity

Guess The Topic Mingle

by Heather Kretschmer

Activity

Ikigai: Help Students Find Their Purpose

by Maha Bali

Activity

Something behind you

by Rebecca J. Hogue

Activity

Auditory Affect

by Heather Kretschmer

Activity

Creativity Booster: 16 Squares

by Diana Varma

Activity

Creativity Booster: An Ode to the Other Hand

by Diana Varma

Activity

Creativity Booster: 5 Senses

by Diana Varma

Activity

Creativity Booster: Yes, Let’s!

by Diana Varma

Activity

Ice Cream/Broccoli: Reflection on Enjoyment and Value

by Maha Bali

Activity

Create a Fake Photo Group Assignment

by Maha Bali

Activity

What We Don’t Know About Each Other

by Noha El-Rawy

Activity

Share Music and Create a Class Playlist

by Maha Bali

Activity

Would You Rather?

by Frank Tontala

Activity

Creating Escape Room Experience For Students

by Karina Alonso

Webinar recording

Preparing Students For Assignments

by

Activity

I Wish My Students/Teacher Knew

by Amena Magdy

Activity

Using Metaphors to Express Thoughts

by Sayyed Daifallah

Activity

Using Dominoes in Teaching

by Ahmed Gebaly

Activity

Desert Island Songs

by Isabel Rodriguez

Activity

The Shape of You

by Sarah Neuwirth

Activity

Words From Your Names

by Ahmed Shalaby

Activity

What Can You Do With A…?

by Noha El-Sebai

Webinar recording

Effective Video Feedback

by

Top Tips

Tips For Increasing Engagement In Discussions

by Maha Bali

Activity

Student Voice in Learning Review and Feedback

by Erik Blair

Activity

Choose a Plant

by Jen Alexander

Activity

Which Picture Best?

by Flower Darby

Activity

Imaginary Buffet (or Potluck)

by Maya Hey

Activity

PowerPoint Karaoke

by Maha Bali

Activity

Office Hour Scheduling via Google Calendar

by Fikry Boutros

Activity

Tiny Tales

by Laura Gibbs

Activity

Cognitive/Exam Wrappers for Metacognition

by Maha Bali

Activity

Self-Assessment Tool for Social Justice in Teaching

by Maha Bali

Activity

Language Portrait

by Francesca Helm

Activity

Lost in Translation

by Francesca Helm

Activity

Wheel of Life for Student Self-help

by Maha Bali

Infographic

The Art of Giving Feedback

by Virna Rossi

Activity

Thick Greetings

by Maha Bali

Activity

Estimate workload

by Maha Bali

Activity

Simple Metacognitive Activities

by Maha Bali

Activity

Tiny Demons/Drawing Monsters

by Lyse Edwards

Activity

Start/Stop/Continue

by Maha Bali

Activity

Survey students early in the semester: Pre-Course Survey

by Maha Bali

Activity

Pass the Paper

by Sarah Silverman

Activity

Gratitude Journal

by Maha Bali

Activity

15% solutions

by Maha Bali

Activity

Two-minute paper

by Maha Bali

Checklist / tool

Karen Ray Costa’s Trauma-Aware Teaching Checklist

by Karen Costa

Resource

Loglines

by

Activity

Appreciative Interviews

by Maha Bali

Activity

Pop-up Psychogeography Journey Journal

by Sarah-Jane Crowson

Guide

Some Safety Considerations for Online Community Building

by Kate Bowles

Activity

While We Wait

by Jasmina Najjar

Activity

What kind of animal are you?

by Irene Maweu

Activity

Two by Three by Bradford

by Sarita Shukla

Activity

Troika Consulting – Adaptation for Class Community Building

by Maha Bali

Activity

TRIZ

by Maha Bali

Video discussion

Trauma-Informed Pedagogy & How is Your Heart?

by Mays Imad

Activity

Tour of Where You Are

by Patrice Prusko

Activity

Third Places for Ongoing Community Building

by Maha Bali

Activity

Theater of the Oppressed: Opposites

by Tina Pippin

Activity

Theatre of the Oppressed: Image Theatre

by Maha Bali

Activity

Teaching Ethics with Theatre of the Oppressed and Liberating Structures

by Maha Bali

Activity

Surrealist Free Drawing Introductions

by Autumm Caines

Activity

Studio visits

by Mia Zamora

Activity

Structured Dialogues

by Sherri Spelic

Activity

Share an Object From Home

by Maha Bali

Activity

Room 101

by Jasmina Najjar

Activity

Purpose to Practice

by Maha Bali

Activity

Pass the Ball & How Do You Make Rice?

by Autumm Caines

Activity

Meditation

by Nadine Aboulmagd

Activity

Wild Tea / Mad Tea Party

by Maha Bali

Activity

Introductions: Story of Your Name

by Patrice Prusko

Activity

Human Scavenger Hunt

by Susan D. Blum

Activity

Reviewing Your Assessments

by Julie Hulme

Activity

Four Ideas for Checking In

by Maha Bali

Activity

Daily Creates

by Mia Zamora

Activity

Critical Uncertainties

by Autumm Caines

Activity

Conversation Cafe

by Maha Bali

Activity

Collaborative Storytelling

by Jasmina Najjar

Activity

Collaborative Literature Review Matrix

by Jasmina Najjar

Activity

Authentic Open Letter/Video Addressing Students

by

Activity

Asynchronous & Synchronous Introductions

by Mia Zamora

Activity

9 Whys of Liberating Structures

by Michael Weinraub

Activity

Spiral Journal

by Maha Bali

Activity

Annotate the Syllabus

by Remi Kalir