“Ungrading is a practice which eliminates or greatly minimizes the use of assigned points or letter grades in a course, focusing instead on providing frequent and detailed feedback to students on their work, in relation to the course learning goals…the primary purpose of the assessment is to help students learn and improve their knowledge and skills, rather than to create a summative score that students use to compare themselves against an external credential.” (Kenyon, 2022)
MAET Principles:
Providing support from application to beyond graduation
Valuing diversity of resources, perspectives, and communities
Promoting growth as curious learners and transformational leaders
What is ungrading in MAET?
Why Ungrading?
- Act of social justice
- We are biased
- Grades are problematic
- Better learning
MAET Ungrading Overview
- All learners begin with a 4.0
- Weekly unit schedule with due dates
- Learners submit creations (assignments)
- Instructors provide timely, balanced, qualitative feedback
- Learners iterate creations
- Instructors review iterations
- Learners reflect on progress
- Submit final grades to MSU
How is this different from what we used to do?
- Program wide ungrading (all courses)
- No points for assignments
- No participation points
- Gradebook has only 1 item (final grade)
- Instructor communicates if student work does not meet expectations/falls below 4.0
- Students reflect on learning/grade twice
- Use single-point rubric for feedback
Lessons Learned and MAET Recommends
unveil and define beliefs
- How do you communicate expectations?
- What is sufficient? Exemplary?
- What is a 4.0? 3.5?
- Can all students get a 4.0? Should they?
- Who has the responsibility in student experience and student learning?
responding to students and instructors
- Consistency (and iteration)
- Realistic timelines (1+ year)
- Regular check ins/meetings
iterate and refine
- Still some anxiety over potential email that their grade dropped*
- About Me
For more information, access the full slide deck (and source of this article).
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Liz Owens Boltz - MAET Director & Instructor
Brittany Dillman - Director of Graduate Certificate Programs, GC Advisor & Instructor
Candace Robertson - Asst Director of Student Experience & Outreach, MA Advisor & Instructor
Heather Williamson - Academic Program Coordinator & Admissions
