Fall 2022: This is the End . . .

Whoa! What happened to this semester? 15 weeks of fun and love and good times just flew right by. I had so many things I wanted to say. So much I needed to cover. Oh well, I guess it's better to remain quiet and be thought of as an idiot than to speak up and prove yourself so. Or, something along those lines by Mark Twain.    

First, ungrading has been a rousing success this semester. I was much more clear about the expectations. Much more focused on what I needed the students to address. The results were ungrading essays that were around 750 words each (3x throughout the semester). They were holistic. They demonstrated metacognition. And the students used specific and detailed evidence to support their positions regarding their earned grades.    

Second, students thoroughly enjoyed OER classes. One student said offering OER demonstrates I have an understanding of their economic realities. Another student remarked that she felt stronger ties to her professors when they use OER because doing so shows "they are thinking about us." 

They said the OER textbook, Our Story, was equally rigorous as any for-profit textbook they've used. They felt the OER textbook we used was written with them in mind. Sounded like someone speaking to them (this is a comment I've heard many times before). 

Students said they particularly liked the use of student content. Some said the student content raised the bar -made them become better writers. Some said the student content made them "happy" to read because it was a goal of theirs to be added to the student voices. There were many comments about the student content. Much of this concluded with the excellence of their past colleagues, especially when the content came from groups. Students were not excited about having to do group work, but some noted when they read student content was created by groups, then made them pause to think about how groups might work well together.    

Third, except for the self-reflections (those ungrading essays), everything else was completed in groups. There was much disappointment across the rooms when I noted this on Day 1. But then I introduced my strategy of group-building: playing Dungeons and Dragons. 

I created the groups upon the students completing a short thinking and writing exercise:

1. What is your superpower and why is that your superpower?

2. What is your most prized possession and why is that so?

Then I build groups based on the results of their responses to those two questions. While I'm going over their responses, students are reviewing some of the rules for D&D. 

Those groups start off by playing a single character. We will do that for a week or two. They learn about each other, learn how to work together, learn about each other's strengths and weaknesses, how to solve problems, and how to make decisions, all as a group. Then, the class begins and the groups start working on their first assignments.

Only 1 student dropped. One. Uno. Eines. I have never had so few students (well, a student) drop. 

I am going to call this semester a success in the classroom. One comment I got from a student is that the student would like a Glossary for the book. I don't know if the student meant "glossary," which is a list and definition of unusual, rare, or obscure terms, or if the student meant an index. A glossary is unnecessary, however, an index would be a good idea. It could not be a traditional index with page numbers because the book is edited/changed routinely. However, an index with chapter numbers might work. Maybe I will work on that over the break. Maybe I will just go skiing. I'll let you know in the next installment, in January. 

Fall 2022: In The Beginning . . .

You're looking at the new interim OER Program Coordinator. Yikes! So much to learn while having to engage students and the administration in ways I never did before. It is exciting as well as somewhat overwhelming. Luckily I am surrounded by wonderfully supported folks from the guy who left this position to become a Dept Chair to the Vice Chancellors who call the shots. 

I have a lot of training to do (on my own) before I can be cut loose to control budgets, personnel, expenditures, and grant management. 

Nevertheless, the experimentation with ungrading continues. I presented at a few conferences as well as led some discussions and a workshop here for my colleagues on OER and ungrading, two sides to the same coin I'm arguing. 

I have created four videos on ungrading. A scaffolding if you wish. I've created a list of many questions, some of which I've been known to assign for their ungrading essay while other times I use them to help students get their creative juices flowing. For example:

What aspects of the course have been most successful for you so far?

What thing that you've learned are you most excited about?

What was the most important thing you learned?

What was the most surprising thing you learned?

What challenges have you encountered? How did you overcome those challenges?

Describe your support network for this class.

For any group assignments, consider the feedback you offered your peers on their work, and how you met your own goals.

Include links to examples of your work both ccessful and unsuccessful. What explains the differences?

Did you miss any significant work? Why?

Is there anything you are particularly proud of? Explain why.

Can you see your work improving over time? If so, where?

What did you not particularly succeed at, and what is your plan to do better moving forward?

What has been the most surprising thing you've learned so far? Why is that the case?

Have you made any new connections with the library and/or tutoring department?

And here is one of my new videos on ungrading.

Students continue to engage in several experimental learning activities, besides ungrading. For example, some provide content for the OER US history textbook Our Story. Some continue to engage each other, building stronger group bonds thtough role-playing games, while others are experiencing history backwards: from the present to the past. The purpose of that is to set the stage (themes of pop culture, politics, foreign policy, gender, gender polemics, presidential history, immigration, nationalism, xenophobia, and patriotism, to name a few) then demonstrate how we got here.

 

Ungrading, OER unpacking, Open Pedagogy, and experimental teaching and learning are hallmarks of this semester. 

Getting Ready for the Fall

Well, Spring was exciting and an eye-opener. I am putting together my Fall classes. Here is the schedule so far.

We will begin with Dungeons and Dragons to form a sense of group cohesion. There will be guided ungraded self-reflections. not all be essays. Some can be in the form of formal or informal in-class presentations or discussions. Likewise, there will be four (4) assignments. All guided. All group work. And most will be non-essay. I think only the final assignment will be an essay. 

We will have end-of-class/end-of-week gaming (video games). Four players games that will facilitate more competition. Of course, this will also depend on the size of the class.

Grades will be decentered in favor of things and stuff such as writing, research, and public speaking. 

Hist 1302 will begin with the end of the Cold War then work backward to 1877, then jump up to September 11th and move forward to January 6th (the attempted coup and the House Select Committee). "Is this normal?" We will end the course.

For Hist 1301 we will end with the failure of Reconstruction and the rise and control of white nationalists/separatists and the federal government's promise to keep their hands out of the South.

  

Game Theory, Role Playing Games, and Group Work

Game Theory was created in the 1940s by a mathematician named Von Newmann. Game Theory is about choices. It's about cause and effect. It's about decision-making in the big picture. Well, both finite and infinite. But, this is all interactive. You and me. We. Us. Together. I make a choice and it affects you, but you are thinking about what I am going to do and so you think about what you are going to do instead, and so forth. An example from pop culture is from The Princess Bride:

In Game Theory there are two types of games: finite games and infinite games. "Finite games are bound by specific rules about how players win and lose, how many players there are in the game, time limits, etc, and the goal is definite: to win. Infinite games, on the other hand, are not bound by specific rules about how players win and lose, there are no time limits, no limits on how many players, etc, and the goal is indefinite: to continue playing," according to James Carse.

Role-playing games (RPG), are at their center. also embrace Game theory and an old RPG, one that has been made popular through such shows as The Big Bang Theory and Stranger Things, is Dungeons and Dragons. I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons since 1979. Here is a photo of me in high school. My junior year. I'm in the far back. In the middle.

Dungeons and Dragons is both infinite and finite. There is no "winner" like in traditional board or card games. No one shouts "Uno!" in D&D. The game goes on and on as long as there are players willing to continue their characters. The only reason why my character ceased to exist in the high school game was that when I graduated I joined the Army. BTW, I still have that character today. He's what we call a Non-Player Character. Someone who works with the players, but is controlled by the Dungeon Master. Anyhow, Within D&D are infinite goals or mini-games. Quests. Players go off to slay a party of Goblins blocking the trade route between Port Bernard and the communities in the Sweeping Plains. Or return a magic ring to its rightful heir. Or, a biggie, enter the Abyssal plane to foment war among demons in order to stop their incursion into the Material plane. A counter-argument is that you need to separate the player from the character. For the player, the game is infinite. For the character, the game contains finite objectives.   

So how does D&D relate to game theory? That should be pretty obvious. Players make choices, and those choices affect each other (the party). The Party works together to complete an immediate goal such as winning a battle, finding and dismantling a trap, or solving a puzzle. But those choices/decisions have an effect upon sentient beings who are anticipating the party's actions. Those sentient beings are being played by what is called the Dungeon Master (me).

Yes, D&D is a game. But those who play learn so much such as creativity, team building, conflict resolution, collaboration, developing best practices, innovation, and problem-solving, to name a few. 

I use D&D in my classes. For the first two weeks, we play D&D. Depending on the size of the class either each student plays their own character or a small group of students plays a character mutually agreed on.

There are all sorts of "ice breakers." I use D&D to get students talking. But it's more than that. They begin the process of developing skills they will need to succeed in my class and beyond. AND, they begin to formulate those bonds necessary for successful groups. You see, all of my assignments are completed in groups. So two weeks of D&D gets students working as a group even before they need to begin working as a group for a grade (actually my classes are ungraded -that's an earlier post). They get to know each other. They work with each other for short and long-term goals. 

And then there will be times during the semester when students (or me) need a break and so we will play D&D for a while. A much-needed respite and they still learn, such as conflict resolution, innovation, and collaboration. 

I have found a clear connection between Game Theory, Role Playing Games, and successful group work. It's Dungeon and Dragons. A game created by E. Gary Gygax a lifetime ago. Well, 1974. 

 

Ungrading Bibliography -

 Updated as of 16 Jun 22

The following are freely available, online sources that I have found or have been turned on to (especially by my friends on Twitter). While I will continue to update this list, I am also working on annotating this bibliography and will post the results here, turning this simple bibliography into an annotated bibliography. More to come.

Ako, Wahanga Whakapakari. “Assessment Matters: Self-Assessment and Peer Assessment”

While more instructors have created "student-centered" learning environments, those have typically only included the learning part of the process. This essay asks readers to look at the assessment part of the process. And, specifically, to consider the use of self-assessment and peer-assessment tools. He defines self-assessment and then offers fourteen (14) reasons why instructors should consider self-assessment. The author goes into depth describing how to implement self-assessment. Finally, hr offers examples. He does the same for peer assessment.   

Ashe, Diana. et al. “Alternative Grading Strategies.” UNCW Center for Teaching Excellence

The authors present their information in bullet points. Something akin to what you might see on a poorly constructed PowerPoint (too many words). Topics include an overview of grading strategies, criterion-referenced grading, specifications grading, contract grading, and ungrading. The other grading methods are similar to ungrading, or even a form of ungrading. The ungrading section only contains a list of three sources: 2 blogs and 1 essay.

   

Bali, Maha. “Reflections on Ungrading for the 4th time,”

The author examines what went right and what needs to be further addressed in this essay that covers experiences after the fourth semester of ungrading. For example, the author notes the need to offer verbal and written responses to student work, but on the other hand, must negotiate with students when they inflate their grades (those undeserved As). This is an important essay for neophytes because the insights provide a roadmap to beginning ungrading as well as what to expect (both positive and negative).

Bali, Maha  “Ungrading My Class – Reflections on a Second Iteration,”

The author tried ungrading suddenly, in the middle of a semester, without providing much scaffolding or guidance. Most of the students gave themselves As. And so, the author needed to come up with a manner that would facilitate meaningful and accurate reflections. This is an excellent article for those interested in exactly what not to do, how not to start ungrading. But, the essay is also important becase it demonstrates how to save that ship once it hits the iceberg.

Baylor. “Ungrading” Baylor Academy for Teaching and Learning 

The essay begins by defining why we grade, and why we should ungrade. The essay describes ungrading examples and practices (contract grading, portfolios, self-evaluation, to name a few). Concisely, the essay declares that ungrading is "a pedagogical paradigm with implications for every classroom process, potentially creating more effective learning environments and freeing instructors to focus more on supporting learning." The essay is well-cited, using 12 sources, which are listed at the end (see if you can use those sources).

Beck, Hall., et al. “The Relations of Learning and Grade Orientations to Academic Performance”

This is an old (1991) article, but even in the "olden days" the data shows that students who focus on non-grade-based learning assessments enjoy the class more and do better than in traditional classes with letter grades. This article will be enjoyed by folks who like data.

Belchetz, Michelle. et al. “Ch. II On (Un)grading” in On Assessment

This chapter in an e-book On Assessment examines various aspects of ungrading. Belchetz looks at the intersection of motivation and grading. Students are not motivated by grades inasmuch as they are by learning. D'Souza looks at assessment in a multicultural environment: specifically social, political, and cultural factors.  MacKenzie wonders what others think about ungrading. She offers some quotes from leaders in the ungrading movement, as well as a short bibliography. But the interesting part is a survey she's created for students and faculty to obtain their views on ungrading: something you could give to your students (and colleagues). Finally, Zhu was a student who writes about her experiences in taking an ungrading class. She supports the idea that grades are psychologically harmful and so ungrading helps students in several ways: their mental health and in support of their learning.  

Benz, Gina. “Going Gradeless:A Liberation from Anxiety,”

Benz begins by talking about the mental health crisis of high school and college undergraduates. They feel stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed. That seemed to be attributed, at least in part, due to competition for higher and higher grades. And she too felt that anxiety. So she tried the ungrading model. She discovered ungrading mirrored Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

   

Blackwelder, Aaron. “Focusing on Feedback Over Grades”

The pressure to achieve causes anxiety. Grades are not the best tools to encourage learning. Maybe a digital portfolio will replace grades, but Blackwelder emphacizes the need for frequent feedback. 

Blum, Susan. “Ungrading.”

Blum argues that grades are inconsistent with educational success. Grades cause anxiety. They are not a reflection of knowledge acquired, and grades do not motivate students. Students look upon edcation as a game, collecting grades not knowledge. Her findings are that ungrading does just the opposite. She also offers some comments for the ungrading skeptics.  

Bolyard, Chloe. “Ungrading: Shifting the Classroom Focus Back to Learning.”

Buchs, Celine. “Why Grades Engender Performance-Avoidance Goals”

Buck, David  Crowdsourcing Ungrading

 

Bull, Bernard. “7 Reasons Why the Conditions are Right for a Learning Beyond Letter Grades Revolution,”

 

Burtis, Martha Fay. “Ungrading: A ChapBook”

Chiaravalli, Author. “How I Go Gradeless”

Clark, David “Assessing My First Semester of Ungrading” EdSurge Jan 17^th, 2022

Covington, Nick. “What’s in a Grade?”

                            “In Your Opinion What Matters?”

Cummings, Lance. “3 Ways to Ungrade Student Work”

 

Davidhizer, Megan. “6 Steps to Going Gradeless”

Davidson, Cathy. “How to Crowdsource Grading”

                         “Contract Grading and Peer Review” Blog post 16 Aug 2015

Digital Pedagogies at VIU “Assessment and Ungrading”  

 

Dosmar, Emily and Williams, Julia “Decentering to Communicate”  Teachers Going Gradeless.

 

Elbow, Peter. “Grading Student Writing: Making it Simpler, Fairer, Clearer”

                “Minimal Grading.”

               Ranking, Evaluating, Liking: Sorting Out Three Forms of Judgement”

Flaherty, Colleen. “When Grading Less is More.” Inside Higher Ed 2 Apr 2019

French, Abigail, et al. The Ungrading Handbook

 

Gibbs, Laura. “Getting Rid of Grades (book chapter).” OU Digital Teaching. 15 March 19.

               “(Un)Grading: It Can Be Done in College”

               “Ungrading for More/Better Feedback”

 

Gonzalez, Jennifer. Handout: Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half by Cult of Pedagogy

 

Guberman, Daniel. “Student Perceptions of an Online Ungraded Course”

Guskey, Thomas. “Grades Versus Comments: Research on Student Feedback,”

 

Hoffman, Lainie, et al. “Ungrading: A Discussion,” Univ Colorado

 

Housiaux, Andy. “The Power of Ungrading,”  

 

Human Restoration Project Ungrading Handbook

 

Hurley, Jennifer “Is Throwing Out Grades Too Idealistic?”

 

Inoue, Asao B. “A Q&A on Labor-based Grading”

 

Inside Higher Ed “When Grading Less in More”

 

Jester, Bennett “The Apathy Problem,”

 

Kat, Vera. “Gradeless Class”  

 

Kettner-Thompson, Rachael. “5 Reasons to Go Gradeless”

Knaack, Liesel. “Untangling Grades from Feedback: Ungrading a Course.” Digital Pedagogies  at VIU, 17 Jan. 2019

Koenka, Alison, et al. “A meta-analysis on the impact of grades and comments on academic motivation and achievement: a case for written feedback”

"This research synthesis examined the impact of grades, comments, and no performance feedback on academic motivation and achievement in elementary and secondary school. Four meta-analyses were conducted, with two each exploring the impact of (a) grades versus no performance feedback and (b) grades versus comments on academic motivation and achievement, respectively. Overall results indicated that grades positively influenced achievement but negatively influenced motivation compared to no feedback. However, compared to those who received comments, students receiving grades had poorer achievement and less optimal motivation."

Kohn, Alfie “From Degrading to De-Grading”

               “Grading: The Issue is Not How but Why”

               “The Trouble with Rubrics”

                 “The Case Against Grades”

Kunnath, Joshua “The Low-hanging Fruit of Grading Reform: Eliminating the Zero,”

 

Leboff, Danielle. “No Grades. No Problem.” Top Hat blog 

Lee, Laura. “Methods for Managing Late Work,”

 

Locke, Karen. “Introducing the Gradeless Classroom to Students”

Luxon, Emily. “Ungrading Doesn’t Necessarily Mean No Grades”

Mackenzie, Allison. Ungrading: What Will People Think? Ch. 6, On Assessment: An Exploration of Emerging Approaches

 

Marzano, Robert. “Tips from Dr. Marzano: Formative Assessment & Standards-Based Grading,”

 

Mayer, Erin. “The Road to Gradeless,”

 

McMillan, James and Jessica Hearn. “Student Self-Assessment”

Miller, SJ “Liberating Grades/Liberatory Assessment”

Mitchell, Curry, et al. “Unlearn Grading to Ungrade Learning” Mira Costa College podcast

Mitchell-Buck, Heather. “Adventures in Ungrading”

Moore, Christina. “Ungrading a Digital Ethnography.”

 

Morris, Sean Michael. “When We Talk About Grades, We Are Talking About People.” Sean Michael Morris. 09 Jun 2021

National Council of Teachers of English “Ungrading to Build Equity and Trust”

 

Noble. David. “Giving Up The Grade.” Activist Teacher April 18, 2007

Pearson “Ungrading: What’s the Hype”

 

Perkins, Drew “How Single Point Rubrics Can Improve Student Work,”

 

Priebe, Sybil (and her students) “To Grade or Not to Grade?”  

 

Sackstein, Starr. “It’s a Struggle to be a Progressive Educator Whose Child Goes to a Traditional High School,”

               “Turn Feedback into Progress,”

               “When to Say When with Homework,”

               “Students React to a Class Without Grades

 

Schinske, Jeffrey and Tanner, Kimberly. “Teaching More by Grading Less (or Differently)”

 

Schlabach, Eric. “Thoughts on Using Grades to Keep Kids Motivated at the End of the Year,”

 

Schwartz, Katrina. “How Teachers Are Changing Grading Practices With an Eye on Equity.” Mindshift.

 

Shaffer, Kris “The economics of the classroom -or- Why grades encourage bad habits”

 

Sorensen-Unruh, Clarissa. “Ungrading: A Series.” Evolution (blog). 10 Feb. 2019

                    “Ungrading: What Is It and Why We Should Use it?”

Spencer, John “The Power of Student Conferencing,”

 

Stommel, Jesse “How to Ungrade”

Teaching in Higher Ed Podcast with Jesse Stommel: How to Ungrade.

“If bell hooks Made an LMS: Grades, Radical Openness, and Domain of One's Own”

“Learning is Not a Mechanism: Assessment, Student Agency, and Digital Spaces”

 Ungrading Workshop Document.

“Why I Don’t Grade”

Ungrading: An Introduction by Jesse Stommel

 

Sung, Ki. “How Can Students Self-Assess When Teachers Do All the Grading and Work?”

 

Supiano, Beckie. “The Unintended Consequences of Ungrading” Chronicle of Higher Ed 4/29/22

Syverson, M.A. “Using Small Multiples for Keeping Track of Student Work”

 

Talbert, Robert. “Ungrading: A 3x3x3 Reflection”

Tobin, Thomas. “In the Halls of the King Under The Mountain (of Grading).” 04 Sept 19.

 

Tucker, Catlin. “Student Designed Units,”

“Students Learn More When They Do the Work,”

 

Vogel, Ed and Jolene Zywica. “Want to Go Gradeless? Here’s How We Do it.”

Walter, Theresa. “Going Gradeless This Year?”

                “The Surprise Growth in an Ungrading Practice.”

Whitmell, Terry. Ungrading blog

 

Winslow, Michael. “My first attempt at ungrading.” (Re)volution in Teaching. 28 Oct 19

 

Ungrading - An End to the Year

Well, folks, it has been an interesting, eye-opening semester and academic year. In a nutshell, ungrading is a success for both sides of the aisle, although not without some trials and tribulations. But ultimately, students embraced ungrading. They got it. And I see why.

I started by creating five videos on different aspects of ungrading, but aspects that would overlap each other and so the videos did not impart 100% new information to students. Some new but some repetition. Such as the fourth installment of my ungrading video series:

  

Some students did wrestle with the idea of "grading" themselves outside of the boxes of history essays. They wrote two short history essays, then one ungrading essay in which they would analyze their work, in total. Most got it and produced overarching ungrading essays. However, two out of nearly 150 only analyzed and graded their history essays.

I spoke with both of them and found out they had not watched the videos or read the handouts on ungrading. They were able to make course corrections and submit a truly holistic ungrading essay as their final assignment.

 

There was much trepidation at first as I heard from some students who did not feel up to the task. So that was one reason I kept making those ungrading videos. I kept swinging for the sweet spot. I provided a plethora of feedback to their history essays Never a grade or any indication of a grade, just feedback. What I liked and why and what they need to do to improve and why. 

"What assignment pushed you the most?" I asked my students. A question I borrowed from Susan Blum. "This one" was the most likely response Meaning the ungrading essay. The ungrading essay was indeed the most important thing they wrote because it forced them to think about what they learned, how they learned it, and why they believed what they learned was significant. Metacognition. 

As one on-campus student reported to me: “Ungrading is great. Something totally new. A positive challenge.”

And an online student said "I  thoroughly enjoyed the concept of it. It caused me to self-evaluate the way I approach not only research and writing, but the way I function as a student. I definitely learned a lot in the class that I can carry with me beyond this semester."

I think ungrading is extra work for me because I spend more time with students offering direction and support than I would otherwise. However, the end result is worth it. 

Ungrading is a positive change. 

Ungrading - First Half Spring 2022

Students are getting it. Some are nervous because they have to demonstrate that they have earned the grade they say they earned. But that's one of the purposes of ungrading: metacognition. Thinking about thinking.

Ungrading is holistic: what have you learned about everything, anything. Not just facts and figures about US history. But about how to cite or how to use a library database or who to contact for help with advising or writing. 

Here are a few questions I've given to students in the past:

What’s the most significant new thing you’ve learned to date? And how have you applied that outside of the classroom?

What was your biggest challenge to date in this class and how did you surmount it?

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned to date about US history? Explain what this is.

If you would give yourself a grade on two essays, would those grades be the same or different? Why?

Name someone outside of class you have turned to for help. How did he or she help you and how did or will you apply that assistance to other classes?

Group work is not always easy (or necessarily hard), how did your group work together? Without naming names, consider the group dynamics such as who took charge, who fell to the wayside and how the group accomplished the task. 

How does metacognition help you to see your work on a deeper level?

Questions such as those. Anyhow, things are looking better this semester. At least they are looking better for the first eight weeks. Students are really getting into this ungrading thing. And I am happy to see them dig deep into their own roles in learning.