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.