So my evolution in ungrading has hit a plateau. I think I have become comfortable in one method of upgrading, unmadness.
Students will tackle six assignments: 4 which will not be graded and two ungraded essays.
Two essays are not graded. The purposes of such work are for students to learn how to cite using footnotes per the Chicago Manual of Style, how to write like a historian, perform better quality research, and how to create Bibliographies. These are short essays, maybe 500-1000 words is ultimately for students to learn more about History.
Then I critique their submissions, both form and content. I offer them three things to work on for improvement in the next submission. But there are no grades on these two history-specific essays.
Then the third submission is the upgrading essay. The upgrading essay is a holistic look at what they've learned so far, outside of the textbook, lectures, and other readings. They discuss contacts with the college's library, writing center, or other student support facilities. They might cover their support network outside of the classroom, their challenges, and how they overcame them. And the final sentence is their earned grade. Something like "Thus my earned grade to date is XX."
If I agree based solely on the upgrading essay, I place their earned grade on all three assignments: the first two history-specific and the first upgrading essays.
Then we do it again. But the second, or final, upgrading essay is more comprehensive of the course: What were the most important three things you took away from the course? How will you apply what you learned in this course when you move forward into your next classes? Examine your development on the course: what are you the most proud of achieving? Why? Something like that, and then students will close their second, or final, upgrading essay with their earned grade. Again, if I agree, then I place that grade on their previous two submissions plus the final upgrading essay.
Most of the students get it. About 25% want to ignore the prompt for the upgrading essays and instead talk about one or both of their previous two history-specific submissions (what they got right, what they got wrong, etc), which have nothing to do with the ungrading essay. So I kick the upgrading essay back with the instructions to try it again.
I did add two things this semester. First, I added an "Optional Esssay." At the end of the semester, when their Final Exam due date is upon them, they can do the "Optional Essay" to replace the grade of a submission they either did not do (one of the non-graded essays) or if they did not do the first upgrading essay particularly well ("well" being relative). The grade on the "Optional Essay" takes the place of their lowest grade,.
The second option was not doing the six assignments in the syllabus, and instead writing a ten-page paper on any topic of their choice that applies to US history within the context of the class. I have to approve their topic (I do so in large measure to help them come up with a focused topic that can be covered in only ten pages) and then they submit drafts to me: first draft, second draft, and list of working sources, which we discuss. Then the final draft is due when the class is scheduled to take their final exam. I estimate maybe 3-4 students in every class (that's about 10-15%) are doing the research paper option. As of this writing, I have not seen the final draft, but the earlier drafts and lists of sources suggest their final drafts should be something special.
I look forward to whatever they submit in a few weeks, their final upgrading essay or their ten-page paper.
