Thread by @DrDameHistory

Now that my final grades are submitted, I've had a chance to reflect on using #ungrading in my 400-level seminar this semester. It was a huge success so I wanted to share what I did for those interested. A 🧵

1/First, I gave students the option of choosing an ungrading format for the semester or standard grading. 22 out of 26 students chose ungrading. Many commented they were nervous at first but trusted me that it was the best decision (trust is KEY with ungrading).

2/Assessment took the form of a multi-step research assignment that was scaffolded across the semester: primary/secondary source analysis; proposal; draft of project; final revised version. Students could choose btw. a research essay and a creative project.

3/Engagement involved an online chatboard, in class small group discussion (structured), and in class large group discussion (more open-ended but with some structure).

4/With each stage of the project, students submitted a self-assessment. Some stages had rubrics to help them gauge their progress, others were more about noting strengths and challenges. All had questions to help shape their reflections.

5/Ss also completed a midterm self-assessment of their engagement using a sliding scale. They were asked to reflect on why they chose a particular point on the scale and how they thought they could strengthen their engagement.

6/All assessments received detailed feedback focused on strengths and how to overcome challenges. I suggested pathways to expand ideas, find new sources etc. This included a full draft of their final projects submitted a month before the final due date.

7/With their final projects, they submitted a self-assessment which covered their research projects, engagement, and learning journey. For the 1st two, they assessed themselves using a rubric which helped them determine a final grade. For the latter, they answered a series of ?s.

8/I met with each student at the end of the semester to talk about the self-assessment and their learning journey. I then suggested a potential final grade and asked for their comments. For the most part, the grades they assessed themselves were similar to mine OR lower.

9/In general, they were much harder on themselves than I was in assessing their project and engagement. We spent some time talking about why during our meetings.

10/Student feedback on ungrading was unanimously positive. Many noted that it relieved the pressure of grades and allowed them to focus on developing their project. Others said it helped them realize that challenges early on were okay and that changing tracks b/c of difficulties

11/ with sources/framing etc could happen without penalty. They liked the self-assessments as a way of checking in with each stage, including the engagement one. The feedback helped them rethink what they were doing and provided various ways to reflect and revise.

12/The structured small and large group discussions also worked to help them assess their engagement and they liked that it wasn't based on participation but various ways of engaging (incl. active listening). They also said it was rare for them to reflect on their own learning

13/and they loved the opportunity to do so. Everyone emphasized that the clear pathway with markers along the way to help guide them was key.

14/From my perspective, it was a lot of work but not that much more than in previous 400-level seminars. I've always done scaffolded assignments with feedback, incl. a draft. The biggest difference for me was in how I framed the feedback. Less about justifying a grade & more

15/focused on "where should you go from here?". The final meetings were wonderful ways to talk through the semester with each student in a structured way.

16/I'll continue using #ungrading in my courses but I have various iterations depending upon level and size of class. It did require a lot of organization before the course began, but it was definitely worth it!

Note: I'm happy to share the self-assessments I used! They were initially developed with help from @npaklui last year for another course and I revised them to fit with my seminar structure.

Here are the self-assessments that I used for my course: drive.google.com/drive/folders/…

And a brief explanation of ungrading for my students: hist458.opened.ca/assessments/