Last week, I posted the final piece of writing that came out of my Spring 2023 writing course. This week, for the first time, I’m writing to you not from the past but from the present!
When I started writing reflections on ungrading my class in January, I didn’t know if I would even end up publishing them. When I did start publishing them in May, I had no idea that almost 1,000 of you would subscribe to receive weekly updates about a course that was already over! I’ve had many fruitful conversations with colleagues and readers since I started publishing the series, and I hope it’s sparked some fruitful conversations for you as well.
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for following along with me over the last few months. Some of you have been with me since the beginning (or almost the beginning) of last semester’s ungrading journey. But many of you joined later—in fact, some in the last two or three weeks.
In view of that consideration, I thought this week’s email should recap previous posts so you could (re)visit anything that might be helpful. I’ve included below a link to each post with a brief description of what you’ll find within it.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll take a short break from the blog while I’m traveling. When I return, I’ll share some updates about the writing course I’m teaching currently. I made several changes to my ungrading practice this semester, which seem, so far, to be positive. I’ve continued to collect feedback from my students on both their responses to the grading system and their use of generative AI for writing. I’m excited to share all of that with you in the coming weeks.
Thanks for reading Unmaking the Grade!
NB: If the text below is truncated, click “View entire message” to see the rest!
In which I introduce the blog and share some context about myself and my course.
In which I share the basics of my plan, my syllabus language on grading, and very early student responses.
In which I share more student reactions as well as the readings and activities I use to introduce students to ungrading.
In which I discuss how my assignments have changed since my adoption of ungrading and the advent of generative AI.
In which I outline my process for (and misgivings about) co-creating rubrics with students.
In which I describe my experience ungrading the first assignment and the opportunities I provide for student revision and reflection.
In which I discuss some challenges I’ve encountered and share the questions I wrote for my students’ midterm self-assessment form.
In which I discuss wins and losses from my individual conferences with students as well as student feedback on the ungrading system.
In which I evaluate how my system may be mitigating or exacerbating student struggles.
In which I consider the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of the student honesty ungrading seems to encourage.
In which I respond to an NPR story about ungrading.
In which I answer the (complicated) question of whether or not ungrading takes more time than traditional grading.
In which I wrangle with the fact that my class, by virtue of its flexibility, is often students’ last priority—and introduce a student partnership project.
In which I share the instructions for my students’ final self-assessment and the details of a course checklist I made.
In which I wonder about what it means to “pass” a course.
In which I lament all the things I’ve done badly over the course of the semester.
In which I recap final grade conferences with my students and share more of their reactions to the grading system.
In which I share a “Start, Stop, Continue” for my grading practice.
In which I reflect more deeply on why I started ungrading and how I’m thinking about it now.
In which I share a piece co-authored by my students and me about (un)grading in the age of AI.
What a great set of posts! Obviously struck a nerve and lots of stuff here to digest. Thanks for building in public. I've been experimenting with some alternative grading stuff in one of my classes this fall and will be curious to hear what you think once I share those (current plan is for that to go out on my Substack next Tuesday).
Enjoy your travels!