No Points? No Problem! Exploring Ungrading at EMU

By: Jennifer K. Desiderio

I suspect many of you have heard students say things like, “I think I deserve another point for this” or “Can I do extra credit to improve my grade?”  Like me, you’ve probably had your own persistent thoughts, as well:  How much weight should I give this assignment?... When the student doesn’t get full credit, will I be met with tears?  Anger?  A scathing evaluation?....Does anyone actually read my feedback?

My first exposure to ungrading was at a SoTL conference (shout out to the Lilly series!), where I learned about labor-based grading.  Shortly thereafter I read Rita Shah’s FDC blog entry.  Her description of the philosophy behind ungrading and examples of how she restructured her classes resonated…but I still didn’t make any changes.

Then, at the FDC’s CONNECT conference in February ‘24, I attended an ungrading panel and discovered I was already doing some elements of ungrading, unbeknownst to me.  This is also when I encountered Susan Blum’s edited volume about ungrading as well as Starr Sackstein’s book.  (Rita actually mentioned both of these in her blog, but some things don’t land until they “matter!”)

I was still wading in the waters of ungrading when a student in my 300-level special education assessment class lured me into the deep end.  She often missed specific objectives of class prep assignments, and even though I let her redo them, she felt I was unreasonable and unfairly targeting her.  We had multiple conversations to better understand each other’s perspective.  During one tense discussion, I had an “ah-ha” moment that resulted in me providing a brief explanation of ungrading and asking how she’d feel about it.  She was wary but admitted it might bring some relief.  That was all I needed to abandon my lifejacket!

I spent the summer devouring both Blum’s and Sackstein’s books, along with online blogs, presentations, ungrading descriptions, and sample syllabi, aiming to implement “full-on” ungrading in this same course in Fall ‘24.  It is important to emphasize that a “grade-free zone” is not a work-free, standards-free, or feedback-free zone!  It simply removes the extrinsic pressure of points, allowing students to focus on learning.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to overhaul much of my existing practice.  I set up Canvas so assignments and team-based in-class activities earned 0 points, marked as either “complete” or “incomplete.”  I could even still use rubrics since Canvas allows outcomes and elements to exist without assigned points.

The biggest change occurred with implementing what Blum refers to as “process letters” and “process conferences.”  At least twice during the semester (I did three), students write a reflection based on their engagement and content understanding.  Blum gives great examples, which I adapted for my specific class goals.  You then meet one-on-one for 10- to 15-minute conferences to discuss their observations, questions, and self-assessed grade.  I reserved the right to make adjustments to their final grade if necessary, but students tend to be harder on themselves than I would be (more on that shortly!).

Another major adjustment was explaining ungrading clearly at the start of the semester and giving students space to ask questions and share their thoughts.  While I thought I laid a solid foundation, I soon realized I needed to revisit the process regularly—especially around self-evaluation.  After years of relying on authority figures to assess them, most students struggled to evaluate themselves accurately.  They fixated on content mastery, undervaluing their effort, growth, and engagement.  Many assumed that if they didn’t fully grasp the content, they couldn’t possibly deserve anything higher than a C.

One thing I didn’t foresee was the psychological impact of marking work as complete or incomplete.  Even though both earned 0 points, several students found the X in Canvas upsetting.  They also wondered if I secretly weighted assignments in my head, so getting an incomplete on one would be “worse” than getting the same mark on another.  Since Canvas didn’t show a running tally of their grade, some worried they were being set up for a surprise “gotcha” moment.  At the same time, a few admitted that they slacked on prep work precisely because it wasn’t graded.  Without external accountability, they either forgot or prioritized graded assignments from other classes.

That said, the positives far outweighed the negatives.  Almost immediately, I felt a weight lifted.  In class, there were livelier discussions, deeper questions, and more meaningful participation.  Students reported feeling freer to take risks and more comfortable making mistakes.  Many even said they were excited to come to class (seriously!).  I no longer had to chase after students to turn in late work, field arguments over points, or address extra credit.  Best of all, the process letters and conferences forged deeper connections with students as I got to know their learning journeys.

I must admit that some old habits nagged at me, including internalized beliefs about grades.  When one student said they felt they deserved an A, my instinctive thought was, “Welllllll….maybe an A minus.“  Then, I remembered Sackstein’s brilliant discussion on how arbitrary that distinction is.  I had to give myself grace: our traditional approaches to education (including grades) are hard to unlearn overnight.

This was true for my students as well.  They struggled at first, having been conditioned to tie their self-worth to grades.  But by the end, they began to trust the process.  Several students, now in another of my classes, specifically asked me to use ungrading again.  They said they preferred it, not because it was easier but because it allowed them to focus on the content and on my feedback.  For perhaps the first time, they valued growth over perfection.

Ungrading was a transformative shift for both me and my students.  This experience confirmed that ungrading isn’t about lowering expectations—it’s about raising the bar for genuine learning.  It’s not a perfect system, but it’s one I’m eager to refine and continue.  Come join me!