Ungrading

Ungrading is an active present participle, as Dr. Jesse Stommel notes, which is separate and distinct from just "not giving grades." According to the ungrading community, "Ungrading is the process of leaving out grades, but it is not a method in which teachers stop evaluating students; instead, they are constantly evaluating their students' progress by giving feedback or tips to help them improve."

As Alfie Kohn writes, "when students from elementary school to college who are led to focus on grades are compared with those who aren’t, the results support three robust conclusions: Grades tend to diminish students’ interest in whatever they’re learning [...]; Grades create a preference for the easiest possible task [...]; Grades tend to reduce the quality of students’ thinking [...]."

Watch the trailer for the Ungrading book (1:00 minute). In what ways might ungrading be applied in courses you're taking (or have taken)?