“Success was Actually Having Learned:” University Student Perceptions of Ungrading

Amy A. Hasinoff; Wendy Bolyard; Dennis DeBay; Joanna C. Dunlap; Annika C. Mosier; Elizabeth Pugliano

doi:10.20343/teachlearninqu.12.5

Authors

Amy A. Hasinoff University of Colorado Denver https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7530-8278
Wendy Bolyard University of Colorado Denver https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7185-284X
Dennis DeBay University of Colorado Denver https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1103-7510
Joanna C. Dunlap University of Colorado Denver https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0556-5150
Annika C. Mosier University of Colorado Denver https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5333-4854
Elizabeth Pugliano University of Colorado Denver https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4880-4916

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.12.5

Keywords:

ungrading, assessment, alternative assessment, survey, higher education

Abstract

A large body of evidence shows that many ungrading practices are as good or better than conventional approaches at supporting learning outcomes. Much of the research on student perceptions of ungrading, however, is based on individual case studies which, although informative, are often anecdotal, not systematically implemented, and tend to emphasize the instructor’s perspectives. Building on this literature, we offer a systematic study that asks: how do students perceive pedagogical practices designed by instructors to support an ungrading strategy? To answer this question, we conducted a survey of students across a range of disciplines and a variety of ungrading approaches to assess how they perceive their learning experiences in these courses as compared to others. Findings indicate that students generally perceive that ungrading practices improve their relationship with their instructor; enhance their engagement, agency, enjoyment, and interest; foster their intrinsic motivation and focus on learning; and facilitate their creativity. While many students reported reduced stress, others reported that the unfamiliarity and uncertainty of ungrading increased their stress. Gaining a better understanding of how students react to these pedagogical techniques can help instructors improve their practices.

Read the corresponding ISSOTL blog post here.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biographies

Amy A. Hasinoff, University of Colorado Denver

Amy A. Hasinoff is an associate professor of communication at the University of Colorado Denver (USA).

Wendy Bolyard, University of Colorado Denver

Wendy Bolyard is a clinical associate professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver (USA).

Dennis DeBay, University of Colorado Denver

Dennis DeBay is a clinical assistant professor of STEM education at the University of Colorado Denver (USA).

Joanna C. Dunlap, University of Colorado Denver

Joanna C. Dunlap is a professor of learning design and technology at the University of Colorado Denver (USA).

Annika C. Mosier, University of Colorado Denver

Annika C. Mosier is an associate professor of integrative biology at the University of Colorado Denver (USA).

Elizabeth Pugliano, University of Colorado Denver

Elizabeth Pugliano is a senior instructor of art history at the University of Colorado Denver (USA).

References

Andrade, Heidi L. 2019. “A Critical Review of Research on Student Self-Assessment.” Frontiers in Education 4: 87. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00087. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00087

Blinne, Kristen C., editor 2021. Grading Justice: Teacher-Activist Approaches to Assessment. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

Bloxham, Sue, Birgit den-Outer, Jane Hudson, and Margaret Price. 2016. “Let’s Stop the Pretence of Consistent Marking: Exploring the Multiple Limitations of Assessment Criteria.” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 41 (3): 466–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1024607. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1024607

Blum, Susan, editor. 2020. Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead). Morgantown, WV: West Virginia University Press.

Boud, David. 1989. “The Role of Self‐Assessment in Student Grading.” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 14 (1): 20–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293890140103. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293890140103

Boud, David. 1995. “What Does Research Tell Us about Self-Assessment?” In Enhancing Learning Through Self-Assessment. London: Routledge.

Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. 2012. “Thematic Analysis.” In APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology, Vol 2: Research Designs: Quantitative, Qualitative, Neuropsychological, and Biological., edited by Harris Cooper, Paul M. Camic, Debra L. Long, A. T. Panter, David Rindskopf, and Kenneth J. Sher, 57–71. Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13620-004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/13620-004

Burrows, Nikita L., Jonathan Ouellet, Jaimy Joji, and Jillian Man. 2021. “Alternative Assessment to Lab Reports: A Phenomenology Study of Undergraduate Biochemistry Students’ Perceptions of Interview Assessment.” Journal of Chemical Education 98 (5): 1518–28. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00150. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00150

Butler, Ruth. 1988. “Enhancing and Undermining Intrinsic Motivation: The Effects of Task-Involving and Ego-Involving Evaluation on Interest and Performance.” British Journal of Educational Psychology 58 (1): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.1988.tb00874.x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.1988.tb00874.x

Carillo, Ellen C. 2021. The Hidden Inequities in Labor-Based Contract Grading. Logan, UT: Utah State University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7330/9781646422678

Carter, Keri Lee, and John Lando Carter. 2022. “Ungrading through Portfolios: Embracing Failure in the Research Writing Classroom.” In Confronting Failure: Building Confidence and Resilience in Undergraduate Researchers, edited by Lisa A. Corwin, Louise K. Charkoudian, and Jennifer M. Heemstra, 94–104. Council on Undergraduate Research. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED621426.pdf. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18833/cf/12

Cordell, Ryan. 2019. “How I Contract Grade.” https://ryancordell.org/teaching/contract-grading/.

Danielewicz, Jane, and Peter Elbow. 2009. “A Unilateral Grading Contract to Improve Learning and Teaching.” College Composition and Communication 61 (2): 244–68. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40593442.

Dochy, Filip, Mien Segers, and Sluijsmans. 1999. “The Use of Self-, Peer and Co-Assessment in Higher Education: A Review.” Studies in Higher Education 24 (3): 331–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079912331379935. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079912331379935

Ferns, Shaun, Robert Hickey, and Helen Williams. 2021. “Ungrading, Supporting Our Students through a Pedagogy of Care.” International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education (IJCDSE) 12 (2): 4500–504. https://doi.org/10.20522/ijcdse.2042.6364.2021.0550.

Guberman, Daniel. 2021. “Student Perceptions of an Online Ungraded Course.” Teaching & Learning Inquiry 9 (1): 86–98. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.9.1.8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.9.1.8

Hall, Eric, and Kristina Meinking. 2022. “Letting Go of Grades: Creating an Environment of Autonomy and a Focus on Learning for High Achieving Students.” Teaching & Learning Inquiry 10. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.10.21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.10.21

Hasinoff, Amy Adele. 2021. “Do You Trust Your Students?” In Hybrid Teaching: Pedagogy, People, Politics, edited by Chris Friend, 75–80. Hybrid Pedagogy. https://hybridpedagogy.org/do-you-trust-your-students/.

Inoue, Asao B. 2012. “Grading Contracts: Assessing Their Effectiveness on Different Racial Formations.” In Race and Writing Assessment, edited by Asao Inoue and Mya Poe, 79–94. New York: Peter Lang.

Inoue, Asao B.. 2019. Labor-Based Grading Contracts: Building Equity and Inclusion in the Compassionate Writing Classroom. Fort Collins, CO: WAC Clearinghouse; Denver: University Press of Colorado. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37514/PER-B.2019.0216.0

Koehler, Adrie A., and Sally Meech. 2022. “Ungrading Learner Participation in a Student-Centered Learning Experience.” TechTrends 66 (1): 78–89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-021-00682-w. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-021-00682-w

Kohn, Alfie. 2011. “The Case against Grades.” Educational Leadership 69 (3): 28–33.

Kryger, Kathleen, and Griffin X. Zimmerman. 2020. “Neurodivergence and Intersectionality in Labor-Based Grading Contracts.” Journal of Writing Assessment 13 (2): 1–12. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0934x4rm.

Laflen, Angela, and Mikenna Sims. 2021. “Designing a More Equitable Scorecard: Grading Contracts and Online Writing Instruction.” In PARS in Practice: More Resources and Strategies for Online Writing Instructors, edited by Jessie Borgman and Casey McArdle, 119–39. Fort Collins, CO: WAC Clearinghouse; Denver: University Press of Colorado. https://doi.org/10.37514/PRA-B.2021.1145.2.07. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37514/PRA-B.2021.1145.2.07

Linnenbrink-Garcia, Lisa, Erika A. Patall, and Reinhard Pekrun. 2016. “Adaptive Motivation and Emotion in Education: Research and Principles for Instructional Design.” Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences 3 (2): 228–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732216644450. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732216644450

Linnenbrink-Garcia, Lisa, and Reinhard Pekrun. 2011. “Students’ Emotions and Academic Engagement: Introduction to the Special Issue.” Contemporary Educational Psychology 36 (1): 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2010.11.004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2010.11.004

Mallette, Jennifer C., and Amanda Hawks. 2020. “Building Student Agency Through Contract Grading in Technical Communication.” Journal of Writing Assessment 13 (2). https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4v65z263.

McMorran, Chris, and Kiruthika Ragupathi. 2020. “The Promise and Pitfalls of Gradeless Learning: Responses to an Alternative Approach to Grading.” Journal of Further and Higher Education, 44 (7), 925–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2019.1619073. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2019.1619073

McMorran, Chris, Kiruthika Ragupathi, and Simei Luo. 2017. “Assessment and Learning without Grades? Motivations and Concerns with Implementing Gradeless Learning in Higher Education.” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42 (3), 361–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1114584. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1114584

McMullan, Mirjam, Ruth Endacott, Morag A. Gray, Melanie Jasper, Carolyn M.L. Miller, Julie Scholes, and Christine Webb. 2003. “Portfolios and Assessment of Competence: A Review of the Literature.” Journal of Advanced Nursing, 41 (3), 283–94. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2003.02528.x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2003.02528.x

Nilson, Linda B. 2014. Specifications Grading: Restoring Rigor, Motivating Students, and Saving Faculty Time. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

Norton, Lin, and Anne Campbell. 2007. “The Development of Reflective Practice in Higher Education: A Theoretical Perspective.” In Learning, Teaching and Assessing in Higher Education: Developing Reflective Practice, edited by Lin Norton and Anne Campbell, 140–48. Exeter, UK: Learning Matters, Ltd.

Perry, John, David Lundie, and Gill Golder. 2019. “Metacognition in Schools: What Does the Literature Suggest about the Effectiveness of Teaching Metacognition in Schools?” Educational Review 71 (4): 483–500. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2018.1441127. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2018.1441127

Reardon, Kristina, and Vanessa Guardado-Menjivar. 2020. “Perceptions of Fairness in Summer Bridge Classrooms with Contract Grades.” Journal of Writing Assessment 13 (2). https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6qc0j26v.

Sackstein, Starr. 2015. Hacking Assessment: 10 Ways to Go Gradeless in a Traditional Grades School. Cleveland, OH: Times 10 Publications.

Schinske, Jeffrey, and Kimberly Tanner. 2014. “Teaching More by Grading Less (or Differently).” CBE—Life Sciences Education 13 (2): 159–66. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.cbe-14-03-0054. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.cbe-14-03-0054

Schneider, Jack, and Ethan Hutt. 2014. “Making the Grade: A History of the A–F Marking Scheme.” Journal of Curriculum Studies 46 (2): 201–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2013.790480. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2013.790480

Schweder, Sabine, and Diana Raufelder. 2022. “Adolescents’ Enjoyment and Effort in Class: Influenced by Self-Directed Learning Intervals.” Journal of School Psychology 95 (December): 72–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2022.09.002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2022.09.002

Sorensen-Unruh, Clarissa. 2020. “Ungrading: What Is It and Why Should We Use It?” Clarissa Sorensen-Unruh’s Blog (blog). January 14, 2020. https://www.chemedx.org/blog/ungrading-what-it-and-why-should-we-use-it.

Spidell, Cathy, and William H. Thelin. 2006. “Not Ready to Let Go: A Study of Resistance to Grading Contracts.” Composition Studies 34 (1): 35–68. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43501638.

Stommel, Jesse. 2023. Undoing the Grade: Why We Grade, and How to Stop. Denver: Hybrid Pedagogy.

Supiano, Beckie. 2019. “Grades Can Hinder Learning. What Should Professors Use Instead?” Chronicle of Higher Education. July 19, 2019. https://www.chronicle.com/article/grades-can-hinder-learning-what-should-professors-use-instead/.

Supiano, Beckie. 2022. “The Unintended Consequences of Ungrading.” The Chronicle of Higher Education. April 29, 2022. https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-unintended-consequences-of-ungrading.

Talbert, Robert. 2022. “What I’ve Learned from Ungrading.” Inside Higher Ed. April 27, 2022. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2022/04/27/professor-shares-benefits-and-drawbacks-ungrading-opinion.

Tan, Kelvin H. K. 2004. “Does Student Self‐Assessment Empower or Discipline Students?” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 29 (6): 651–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293042000227209. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293042000227209

Tannock, Stuart. 2017. “No Grades in Higher Education Now! Revisiting the Place of Graded Assessment in the Reimagination of the Public University.” Studies in Higher Education 42 (8): 1345–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1092131. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1092131

Taylor, Kirsten L. 2022. “The Pandemic and Pedagogy Experimentation: The Benefits of Ungrading.” In Active Learning in Political Science for a Post-Pandemic World: From Triage to Transformation, 79–93. Cham, CH: Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94713-2_6

Williams, Helen. 2020. “Will Students Engage If There Are No Grades? A Review of the Evidence, and an Experiment in Ungrading.” In ICERI2020 Proceedings, 2575–81. Valencia: IATED. https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2020.0605. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2020.0605