Name: Ungrading: Challenges and Opportunities in Undergraduate Teaching
Start: 2024-09-20T11:00:00-0400
End: 2024-09-20T11:50:00-0400

George Mason University faculty and staff to present their teaching-focused research at the 16th annual ITL Conference

Friday September 20, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Johnson Center - Go to Registration Desk

Ungrading: Challenges and Opportunities in Undergraduate Teaching

In Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead), Susan Blum and Alfie Kohn outline some of concerns about letter grades. These concerns range from grades incentivizing cheating to grades detracting from meaningful learning, to grades discouraging creativity and risk-taking. Because Mason faculty are required to submit final grades (and sometimes midterm grades) for students and because ungrading is not common at Mason, implementing the strategy of ungrading can be daunting. In this interactive session, we explore how to effectively deploy ungrading in the undergraduate classroom. We will review why we decided to implement ungrading, the challenges we encountered/mistakes we made, and the benefits of ungrading for both students and faculty. This session would benefit any instructor who teaches undergraduate courses, especially those in the humanities and social sciences.

Speakers

Maoria J. Kirker

Lisa Gring-Pemble

Dr. Lisa Gring-Pemble, an associate professor at George Mason University, is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of St. Olaf College. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication (Rhetoric) from the University of Maryland. Since joining George Mason University in 2000, she has pursued teaching... Read More →

Friday September 20, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Johnson Center - Go to Registration Desk

Inclusive Teaching Track, Interactive Session