Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead)

Abstract

INTRODUCTION In Ungrading’s foreword Kohn (2020) writes, “Many have come to realise that (a) grades have been driving much of what happens in classrooms, (b) this is a serious problem, and (c) it doesn't have to be this way” (Kohn 2020, xix). This establishes the impetus for this edited book promoting ungrading, an approach that recognises problems associated with traditional grading and seeks to shift the focus once more on learning. Ungrading has strong alignment with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)—see for instance Guberman (2021) and Gandara and Carter (2021)—as it encourages educators to resist what Warner (2020) describes as “teaching ‘folklore,’ the practices handed down instructor to instructor” (Warner 2020, 207). This book will resonate with SoTL scholars who yearn to promote deep learning and resist doing things (like graded assessments) merely because that is what has always been done. The fifteen chapters contributed by diverse authors give research-informed insights into their own practices and reflections (see Table 1). As part of an emerging field, Blum (2020b) clearly articulates the significance of these collected conversations: “putting these pieces together produces a picture of what is possible – a picture greater than any individual alone can produce” (Blum 2020b, 2).