Inclusive and Compassionate Grading: Exploring Alternatives to Traditional Grading Systems

At their best, grades can be a source of extrinsic motivation for students, as well as an indicator of how they are doing in a course. But there are also downsides to traditional grading systems for both instructors and students. When students focus on grades rather than learning, they may feel anxiety rather than curiosity, avoid intellectual risks and challenges, or ignore or misinterpret other, more useful, forms of feedback. For instructors, assigning and discussing grades with students is often exhausting, and it encourages them to relate to their students as an opponent or judge, rather than as a guide and mentor. At their most destructive, grades can even perpetuate systems of bias and oppression, measuring privilege rather than learning and making it more difficult for minority and first generation students to succeed.

After this workshop participants will be able to: 

• Reflect on their own experiences with grading as students and instructors.
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of traditional and non-traditional grading systems.
• Consider how to successfully implement a new grading system in one of their courses.

You may register here.

If you have registered for this event, or are on the waitlist and require an accommodation such as live captioning or interpretation to participate, please contact drakeinstitute@osu.edu. Requests should be made at least two weeks prior to the event, but the university will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.

All members of the university community are welcome in Drake Institute activities, programs, services, and employment —regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, or any other bases under the law.

Institute for Teaching and Learning programming is offered in accordance with university guidelines associated with in-person and remote activities. The Institute will inform registrants of delivery modifications should those guidelines change.