153: Alternative Assessment in Intro and Gen Ed Courses
Mar 26, 2024
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Stephanie Kratz discusses transforming assessment in intro and gen ed courses to focus on students' learning, not grades. She explores alternative assessments, ungrading, feedback-centered assessments, and student self-assessment. Stephanie shares challenges, successes, and ongoing reflections on implementing new assessment strategies to foster student growth and motivation.
Alternative assessments focus on student learning progress over traditional grades.
Starting small and involving students in assessment criteria definition are crucial steps.
Faculty collaboration and continuous reflection are essential in reshaping assessment practices.
Deep dives
Stephanie's Journey Towards Alternative Assessment and Grading
Stephanie, a college English professor, shares her six-year journey of transforming assessment and grading in her courses. She transitions from using detailed rubrics to experimenting with complete/incomplete grades to focus on students' learning, not just grades. Stephanie emphasizes the importance of starting small, involving students in defining assessment criteria, and continuously redefining assessment approaches.
Challenges and Evolution of Alternative Grading Methods
Stephanie discovers the complexity of applying complete/incomplete grades and evolves towards ungrading and three-level assessments. She highlights the context-dependent nature of alternative grading, varying approaches for different courses, and the focus on students' learning progress over grades. Stephanie navigates student understanding of assessments, resulting in open student reflections on their progress.
Collaborative Faculty Development and Networking
Stephanie engages in a faculty workshop focusing on alternative assessment approaches, fostering a collaborative learning community. She underscores the importance of seeking local and virtual support, sharing insights with colleagues of diverse disciplines, and utilizing resources like blogs, books, and Twitter conversations on ungrading and grading for growth. Stephanie encourages faculty to question traditional grading assumptions and engage in ongoing reflection.
Impact of Transparency and Iterative Feedback on Student Learning
Stephanie promotes transparency in grading by guiding students to self-reflect on their progress and found success with students' honest self-assessment. She emphasizes providing students with iterative feedback, allowing for resubmissions without penalty, and integrating a structured reflection process. Stephanie encourages faculty to challenge students' fear of making mistakes, foster a growth mindset, and rethink learning assessment approaches.
Fostering a Grassroots Movement Towards Alternative Assessment
Stephanie advocates for a grassroots movement in higher education to question traditional grading norms and focus on student growth through transparent assessment practices. She highlights the importance of discussing grading with students, addressing mental health concerns linked to traditional grading, and exploring alternative assessment pedagogies. Stephanie presses for faculty to challenge existing grading models and embrace student-centered assessment practices for enhanced learning experiences.
In episode 153 of the Lecture Breakers podcast, Stephanie Kratz joins us to discuss how she is transforming assessment and grading in her introductory and general education courses. She wants to focus on students’ learning, not just a number or letter grade. But what does this look like? How does it work? Stephanie takes us into her journey using alternative assessments inspired by the grading for growth movement. She shares what works, what doesn’t work, and what she’s still thinking about as she continues to redefine what assessment looks like and what learning means in her courses. Get the show notes:
https://barbihoneycutt.com/LB153
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