I admit that when I first heard about "undgrading" I thought the idea was ridiculous, and perhaps even antithetical to higher education. But these and other short essays from Jesse Stommel helped me to see how grading, more often than not, works in opposition to student learning. Grades give the student an extrinsic motivation (i.e., to get a good grade), but what we really want is to foster a student's intrinsic motivation to learn, and in that respect, there is little evidence of their efficacy. Worse, there is evidence that grades tend to amplify existing societal inequities and increase student anxiety. If you are curious about why some of us at Iowa have moved away from grade-based assessment, I highly recommend these essays. - Andrew Forbes, Biology

I'm a great admirer of Cate Denial's writings on pedagogy, partly because she's been an open book about her own learning process. By reading her blog in advance to taking the plunge - and as I continue to refine my courses - I've not only picked up specific tips. I've also been reassured that reforming my own practices will be an ongoing process, and it's ok if there are some bumps along the road. (Aren't traditional grading methods also full of bumps ... despite the fact that we've used those methods for decades?) The first two items I'm linking are a good introduction to her work. The third item concerns "going gradeless," which is my practice in smaller classes. The fourth item - by Dan Melzer et al - is an essay on specs grading that I assign to students in larger courses, where I use that method. - Lisa Heineman, History, Gender Women's & Sexuality Studies

Susan Blum's 2020 edited collection Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead) was one of the first references I was pointed to and where I started when thinking about implementing alternative grading approaches in my classrooms. The collection features short practical introductions to a variety of strategies in both secondary and collegiate classroom settings. Two chapters in particular have directly impacted approaches I've adopted. 

Laura Gibb's Chapter 7 "Let's Talk About Grading" has helped shape my rationale for alternative approaches. Her appendix that features her ten grading memories in chronological order is an excerpt I share with my students to introduce them to these (often unfamiliar) strategies at the beginning of the semester. The experiences she discusses really resonate with students and always initiates an interesting conversation about similar experiences (and dissatisfactions). It also allows me to share some of my own grading memories - as a student and instructor - and to be transparent with my students about my rationale for adopting an alternative grading approach.

Susan Blum's Chapter 3 "Just One Change (Just Kidding): Ungrading and Its Necessary Accompaniments" also offers useful guidance and an example-filled appendix centered on collaborative grading approaches. I've adapted many of her examples to develop and refine learning-focused weekly, module-level, and end-of-semester reflection practices for students in my courses. - Jennifer Sterling, American Studies

I've spent most of my professional career thinking about how to better and more equitably assess one-shot library instruction sessions and workshops. I joined the Assessing Assessment FLC prior to my first semester appointment as an adjunct teaching a 3s.h. graduate course about College & University Libraries in the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS). I was encouraged to find that the Director of SLIS at the time (Professor Lindsay Mattock) was also a member of the FLC. I borrowed many of my ideas and strategies from Professor Mattock. I was also appreciative of the sample grading contract exampales shared by Professor Jennifer Eidum (Elon University) found on the HASTAC Progressive Pedagogy blog. Professor Eidum also shares an article titled, "Pedagogical Too-Muchness," which helped me approach revising my assessment strategies incrementally, rather than all at once.

Whenever you begin to interrogate your own assessment practices, you also begin to interrogate your learning objectives and your professional learning philosophy. This work has been essential for me as I've explored alternative assessment practices. I am currently compelled by the recent article by Hicks & Sinkinson (2021) titled, "Participation and Presence: Interrogating Active Learning." This article challenges my previous conceptions of engaged/visible learning practices and it feels a bit like my entire teaching philosophy has been turned upside down. It needed a revision. It's got me wondering: What assessment strategies account for, honor, and acknowledge what Lave and Wegner have called legitimate peripheral participation or what may often look like lurking? How can assessment modalities account for self-protective learning practices like reticence and nondisclosure?