Are you looking for ways to support your students through the assessment/grading process? Five colleagues share their experience with nontraditional and alternative grading practices.

Assessment is an important teaching tool. Yet, some aspects of traditional grading systems can reinforce imbalanced power structures. Studying grading practices more closely can help instructors accurately measure students’ knowledge, skills, and growth. This approach to assessment can lead to improved learning outcomes, increased student motivation, and a more inclusive educational environment. 

A group of faculty dedicated to this conversation presented earlier this year at the Ball State Student Success Summit, “Leveraging Tools, Techniques, and Technologies for Student Success.” It was the perfect opportunity to showcase how Ball State faculty are exploring nontraditional grading practices. 

Panelists included: 

Dr. Josh Mannix, Assistant Teaching Professor of Mathematical Sciences. 
Josh Mannix has been implementing alternative grading since 2023. He uses specifications grading and student conference in his courses for elementary and math education majors. The biggest benefit he has noticed is that his students report being more engaged with the content and less concerned with points and grades.  

Lisa Beck, Senior Lecturer of Health Science 

Lisa Beck jumped into nontraditional grading practices in 2022. She incorporates collaborative grading, reflection, and student conferences in the UCC course HSC160 and the health science course for education majors. She describes the switch as “life-changing” for both the instructor and students. Lisa’s students report that they learn more and feel less stressed about grades. 

Dave Largent, Senior Lecturer of Computer Science 

Dave Largent has incorporated elements of specifications grading for several years in various computer science courses. He continues to develop grading systems that best support his students. The benefits of alternative grading include students no longer begging for points, focusing on learning and assignment completion, and their work more accurately reflecting what they will experience in their careers. 

Austin Hostetter, Assistant Lecturer of Marketing 

Looking for ways to prepare students with more real-world experiences, Austin Hostetter has been exploring nontraditional grading practices for two years. In his digital marketing course, he employs various techniques such as project-based learning, provides extensive qualitative feedback, encourages resubmissions, and has reflective touchpoints for students to talk about their growth. By the end of the course, Austin found his students appreciated the opportunity to explore the material and the sense of freedom that allowed them to be creative and open to trying new things. 

Dr. Kathryn Ludwig, Assistant Teaching Professor of English 

Kathryn Ludwig teaches Literature and First-year Composition. Over the past two years, she has been exploring alternative grading practices.  She uses complete/incomplete, encourages revisions, and allows students to demonstrate growth through revision and reflection. Benefits Kathryn has noticed include students appreciate the transparency. Less confident writers feel they are capable of doing the work of writing, while students confident with their writing ability are willing to be more creative and take risks. 

Watch the Panel Conversation 

We invite you to watch the entire conversation below. You will hear about the faculty members’ experiences exploring and implementing nontraditional grading practices, including the challenges they face with this approach, as they respond to the following questions:  

What caused you to reconsider your grading practices?  
Briefly describe ways you use nontraditional grading practices.  
What benefits have you seen since implementing nontraditional grading practices?  
What challenges have you overcome along the way?  
What are your ‘next steps’ with nontraditional grading practices? 

Tips to Consider

The following are the top assessment tips as summarized by the panelists. 

  1. Start small – Don’t think you need to redesign an entire course. Instead, select a current assessment that would adapt to a nontraditional grading structure.  
  1. Be transparent – Explain your rationale for alternative grading to your students. Communicate how it will work and what they can expect from themselves and you as their instructor. Check–in with students before, during, and after the assessment. 
  1. Use resources to support your journey – Reach out to like-minded colleagues, such as those on the panel, to discuss experiences. Read about alternative grading and participate in professional development sessions. 

Implications for Your Classroom

As you consider the panelists’ suggestions for re–thinking traditional grading systems and trying new approaches to assessment, what stands out to you? What strategies and tools might you consider employing in your classroom and content area in the near and distant future? 

  • Kathleen Jacobi

    Kathy brings 12 years as a faculty member to her role of director of faculty development. Her teaching experience spans early childhood through adult and multiple modalities. With a goal of exploring best practices to develop pedagogical techniques and strategies that are student-centered and inclusive, her facilitation approach is one that creates a welcoming environment with respectful discourse. She seeks input from faculty in identifying resources and materials to support their areas of interest and creates various ways to interact with colleagues from across the university. In addition to her role in faculty development, she has also taught courses for the School of Music and the Department of Educational Studies.