PROCESS AND OUTCOMES OF ‘UNGRADING’ AN INTRODUCTORY UNDERGRADUATE GEOSCIENCE COURSE

‘Ungrading’ is loosely defined as an instructional approach that de-emphasizes or eliminates assigning points or letter grades as a means of providing students feedback on their coursework. There exists substantial anecdotal evidence and debate surrounding the benefits and drawbacks for undergraduate students enrolled in ‘ungraded’ classes, especially in the context of equity. However, there is a deficit of published research on effects of ‘ungrading’ approaches on student and instructors alike, particularly in the geosciences. Here, we present an ‘ungrading’ approach for an introductory-level undergraduate geoscience course, Introduction to Environmental Science. We describe strategies for course organization, assignment formats, feedback, and evaluation. Then, we discuss student and instructor perceptions of the ‘ungrading’ approach, student outcomes, and reflect on lessons learned from the approach across three semesters of implementation. Student perceptions of the ungraded format were largely positive and highlighted an increase in engagement with material, learning objectives, and self-reported comfort level with quantitative tasks. Students performed similarly in ‘ungraded’ and traditionally formatted course sections of Introduction to Environmental Science; A’s and B’s comprised the majority of grades assigned across course sections. Achievement gaps between traditionally underrepresented groups (including People of Color, First Generation, and Pell Eligible) and their peers were observed across course sections and teaching formats; however, no statistically significant differences in achievement gaps were documented between ‘ungraded’ and traditional format course sections. Preliminary results indicate that ‘ungrading’ in an introductory level geoscience course can be an effective pedagogical approach that supports a diverse group of learners if applied in a thoughtful and deliberate manner.