Student Reflections on Learning as the Basis for Course Grades

This paper examines the impact of an ungrading approach to classroom assessments on students' perception of their learning experience in two freshman level courses.We discuss the interviews conducted at mid-term and end of term with our students in order to determine course grades and promote self-reflection and metacognition.The interview process was central to how we adopted ungrading (Blum 2020) as an assessment method for our courses and was the primary tool for determining course grades.All students involved were first year STEM students enrolled in either Intro to MATLAB programming (n=36) or First year composition (n=37).Ten (10) students were enrolled in both courses.Early findings from this approach found that students expressed an improved sense of agency and independence when it came to their course work and in the MATLAB course and used language that suggested the foundation for life-long learning.The grade conferences provided an opportunity for student-teacher calibration in terms of course expectations and self-reflection among the students.While it is still a developing field, the ungrading approach provides an alternative to the traditional classroom that allows for student agency and increased involvement in the learning process while decentralizing authority.The power shift away from the instructor impresses upon the student their responsibility for taking control of their own learning.