M17: Ungrading vs Traditional Grading in an Undergraduate Introductory Statistics Course

Information

The topic of equitable assessment has grown in popularity, especially in the past few years. Educators from all disciplines question the merit and equity of conventional grading practices. They are rethinking what grades measure and how they are used to provide students feedback and communicate with other institutions. One potential solution could be ungrading. Ungrading is primarily defined as a method of assessment that uses qualitative feedback instead of numeric scores to emphasize the importance of student learning and growth. To add to the literature on ungrading in statistics classrooms, we conducted a pseudo-experiment in the Spring semester of 2024 in an introductory statistics course at the undergraduate level. In this study, one course section was randomly assigned to traditional point grading, while the other section was assessed with ungrading. Unbeknownst to the ungraded students, we kept a secret traditional gradebook for future comparison. In this poster, we will compare quantitative measurements such as point grades and equity gaps and qualitative data, including student written reflections, evaluations, and attitudes towards statistics. We will also share some of our lessons learned and resources for ungrading in a statistics course.