Beyond Grades: Exploring New Grading Approaches in Canvas

Alternative grading frameworks are gaining momentum among educators looking for innovative ways to assess students' learning beyond traditional grading methods. With the emergence of generative AI, instructors are increasingly interested in exploring new ways to assess learning. 

Advocates of ungrading frameworks, such as Susan Blum, argue that ungrading fosters an environment where students feel encouraged to take risks, explore new ideas, and engage in deeper learning experiences without the pressure of grades. Additionally, ungrading cultivates intrinsic motivation and a growth mindset, creating a more positive and meaningful learning environment for students, strengthening the connection between instructors and students. 

For those seeking more extensive information on the topic, we recommend enrolling in the Reimagining Assessment Practicum. As part of the practicum, we created a tip sheet for the workshop to help explore more ways of implementing alternative grading methods within Canvas. 

Make a copy of the tip sheet here. 

How to Get Started 

Many instructors begin by adopting alternative grading methods gradually, transitioning just one assignment or graded activity at a time to use an alternative grading framework. While there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach, we offer five different ideas to help you rethink grading in Canvas. 

• Complete/Incompletes: The Use of the Complete/Incomplete grading criteria option for assignments in Canvas (available in assignment settings). By providing a complete/incomplete, instructors can encourage students to focus on feedback by providing detailed feedback using the Canvas SpeedGrader. This is particularly effective when partnered with allowing students to submit multiple times to an assignment, with a requirement of incorporating previous feedback in each attempt.
  
  
• Video or audio feedback:  Speedgrader has the option to provide video or audio feedback, which can be particularly impactful and novel for students. Hearing your voice or seeing your face facilitates more personalized communication between you and your students. 
  
  
• Practice Quizzes/Surveys: These types of assessments are not recorded in the gradebook, but they provide students with a low-pressure environment to estimate their understanding of course material. This approach has the benefit of easily scaling up for implementation in large classes. Create a Practice Quiz/Survey by selecting it in the “Quiz Type” field. 
  
  
• Extra Credit: Providing additional opportunities for students to excel by implementing extra credit, pushing the total weight grade over 100% in the assignment groups area, or manually adding extra points. For more information, see How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups? 
  
  
• Tiered Discussions: To support diverse levels of mastery within discussions, instructors can create tiered discussions. For example, distinguish discussions by difficulty level: one designated for students with advanced knowledge in the field, another for students with a moderate understanding, and a third for those new to the topic. To clarify the difficulty level of each discussion, instructors can use a rating system such as assigning three stars (***) for discussions on advanced topics, two stars (**) for discussions of moderate difficulty, and one star (*) for discussions geared towards foundational concepts. This approach can promote a more supportive learning environment where students can feel empowered to participate regardless of their prior knowledge of the topic. This strategy is effective for classes with diverse students with varying levels of understanding of the subject matter. Using the group discussion function in Canvas, students can self-select into a discussion group geared to their level. 

Integrating alternative grading frameworks in Canvas can help you assess student learning in alignment with your teaching objectives while fostering positive outcomes such as reduced stress, heightened enthusiasm for learning, and improved communication with your students. If you would like assistance with exploring or implementing alternative grading strategies in your course, schedule a consultation with a learning engineer. 

Learn more tricks to use ungrading practices in Canvas by making a copy of the tip sheet.