Research and share: Select one practice from the list of several alternative grading practices provided in the module and research it briefly. Note down and share key points about the specific practice in our Padlet. by FSC

Shorter Writing Assignments

2024-01-05 17:07:52 UTC

Breaking research papers into the smaller components of the process (such as the annotated bibliography, literature review, etc.) allows students to focus on each step of the development of their research rather than just generating content to submit.

Explanation of a multiple-choice answer

2024-01-05 19:27:12 UTC

Having students explain why they chose an answer will demonstrate if they understand the concept(s) at a deeper level, as opposed to superficially or guessing.

Poster Presentation

2024-01-05 20:22:32 UTC

An alternative grading practice involves students creating posters to demonstrate understanding of course concepts, which can be presented in a class or public session. This method engages multiple skills and offers a visual, interactive way to assess learning.

Problen-Solving

2024-01-05 21:17:56 UTC

Problem-solving assessments typically involve presenting students with real-world scenarios or complex questions that require them to apply their knowledge of chemical principles to solve problems. This approach aims to assess not only a student's factual knowledge but also their ability to apply that knowledge in practical situations.

Problem-solving assessments offer depth but have challenges related to grading and time.

Technology

2024-01-06 00:38:47 UTC

By using Computers to have students create a visual piece or a Actual poster for a Vision board can be a way to engage them in learning, utilizing presenation skills, working of soft skills for work, and show their creative side to express their work. Showing the student tricks to presenting and using a presentation especially for shy students can help deflect attention on them and showcase their work and knowledge of research/material.

Reflection on what students learned

2024-01-06 05:35:58 UTC

Asking students to write a reflection on what they have learned from an experience demonstrates the integration of a variety of skills and knowledge gained from a course.

The Indiana University website suggested for a biology/chemistry course to "draw a diagram of how a process works, indicating what happens if X occurs". So I thought that students in my Esc-1 class could sketch out where they think that lava will erupt next in Iceland near the town that has all of the earthquakes and ground uplift. It would be a current event and require assessment of the data being collected. Students would need to justify their choices from their research.

2024-01-06 05:51:23 UTC

The Indiana University website suggested for a biology/chemistry course to "draw a diagram of how a process works, indicating what happens if X occurs". So I thought that students in my Esc-1 class could sketch out where they think that lava will erupt next in Iceland near the town that has all of the earthquakes and ground uplift. It would be a current event and require assessment of the data being collected. Students would need to justify their choices from their research.

2024-01-06 06:40:55 UTC

Letter to a Friend

2024-02-07 23:48:37 UTC

Writing a letter of advice to a friend with a specific problem, integrating material from the course into their response. This allows student s to demonstrate their understanding and application of concepts.

Paragraph alternative

2024-04-12 20:49:23 UTC

As a chemistry instructor, I will have the student write a paragraph on say, a gas law. Some things I will want to assess the student on would be what variables are used in this gas law and in what situation would it be used in. Given some data of the used gas law, would the data match the expected results of a change in one of the gas variables. What are the expected changes in one variable versus another? And maybe a brief history on who discovered this gas law and how and when it was discovered. This would be in place of having a student, given some numbers, and have them put them into the equation and solving the equation.

engineering

2024-04-16 04:40:26 UTC

Letter to a friend explaining a concept

2024-04-16 14:51:58 UTC

The Indiana University Bloomington suggested writing a letter to a friend explaining a concept as an alternative to traditional exam and papers. When students are able to explain to a friend a concept they have learned they are able to see their own real understanding of a concept. If they can explain a concept with great ease, provide examples of how they are applying what they learned to their real life, then students can see they have really understood the concept.

Guidance/Personal Development Courses

2024-04-16 15:50:17 UTC

In our personal development or guidance courses students are often asked to reflect on previous experiences. The students are asked to share their experiences let's say in studying for a college course and then provide feedback to one another. The grading is focused more on the student sharing and conversing with other students.

Analysis of work of art

2024-04-16 16:08:55 UTC

Sometimes students have a limited view as to what constitutes a work of art. In discussing the possibilities the world opens up a bit for them. They all listen to music, watch videos, create a personal style. All are works of art.

Shorter writing assignments: Bibliographies

2024-04-16 20:05:32 UTC

Beyond English classes (whose COR often requires certain essay assignments), the option to use shorter assignments is a valuable and authentic way to assess student learning. An annotated bibliography, for example, requires students to research, to read, and to critique sources in the same way they would for a full-blown research paper. English classes can use these kinds of assignments in addition to the required essays.

Write a newspaper article

2024-04-16 20:31:33 UTC

Giving students a real-world scenario is helpful for them to conceptualize what they are doing and why it is useful for them to learn this. Instead of writing a traditional essay, framing the writing assignment as a newspaper article allows students to understand the context of what they are writing, who it is for, and why they are writing it.

I think that writing a letter to a friend is a great idea. I always think that teaching someone else about a subject is a great way to test your understanding and see how well you really understand the material.

2024-04-16 22:38:12 UTC

Researched Debate

2024-04-17 02:40:50 UTC

Assigning students debate topics and having them spend time researching and composing responses would be a thoughtful way to get students to thoroughly investigate a pro/con topic, engage with each other, and to have them thoughtful arrange their ideas in a presentation. I only wish we had more face-to-face class offerings in order to allow for the space, time, and organization of these kinds of projects.

Analysis and Evaluation

2024-04-17 18:58:37 UTC

Having students respond to a case study could be a very useful assessment that I have done as a student but never assigned as an instructor. I always found them to be challenging but engaging, personally. It is helpful in that it links course concepts with real-life relevance and application.

Meaningful paragraph

2024-04-17 19:01:10 UTC

I typically write my short answer exam questions in a way that I expect the students to answer with a meaningful paragraph. I have not previously tried doing this while giving them the terminology, instead I have expected them to know the terms to use. I think giving them the terms may help them demonstrate that they know the process more readily by them being able to use the terms correctly instead of just expecting them to remember them (in a very term dense subject) and use them properly.

Performance/work of art

2024-04-23 01:23:30 UTC

Submission of a recording presenting information rather than writting an essay to demonstrate knowledge. Or give students an option to be more creative and submit a vision board or complete activities using Padlet and Harmonize using the audio feature is another alternative.

Essay writing

2024-05-04 17:33:57 UTC

Finding alternatives to writing essays where students can still learn about thesis statements and how they are proven in the body of an essay as well as how to use citation -is a challenge. I've started using the process of annotating scholarly essays as a way to develop research.

Diary entry for a real or fictional character

2024-05-08 04:13:56 UTC

This stood out to me because I know someone who identifies as non-binary, and they said that due to this, they can easily put themselves in various people's/character's shoes, and will even dream that they are someone else. On top of that, many of my students are cosplayers. Thus, I believe that they would greatly enjoy and flourish with an assignment like this. Maybe I can have them choose a real, historical figure, so that they have to incorporate research (depending on the LOs).

Art analysis

2024-05-08 23:41:17 UTC

Have students visit on-campus art gallery and perform a comparative analysis of two pieces of artwork, including their own reactions and reflection on the artist's work and artistic choices.

Analysis of a meaningful work of media

2024-05-16 20:35:13 UTC

Incorporate everything we've seen so far and invite students to revisit beloved pieces of media with a new perspective; can they figure out how and why class concepts can change the way we view beloved movies, plays, or music?

Start of a term paper (the thesis statement and a detailed outline)

2024-05-20 20:03:40 UTC

This would require students to write out a solid and concise thesis statement for their paper while providing a detailed outline of their paper. The detailed outline would include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. For each of these sections the student would need to write out (using full sentences) multiple statements that would be used in each section.

Annotated Bibliography

2024-05-22 20:57:44 UTC

Creating an annotated bibliography enhances students' research skills, critical thinking, and understanding of course themes. It prepares them for their final essay by organizing and evaluating scholarly sources, promoting deeper engagement with the material. This assignment fosters reflection on the relevance of each source, improves citation skills, and encourages lifelong learning. By offering an alternative to traditional exams and papers, it boosts motivation and provides a more accurate assessment of students' analytical and problem-solving abilities. This comprehensive approach supports academic success and intellectual growth.

Explain a multiple choice

2024-06-20 03:16:43 UTC

Having students explain the correct answer or an incorrect answer means that students can't just guess and get credit. Rather, we look for their understanding of a concept through explanation.

Visual Aid

2024-06-20 03:58:49 UTC

Students create a dictionary of terms illustrated with images.

Social Media post where the students make a 5 minutes video describing the lesson or concepts they have learned

2024-06-24 18:25:04 UTC

Poetic Performance

2024-08-08 18:36:57 UTC

One suggestion as an alternate assessment was having students orally perform a poem or written piece. To practice public speaking and adjusting verbal and nonverbal delivery techniques, students could choose a poem (or even song lyrics!) and perform it multiple times but changing the tone by changing their verbal/nonverbal delivery.

Short answer exams

2024-08-09 21:53:12 UTC

Short answer questions allow students to share their understanding of a certain topic. I include short answers so that students can reflect on readings and provide opinions on whether or not they agree or disagree with certain information. They are also asked to provide personal examples to show how they understand key concepts.

Debate

2024-08-12 20:03:39 UTC

Have students read different viewpoints on the same historical topic and debate those view while adding their own opinion.

Creative Ad Response

2024-09-02 15:54:55 UTC

Students make an "Advertisement" that includes their analysis and application of learned class concepts

contextualized communicative tasks

2024-09-09 19:31:20 UTC

These tasks are more difficult for ChatGPT. If based on scenario from an image, it's difficult for ChatGPT to analyze. The student is required to write something of their own.

Annotated Bibliography (Brooke S.)

2024-11-16 00:04:38 UTC

Annotated bibliographies are summaries and evaluations of a list of sources that have been used to research a topic. Students answer questions like "what are some of the main arguments the author is making? Is the information reliable? Is the source biased? How does the source contribute to their research?" I think this task can fit perfectly into my public speaking course. This process is essential so the students know they are gathering credible date and being ethical speakers.

Poem, Play, or Dialogue (Bonnie K.)

2025-01-10 20:44:59 UTC

I teach English -- and allowing a student to create their own poem, play, or dialogue adds another level of creativity or expression. I think ChatGPT may help with some basic outlines and material.

Justifying a Multiple Choice Question

2025-03-21 17:33:55 UTC

For chemistry, I like the idea of having students defend or justify their multiple choice answer. While they may get the wrong answer, their justification could still apply related concepts appropriately and allow the student to still demonstrate they did learn something!

Case Studies

2025-04-08 23:43:58 UTC

Case Studies

2025-04-08 23:46:27 UTC

I like to use case studies because they promote critical thinking, application of course content, and real-world problem-solving. They also are easy to get the students to collaborate and offer diverse responses when thinking about the case. They also help connect theory with practical experience.

Letter to a friend explaining a problem or concept

2025-04-19 18:33:29 UTC

This really resonates with me. At the end of each term, I often ask my students to write down one thing they learned or found particularly interesting during the course. I frame the prompt like this:

"If you were to run into your best friend right after class and they asked, 'What did you learn in Professor Soares’ class?', what would you say?"

It’s a great way to encourage students to reflect critically on the material we've covered and to express their takeaways in their own words.

2025-04-22 23:29:34 UTC

When teaching persuasive speaking, I think using advertisements could be a fun way to explore persuasive speaking structures/organizational patterns. Even using fun/cheesy "infommericals" could be an engaging way to practice persuasive speaking.

2025-04-23 00:36:25 UTC

This is really helpful for my English 1B course, since we discuss advertising for the thematic portion of the writing assignments. I have done something similar to this in the past, but I think I will re-implement it into my grading.

Annotated bibliography

2025-04-23 01:05:33 UTC

Annotated bibliographies include evaluative summaries of the sources that look at content and credibility. I want to highlight that annotated bibliographies include reactions to the source and how the source will be used in an essay. That can help students be more engaged with the material/

Book Reviews

2025-04-23 04:42:13 UTC

Require the student to read the text or at least have a familiarity with it

Requires interpretive and analytical skills

Portfolio or Powerpoint presentation

2025-05-01 22:56:24 UTC

It requires integration of student's analytical and creativity skills. It also requires multiple phases of work that includes research, big idea or concept, then final presentation that delivers the final project.

Debate

pvm962 — 2025-05-03 20:47:45 UTC

Debates demonstrate critical thinking in that students need evidence for their assertions, and they need to have a good grasp on the topic in order to respond to classmates' refutations.

Explanations

2025-05-15 04:33:07 UTC

As an art professor, I find that students need to be able to connect with material and explain how their projects are related to certain themes or ideas discussed in lecture. The ability to offer an explanation instead of a direct answer demonstrates that they understand the theory or lineage of thought as well as how to solve a problem through technique

Portfolio or Powerpoint Presentation

2025-05-15 17:06:37 UTC

Creating a portfolio of designated artworks assigned during the course allows students to understand the power of visual language as they prepare and present a series of completed, sequential artwork assignments that are useful as a visual example of their growth and the development of their skills, techniques, and creative concepts within the course.

Debate

2025-05-26 20:33:53 UTC

Debate is great for getting students to practice and develop their argumentation skills and critical thinking skills in real time. Working on structuring an argument with claims and supporting evidence would translate perfectly into written word.

Reverse Engineering

2025-09-15 16:16:11 UTC

I have recently started having students reverse-engineer an AI-generated study. Their job is to find the hallucinations.It's framed as a game, but it not only teaches the "meat" of the concepts we need to address, but sends them on a great research expedition to find sources.

2025-09-29 19:57:22 UTC

Alternative assessment is less focused on grades and more focused on student processes and thinking.

Communication Theory

corpuskristy83 — 2025-11-25 18:29:40 UTC

When teaching a new concept or theory in communication, I have in class reflections on the theory. I have students think of how this theory or concept applies to their own life. This shows how the student can unpack a theory share what it means in their own words and life experiences.

Diary entry for a real or fictional character

2025-12-06 01:14:54 UTC

Creating a diary entry for a real or fictional character allows students to harness their creativity and to gain insight on a topic by having to view it from another perspective.

Explanation of a multiple-choice answer

2025-12-18 01:53:46 UTC

Students explain why the answer they chose for a multiple-choice question is correct, or why the alternative answers are wrong. I think it would be more interesting for the multiple choice questions to all have the potential to be "right" so long as the student can provide support.

Meaningful paragraph (given a list of specific terms, students must use the terms in a paragraph that demonstrates that they understand the terms and their interconnections)

2026-01-02 18:25:49 UTC

This provides an overview of important concepts that students should learn during that module, and requires them to "connect the dots"

Using graphs, tables, or charts to ask students to explain the variables, why those variables were used, and to explain the trend observed in the graph, chart, or to identify patterns in tables.

2026-05-20 16:45:22 UTC

Analysis of an event, performance, or work of art

2026-05-22 02:07:03 UTC

I am a language instructor, and I regularly teach culture classes. I think having students analyze an event, performance, or work of art with an in person component will bring an outside the box element to my classes. It allows students to experience culture firsthand while also adding a level of personalization that encourages more authentic participation.

Reflective Writing

2026-05-26 17:05:49 UTC

Reflective writing allows students to connect more deeply to leaning by cultivating critical thinking and self awareness (metacognitive knowledge). It invites them to reflect on their own experience and become independent learners. it can be incorporated in class content through various means. I enjoyed learning about the example of a "gallery walk" where students create written reflections like a museum tag or artist statement.

Explanation to MC Question

2026-05-28 21:40:59 UTC

This approach allows students to explain why one answer is correct and the other ones are not, resulting in students utilizing their critical thinking skills rather than just guessing the right answer.

Specifications grading

2026-06-19 22:09:33 UTC

This approach, which allows students to have the chance to use feedback to revise and resubmit their work for full credit, is a challenging one. I allow students to revise their essays and resubmit for additional points/credit, but not full credit. As well, allowing this policy for all assigned work creates a bottlekneck with grading.

2026-06-21 01:20:34 UTC

Having students analyze a gallery of posters showing the graphs of functions and having them reflect on what they've learned.

Research and share: Select one practice from the list of several alternative grading practices provided in the module and research it briefly. Note down and share key points about the specific practice in our Padlet. by FSC

Shorter Writing Assignments

Explanation of a multiple-choice answer

Poster Presentation

Problen-Solving

Technology

Reflection on what students learned

Letter to a Friend

Paragraph alternative

engineering

Letter to a friend explaining a concept

Guidance/Personal Development Courses

Analysis of work of art

Shorter writing assignments: Bibliographies

Write a newspaper article

I think that writing a letter to a friend is a great idea. I always think that teaching someone else about a subject is a great way to test your understanding and see how well you really understand the material.

Researched Debate

Analysis and Evaluation

Meaningful paragraph

Performance/work of art

Essay writing

Diary entry for a real or fictional character

Art analysis

Analysis of a meaningful work of media

Start of a term paper (the thesis statement and a detailed outline)

Annotated Bibliography

Explain a multiple choice

Visual Aid

Social Media post where the students make a 5 minutes video describing the lesson or concepts they have learned

Poetic Performance

Short answer exams

Debate

Creative Ad Response

contextualized communicative tasks

Annotated Bibliography (Brooke S.)

Poem, Play, or Dialogue (Bonnie K.)

Justifying a Multiple Choice Question

Case Studies

Case Studies

Letter to a friend explaining a problem or concept

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Annotated bibliography

Book Reviews

Portfolio or Powerpoint presentation

Debate

Explanations

Portfolio or Powerpoint Presentation

Debate

Reverse Engineering

Communication Theory

Diary entry for a real or fictional character

Explanation of a multiple-choice answer

Meaningful paragraph (given a list of specific terms, students must use the terms in a paragraph that demonstrates that they understand the terms and their interconnections)

Using graphs, tables, or charts to ask students to explain the variables, why those variables were used, and to explain the trend observed in the graph, chart, or to identify patterns in tables.

Analysis of an event, performance, or work of art

Reflective Writing

Explanation to MC Question

Specifications grading