Student Experiences with Ungrading by Andrea E. Niosi

eMarketing student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-19 19:53:29 UTC

I have never had a class before where an assignment was based on a complete/incomplete basis, so it was definitely an adjustment. I felt a lot less stress while doing assignments and could work with my group with our strengths to maximize our assignment’s potential. My goal was to understand and learn the materials instead of memorize and then forget the materials. Additionally, my goal was to attempt an assignment, see what corrections had to be done, and then take my knowledge of my feedback and apply it to a second attempt. It was nice almost seeing it as a ‘rough draft’ way, so I wasn’t afraid to make mistakes and then learn from them.

I was able to learn from others and receive corrections and constructive criticisms without stressing that I would be ‘wrong’ and penalized for my mistakes. For example, I was not 100% sure how my SEO peer reviewed assignment would go, but I did what I thought was required and then could reflect on the assignment upon seeing how others did it, instead of stressing that I did mine ‘wrong’.

eMarketing student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-19 19:54:01 UTC

I really appreciated the way this course was taught. Normally I have this anxiety of going to a class and speak in the classroom or answering questions. But I did not have the feeling that I could fail, because you get feedback in a kind way. I was looking forward to every class and I liked how we did this every day for 2 weeks. I know that it was no other option but I liked how we really dove in the subject. The way the grading was done is so comfortable. I did not need to stress for an exam or something that needs to be done in exchange for a grade. At my home university the pressure is huge to perform and here it felt so relaxed and due to the interactive assignments I learned so much more! I also liked the fact that you wanted us to enjoy our time here so you would not give us any homework. That felt so supportive and helped to learn more and looking forward to the lessons. You created a safe environment, which I really appreciate. You also gave feedback and the results of passing so quick and kind. It was like a friend told us what could improve our work, and not what was wrong with it.

eMarketing student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-19 19:55:02 UTC

For me personally, the contract grading strategy made me feel less pressured and safer both in class and in the learning process. With submitting assignments for feedback rather than for grades, the fear of making mistakes was smaller, which essentially is a natural part of a learning process and should not be punished. In turn, having clear feedback and to be instructed to make changes from your original hand-in I felt deepened my understanding for the subject, as you in difference from a normal grading system is motivated to make your work better rather than just leave it behind as long as you passed it. The focus went from the grades to the actual learning on the subject and I can with great certainty say that this is one of the university courses I have taken that I have learned the most in.

eMarketing Student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-19 19:55:39 UTC

I was very positively surprised about the grading system in this course. I have never heard or experienced anything like this before. In my opinion, I think this way of grading really encourages and motivates students more to practice and learn the stuff as there is not much pressure to achieve a certain grading to pass the course. Furthermore, I also believe that this system gives the students more leeway and freedom in the way they interpret and apply things into assignments. While submitting a normal assignment where you get a grade for you often times don’t feel that comfortable to be creative and mention everything you think. But with this style of contract grading, you feel that you have way more freedom in how you want to do the assignment, which I think encourages to be more creative and therefore even submit a better work.

eMarketing student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-19 22:10:59 UTC

It was a completely new system for me, because I have had subjects without grading numbers but not a combination of completed tasks, feedbacks and grading system. So, for me it was very helpful to know in advance that I would be able to take a 1, understating the subjects and what did I need to complete. Because sometimes there are subjects whose percentages are a bit subjective or ambiguous, so this grading system is completely clear since the beginning and is way less stressful than many others, I really enjoyed having class with this grading system. Receiving your feedback and guidance during class were very helpful points for me to understand better the exercises, and to reinforce what I had learnt during the lecture.

eMarketing student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-19 22:11:36 UTC

I was definitely skeptical at first with this grading structure. I was curious how much I would learn if I wasn’t driven by a grade. Although after completing this course I LOVE this grading system. I feel I learned more in this class in comparison to others. This was due to the revision piece. In typical letter grade settings, you complete your work, receive your grade and the teacher gives you feedback on why you didn’t receive 100%. To be honest, I never look at the comments. I am hyper fixated on the grade – if it’s a good enough grade, I am happy. Meaning I don’t learn the subject matter in full and realize where I went wrong. This no grade system ensures you fully understand the subject matter and gives you the opportunity to keep learning till you get it. And at the end of the day that is what we take courses for, to learn, not just a letter grade. I didn’t find the no grades to change my effort in submitting my work and found all feedback to be encouraging and motivated me to make changes where needed.

eMarketing student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-19 22:12:50 UTC

At my home university we don’t work with contract grading, because of that I was first a bit insecure and stressed about them. But I just made positive experiences, because the assignments were practical exercises connected to the previous lessons, which made them very interesting and motivating. The fact that we could call you in if we had a question, without fearing that points might be deducted, and our grade would therefore be worse took away the pressure. Due to that, I could work better and even more detailed, because I knew that mistakes were not a problem and that you are glad to see us improve. I was surprised that I was looking forward to the assignments and to “get my hands dirty” and use all the gained knowledge. Furthermore, it surprised me that we could work in groups, which I found good because we could communicate and help each other, that was very nice. My aim in submitting the assignment was to get feedback on my work so that I could see where I could have done better or where I did think in the wrong way in order to improve myself. Asking for help and getting feedback was for me very good because I could see that I made a mistake in a calculation or didn’t think about the conversion funnel during the paid search assignment. But making these mistakes was not a bad experience, because the hints help to get to the right solution and often showed, that it was just a slight mistake. Getting feedback motivated me and showed me that my fundamental understanding of the subject was there and that I could really use it.

eMarketing student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-19 22:13:36 UTC

I never had another course that included this new form of grading, but I was really surprised as I think this way is the best form of grading possible. I really like the idea, that if you successfully complete all assignments and the final exam, you will get the grade that was communicated beforehand, and do not have to pressure yourself about the final grade you will receive. It made it a lot more easier for me to follow and especially understand and learn the content, as this was the “first” intent for me, and not just learn everything in order to receive a good grade and then forget about it afterwards. I think in today’s society, everything is just about numbers, and not about the actual learning effect, and students pressure themselves a lot because the whole grade for a course in the semester depends on just one day (if you are only having one exam for example) that the actual idea behind studying got a bit lost. I wish I would have more courses that have this kind of grading, as I feel like I really learned something and did not have to worry if I will pass the course in the end. My goal was to complete the assignments in the best way possible, as I really enjoy doing assignments in general and also because we teamed up with another person I had a lot of fun while doing it, as I think it is also easier if you do not have to only rely on yourself and can help each other. Actually I do not have to comment on anything that should be changed in Andreas course, as I enjoyed it to the fullest and think that she is an amazing teacher.

eMarketing student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-19 22:16:08 UTC

Regarding the assignments, the fact that they were not graded but only valuated with feedbacks was really nice, and it pushed me to do more and put more effort because I did not have to learn everything by heart, which would be useless. Also, I’ve never done a peer review before, and it made me realize that sometimes giving feedbacks is way harder than expected. I tried to be critical but not too much and it was not easy at all, also because you feel kind of guilty towards your classmates if something hasn’t been done correctly and you have to give negative feedback. So, all in all this way of valuating the assignments plus the fact that we could take the exam as many times as we needed in order to pass, is very nice from you and more teachers should take this as an example. This way of doing the exam and also how you connected with us during classes, also with this small geographical quiz at the beginning of the lesson, it made me understand how much you cared about us and that you wanted to help us to pass the course, and not putting us in troubles. So, thank you! There should be more teachers like that!

eMarketing student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-19 22:16:52 UTC

Contract Grading has been a major discovery for me. I have never heard of it before and I believe it is a great tool to stimulate students’ motivation. Since the beginning of the course, I knew exactly what was expected of me in order to earn a “2”, and even a “1” in this course. In my case, receiving feedback instead of a grade has been, with no doubt, very effective because I felt more confident in submitting my assignments. Why? Because while doing the assignments, I did not have the pressure of elaborating an excellent written work. Back in my home university, I put all my effort into elaborating a perfectly written document since they encouraged me to work for a “great mark”. Working under such circumstances is very stressful. In contrast, the system used in this course has helped me to focus on what is actually important: my learning, not my grade. As far as I see it, this alternative is more beneficial than the traditional system in the long term. The reasons are clear for me: the most important thing is to consolidate a concept (which will serve you in the long run) rather than presenting something perfectly done but that you don’t understand. In other words, through Contract Grading, it is possible to get closer to the following concept: “Do not give fish to those who are hungry, but teach them how to fish”. The equivalent of “giving fish” would be getting a good grade through simple memorization that won’t be useful in the future. On the contrary, “teaching how to fish” would be equivalent to Contract Grading: learning based on acquiring solid and lasting concepts. That being said, contract grading is a system I will definitely suggest applying to my home university when I come back.

eMarketing student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-19 22:17:32 UTC

Now moving on to the contract grading reflection. It surprised me that you could have a 2 with just sending the assignment appropriately and doing 30/40 on the exam because in my home university stricter rules apply if you want such a high mark. However, I think that in this new way, students feel more motivated to do the work that is due and also in a more efficient way, at least, this has been my case. Because I have been doing the assignments more for learning and having a good time with my classmate rather than concentrating on the fact that everything must be done excellently to pass it. In addition, feedback in assignments is not normally done neither in my home university and I have truly appreciated this course. As I said, and in my personal point of view, it keeps the student feel more motivated and willing to learn things through the course rather than just pass it. However, in the case of the SEO analysis, I was not given too much feedback and I would have liked it if the person who gave it to me was more specific and detailed.

eMarketing student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-19 22:18:11 UTC

I thought it was a unique experience to submit assignments for feedback instead of grades in this course. I did however enjoy this as it shifted the focus from getting as high of a grade as possible to instead really taking the time to understand the course material and complete the assignments to the best of our ability however knowing that we would get feedback if we misunderstood something made the whole process a lot less stressful. All in all I think this was a positive experience which allowed me to focus on understanding topics rather than being able to just memorize and recite facts to get high grades.

PR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-20 00:22:01 UTC

I love it! I think [ungrading] made it easy to plan for assignments and to have more autonomy over my grades/assignments and submission dates. Sometimes having an extra day helps make an assignment all that much better.

I was surprised at how simple the grading was to understand and calculate. In other classes you often do calculations on your percentages and can hardly know what you're going to get towards the end. But contract grading makes it clear based on what you submit.

Receiving feedback is always helpful! I think it felt more supportive than just grading. I think it opens more dialogue and trust between students and teachers. Makes me feel like colleague rather than a student. . . More like an equal if that makes sense.

I think contract grading prepares us for what feedback is like in real world / work situations. We don’t get grades back from bosses, managers supervisors etc. but we do get criticism, compliments, praises and suggestions.

PR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-20 00:27:38 UTC

Initially, I was confused and surprised about the use of ungrading in this course as it was a completely new and unfamiliar concept for me. It was slightly nerve-wracking to approach this new method in the beginning, especially since its principles contradicted some learning experiences I have had before, both in and outside of post-secondary. Ungrading helped to put emphasis on progress instead of only the results. It helped me focus more on how I can improve for myself rather than in exchange for a letter grade. Even though results are still very important, the learning process itself should not be neglected in its place. Overall, receiving feedback and guidance from my instructor further developed a sense of purpose and encouraged me to continuously strive and improve my work and effort. Having now experienced ungrading/contract grading, I think that its concepts can be extended beyond a traditional classroom setting and be applied towards an individual’s own relationship with learning and being a student. Upon reflection, the skills learned through ungrading are easily transferable from work, education, and personal settings. For instance, I personally found that effective communication and teamwork, which are essential in any workplace or industry, are some defining components of ungrading. This is demonstrated through the collaborative environment that ungrading fosters, where students and instructors are able to work together like a team. The emphasis on progress, collaboration, and personal growth encourages individuals, within and outside of their student identity, to take ownership of their own education and feel that they are achieving for themselves rather than for external, and temporary, motivations.

PR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-20 00:30:13 UTC

I was surprised by how less stressful it is when it comes to actual numerical grades.

The goal for assignments was to do them properly and submit them in a timely manner, keeping in mind to improve on the work with feedback. My feelings were good, in that we had a chance to improve on our work. From this experience I learned that letter grades and percentages cause a lot more stress, and the feedback in this course allowed for growth.

In the future I would like to take less stress when doing assignments, taking my time and ensuring to follow all guidelines properly.

PR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-20 00:44:47 UTC

What surprised me about the use of ungrading/contract grading in this course was the shift in focus from the traditional letter grades to a more feedback-oriented approach. It was surprising to see how this approach allowed me to focus on the learning process and improvement rather than just striving for a specific grade. It encouraged a more holistic view of my work and helped me prioritize learning and growth over a letter grade.

My goal in submitting assignments for feedback instead of grades was to shift my mindset from a grade-oriented approach to a learning-oriented approach. I wanted to receive meaningful feedback that would help me improve my work and understand the areas where I could further develop my skills. By focusing on feedback, I aimed to engage in a more active learning process and apply the feedback to subsequent assignments.

During the experience of receiving feedback and guidance on revising my work, I felt a sense of openness and willingness to learn. I saw feedback as an opportunity for improvement rather than a judgment of my abilities. It was a valuable learning experience to receive constructive criticism and suggestions for revision, as it allowed me to see my work from different perspectives and make necessary adjustments to enhance its quality.

From the ungrading/contract grading experience, I learned the importance of self-reflection, continuous improvement, and embracing the learning process. It taught me to focus on the journey of learning rather than the end result. I realized that feedback and revisions are essential components of growth, and they contribute to the development of my skills and knowledge in a more meaningful way.

I will apply what I learned about ungrading/contract grading, revising work, and handling feedback to my future work in both academic and professional settings. I will strive to prioritize learning and growth over the pursuit of grades or external validation. I will actively seek feedback and guidance embracing the opportunity to improve and refine my work. Additionally, I will adopt a more reflective approach, consistently evaluating my progress and seeking opportunities for self-improvement.

PR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-06-21 03:30:49 UTC

Having this new grading system, I felt more motivated and supported in my work. I felt less pressure of getting high [grades] on my assignments and was able to shift my attention on the actual material that was being presented to me. I felt little to no stress and felt organized with the specific timeline that was put in place. I loved the idea of submitting something and being able to revise it. This allows me to learn from my mistakes rather than just accept them for how it is. In the future, if I were ever in a position of power in a learning environment, I would do things in a similar way as well. I also believe that because we are paying and are all adults, we should have more control over our education. Having the option to watch online recorded lectures rather than have marks taken off for attendance is something that should be implemented for every class.

ENTR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-07-23 17:58:15 UTC

I believe this is now my fourth class where contract grading has been used. Hence, I am quite familiar with it and I enjoyed it.

Overall, using contract grading was less stressful than traditional grading. I am happy with contract grading and I believe it is vital to get feedback and apply it instead of simply doing assignments for a grade.

ENTR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-08-03 18:34:46 UTC

One of the main reasons why I took this class is because I knew it was contract grading. There wasn’t
anything surprising about contract grading for me specifically because I have taken a few classes before
that used the same tactics. I like the way that it is set up because it takes the anxiety of keeping up with
letter grades off. Because I know I can get a second chance to review the feedback and work on the
assignment, I can focus on the content alone and work on the assignment stress free. This really helped
me better understand the content that I was learning too because of the amount of feedback I received
from the professor. I have found that in my many years as a student at KPU, that feedback is the best thing
that a student could get. For some of my classes, when the work is unclear or before submitting a big
paper I always have to book an appointment with the prof to get some proper feedback, because it really
determines the grades we get and how much we actually learn. The big important part of business is
learning from your mistakes, but if you don’t even know what your mistakes are then how will you
learn?! That is what I appreciate about this course—it is centered around feedback; hence, why I chose it!

ENTR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-08-07 04:43:22 UTC

I feel I have gained a lot of experience and knowledge from getting feedback and tips for revising my work from the instructor, such as what I am lacking or what I can improve in my work etc. All the feedback and guidance I received were very detailed and made me feel like my thinking and thinking skills have improved tremendously.

What I have learned from the ungrading/contract grading experience are how and methods I can improve and revise my work into a complete version with complete content and meet the requirements in the outline of each assignment.

ENTR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-11-23 20:02:53 UTC

I like it, it feels way more comfortable to just do the assignments, get some feedback on them correct them if necessary and start learning another topic that is somewhat related to the past.

I’m also a big fan of not having tests, they just put more pressure in general, so not having them made my semester a bit more lenient and enjoyable.

ENTR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-11-30 22:21:09 UTC

My goal for submitting assignments for feedback instead of grades was to do my best, and if I were to miss something, I would have another chance at doing a better job. I also felt less nervous about whether I would be getting a bad grade or not. When receiving my work to revise, I felt less worried about if something was wrong because I would have a chance to correct my work.

I learned a lot with the contract grading method, and this process helped me focus more on learning rather than getting a good grade. In the future, I know that I will offer to revise and have my work revised by others since I truly enjoy this method.

ENTR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-11-30 22:33:03 UTC

I honestly really loved the ungrading/contract grading method because it lets you control your own fate in the course. With opportunities to fix up work, it helps you understand where you went wrong and how you can fix it going forward.

I learned more from my revisions than I did from the work itself (not literally). But, doing the revisions really made me go back and understand where I misjudged things, and how I can improve.

In the past, after we received a mark, that was it. Even if we got feedback, we were never able to feel satisfied by applying that feedback and retaining it as knowledge.

For example, if I didn’t do the best on an assignment, I would not want to look at it again and just move forward and try to do better on the next one. With the upgrading method, it forces you to go back and make appropriate changes so you actually complete it correctly the next time. I took a lot out from this upgrading method, and feel like it will be helpful in the actual LEARNING process for students… and not just trying to get by for a grade.

ENTR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-12-04 08:10:41 UTC

What surprised me the most in contract grading was the amount of room for improvement it gave me for my assignments. It also allowed me a higher chance of passing this course with a grade I feel happy about instead of having a low probability simply because I failed an exam. My goal for submitting assignments for feedback instead of grades was to do my best, and if I were to miss something, I would have another chance at doing a better job. I also felt less nervous about whether I would be getting a bad grade or not. When receiving my work to revise, I felt less worried about if something was wrong because I would have a chance to correct my work. I learned a lot with the contract grading method, and this process helped me focus more on learning rather than getting a good grade. In the future, I know that I will offer to revise and have my work revised by others since I truly enjoy this method.

ENTR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-12-07 12:46:58 UTC

Overall, I’ve had a great experience with the ungrading system in this course. In previous courses I’ve done similar systems however I believe by far this was the best. I felt that when I submitted assignments to gain feedback the professor responded in the perfect amount of time, so I had ample opportunity to revise my work. As for myself when I was submitting assignments, I made sure they were the best quality work I could submit, hoping to receive the full points with my first submission. I felt that this was fairly similar to how I submit assignments for other courses, but I did not have the overwhelming anxiety and stress correlated with a grade when submitting. I wasn’t afraid to hand in an assignment and not do well which, made the assignments more enjoyable and a better learning opportunity. Further the feedback I did receive from the professor provided me with key insight in how to improve without making me feel upset about not completing the assignment perfectly. I hope to take this new understanding about feedback and criticism with me to future courses.

ENTR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-12-07 13:02:52 UTC

This is my first exposure to ungrading and contract scoring. Typically, assignments can only be submitted once and the grade goes directly into the overall grade. What surprised me was that after submitting an assignment I still had the opportunity to revise it according to the rubric to achieve a perfect grade.

The purpose is to identify deficiencies as well as oversights in my assignments. Students don't just complete assignments for a good grade, but rather what they have learned from completing them, and I think that getting feedback is the only way to really identify where they need to improve and what they are doing well.

The biggest feeling I had was that I memorized the knowledge as well as the skills I applied more deeply, as well as those areas that were weaker. The foundation has also been strengthened.

Through my professor's comments on the assignments my revisions of the unsatisfactory grades I have learned that it is the process rather than the final grade that is more important when we are completing the assignments, and this has made me enjoy the process immensely.

In my future study as well as in my life, I should focus more on what I have learned in this matter and the process of doing this matter rather than the final result. This was refreshing and made me realize that the process of doing homework is an enjoyable one, not a boring and tedious one.

ENTR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-12-07 13:23:20 UTC

Like I said before, I love getting feedback, especially when it helps guide me towards looking at something differently or helping me improve on what I have. Whether it be at school, work, or in my personal life, I’ve taken feedback and tried my best to make the best changes I could. With Ungrading, I’ve learned that it’s a take and give situation. There’s no letter grades on an assignment, yes, however, that doesn’t mean you can slack off. in order for Ungrading to work, as a student, I have to be able to uphold my part and complete the assignment to the best of my ability as well as submitting it in a timely manner.

ENTR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-12-07 13:40:38 UTC

The concept of ungrading is great, last semester in the summer courses was the first time I heard of it, and back then I was quite shocked to know that a system like this exists! I think it is super amazing, It allows for students not to only focus on grades, but to put in their best effort and try the best they can, and they can always try again as many times as they need too! So there is no ‘pressure’, but freedom to try our best and see what works out! I wish ungrading would be something in all my future courses as well, it takes off a lot of the pressure of being defined as a grade instead of the quality of our work and effort we put into it. If I was to become a future professor, I would love using the ungrading system to keep my students stress free and more focused on sharing their work, thoughts, and creativity.

ENTR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2023-12-11 22:04:52 UTC

I didn't think there would be Ungrading in a University setting to be honest. So that was definitely a surprise coming into this class.

Feedback is one of my favourite things as it gives me a new perspective on the assignment. Maybe I missed something or didn't think about other ways of completing the assignment. I always welcome feedback! The idea of only receiving feedback instead of a grade was exciting to me. I wasn't stressing out about getting an A or B, instead I focused on the fact that if there was something I missed, I would not only learn about what I missed but also be able to revise/fix my mistakes.

I learned that Ungrading was a much better "grading" method for me. Like I said before, I wasn't stressed out about receiving a grade on every single assignment I submitted for this class. Rather, I was eager to read the feedback!

Whether it's in a school or a work setting, I look at feedback as something I can improve upon. To me, it's not a negative thing! But there is a lot of give and take when it comes to Ungrading. In order for it to work in the first place, I have to make sure I do everything to the best of my ability and submit it on time as well.

eMarketing student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2024-03-15 07:56:23 UTC

I have never experienced what ungrading actually was and how it works. But surprisingly I really loved it. It's not about getting the highest grade but it's about really understanding the assignments and getting the help you need to understand what you are learning instead of learning something for a test. While submitting the assignments my main goal was to check if I understood what was taught during the lessons. It was some kind of a check, and if we got something wrong, we changed it the next lesson and learned from the "mistake".

The feedback was a perfect way of learning. It was just meant to learn more and understand how you could have done it a little differently. I think not getting a grade for your assignment is a perfect way to prepare for our future careers because in business you will not get a grade for the work you've done, you will receive feedback as well. it's good to learn this now already and so it will not be a surprise later!

eMarketing student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2024-03-15 08:04:38 UTC

This was the first time when I experienced a class like this one. I was very surprised and a little bit confused at first. It really made me feel so comfortable coming to the class with no anxiety or bad feelings.

You know that feeling when you wake up early in the morning and you have to attend a class you hate? You feel like you want to die. Well, I didn't' have that feeling the last two weeks coming to this course. I loved my mornings, even though I woke up at 6:30, grabbed my coffee and went being confident and feeling unjudged attending the eMarketing class. The kindness we were welcomed cannot even be described. Every time I asked for help, it was provided in the best manner and the lecturer never made me feel bad because I didn't understand something, but in contrary! I submitted my assignment with so much curiosity on finding the teacher's opinion about my work, most of the time she encouraged me to do my best with her kind words and support. I was excited even for the critical feedback. I loved that we had the opportunity to resolve the assignments with our best mates, this made the work even more enjoyable.

eMarketing student @ FHWien der WKW (CIEM)

andreaandmichael — 2024-03-15 09:39:46 UTC

I had never seen or used this way of assessing students before, in my opinion I liked it a lot because it takes away the stress of the students to focus only on a mark and to be more creative when doing the activities or exams.

The good thing about using this way of assessment is that my concern was not about getting a mark (a simple number) but that the assignment I had done was coherent and understood correctly.

I liked it much more because I saw that I was not doing it wrong but that what I had done could be improved or seen from another point of view that I was not conceiving.

Receiving feedback is much more useful because you can see where you have made a mistake and therefore improve it, if you only receive a note you never get to know where you need to improve.

This experience could help me when I enter the working world because I have seen that I can always improve the deliveries I make, I also pay more attention to the different points of view that may have the same topic, thanks to the group work.

PR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2024-06-18 04:12:51 UTC

At first, I thought ungrading sounded a little overwhelming. I was wondering how I was going to get all of the bonus assignments done to get the high grade that I wanted, but as the course went on, I realized that all of the assignments were exactly the right size, and the course ended up leaving me with time to get this booster reflection assignment completed! Not worrying about percentages actually reduced my stress and left me feeling excited about the feedback I would receive instead.

My goal, or hope for my feedback, is that I was told every submission was made well and that I had demonstrated my creativity and effort; this way, I wouldn’t have to redo projects because of a lack of effort. I tried my best the first time so I would not have to do it another time!

PR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2024-06-18 22:19:43 UTC

I loved ungrading. I was skeptical of the name at first because I’ve had some teachers that don’t want to focus on the grade but then leave the students stressed with a lack of structure. The point system worked well with the option to do more for more points rather than being deducted for things that weren’t asked of you as I feel regular grading can be sometimes.

Being able to edit if it wasn’t correct was also nice because then I don’t have to be a total perfectionist or be penalized for understanding the assignment incorrectly. I felt there was still valuable feedback along with the grading which allowed for growth.

ENTR student @ KPU

andreaandmichael — 2024-07-25 23:42:36 UTC

Ungrading took the fear of failure out of this course for me. I get a lot of grade stress so this method allowed me to try new things without fear of repercussions. Feedback based learning has always been more helpful for me and pushes me to improve. I think it is a great way to get comfortable with receiving constructive feedback.