In the evolving landscape of education, there is a growing recognition of the need to shift away from traditional grading systems that emphasize outcome over process towards a more holistic approach that prioritizes learning, feedback, and growth.

This concept, known as "Ungrading", involves creating opportunities for students to reflect on their learning progress, set goals, and receive feedback on improving (Blum, 2020). With the rise of online assessment, generative AI tools in post-secondary education and increased plagiarism concerns, Ungrading emphasizes the learning journey, fostering collaboration and experimentation, and thus reducing the pressure on students to perform and disincentivize academic dishonesty.

Ungrading complements theories of self-regulation—defined by Zimmerman & Cleary (2016) as the self-directed thoughts and actions cyclically adapted for personal goal attainment. It is a conscious effort that involves planning, monitoring, and evaluating one’s learning processes, turning passive absorption of materials for grade achievement into an active, purpose-driven activity that students do for themselves (Nilson, 2013; Zimmerman, 2002).

However, the journey from novice to expert learner is not solitary but also socially embedded, emphasizing the importance of giving and receiving support (Hadwin et al., 2016; Järvelä et al., 2015; Zimmerman & Cleary, 2016).

The intentional design of learning environments and activities can thus scaffold self-regulation, making "Ungrading" a viable, socially supported strategy where learners are not just passive recipients but active agents, setting personal goals, engaging in self-reflection, and adapting strategies for continuous improvement.

Through my journey of embedding Ungrading, self-regulation and social regulation activities into my teaching practice, I have found that our traditional learning management systems and educational technologies for assignment collection do not enable and, in some cases, counteract these processes.

This workshop will discuss:

- Delve into the concepts of Ungrading, self-regulation, and social regulation.

- Share firsthand experiences of integrating these concepts in traditional classrooms and LMS.

- Propose re-designing traditional LMS assignment tools to better facilitate student learning.

Through this workshop, participants will better understand Ungrading, self-regulation and social regulation activities for teaching and learning and discuss how we can go beyond preparing students for assessments and exams – instead fostering lifelong learning, a journey of continuous self-improvement and adaptation.

Recorded November 10, 2023

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