Alternative grading practices : a better way to support and attest to learning

Abstract

"Bruno’s confession: For 20 years, I gave marks for every summative evaluation, a practice I could no longer contemplate today. What happened to me? You could say I’ve been struck by alternative grading practices (AGP). All right, this may sound strange, and I can see how someone might think: "It looks like he’s joined a cult." From my point of view, I’d say I’ve come across ideas that have brought about a change in my approach to evaluation. An article in Chemical and Engineering News (Arnaud, 2021) that focused on specifications grading (Nilson, 2015) was my way into the world of AGPs. I then discovered a variety of these practices and experimented with several of them in the classroom. My only disappointment? Not learning about them sooner!" -- AQPC