Teaching STEM √

How do we make our STEM classes inclusive and effective for our diverse students today? A number of approaches can contribute to a positive classroom climate for all our students, supporting their success in different ways–for example, using active learning approaches can help us cultivate a growth mindset and self-efficacy in our students. But something we may think about less often is how grading factors into all our well-meaning intentions. Join your colleagues for a discussion of an example of ungrading, an approach that strives to focus students more on their learning than on their performance as measured by grades. We’ll look at a chapter from the book, Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead) by Susan Blum, 2020, specifically:

• Sorensen-Unruh’s “A STEM Ungrading Case Study: A Reflection on First-Time Implementation in Organic Chemistry II” (Chapter 9, pp. 140-160).

As you reflect on the reading, think about if or how ungrading might fit within and support active learning practices–face-to-face or online–and may foster students’ growth mindset.

Participants may access the ebook online at any time through the AOK library in advance of the session using the following step-by-step instructions:

1. Log into myUMBC
2. Go to the AOK Library Website
3. In the AOK OneSearch box, type the book title and press Search
4. Locate the ebook, and click on the link to Online Access under the descriptive information

Please click “Going Virtually” below to reserve your seat for this session, and we will send you a Google calendar invitation with a WebEx link one hour before the session. If you register less than an hour before the session, you will receive the WebEx link when you register. Please email fdc@umbc.edu if you have any questions. If you have registered and find that you can no longer attend, please kindly release your spot so that others may attend. √ Counts toward the ALIT Certificate