Bringing Radical Assessment into Radical Political Economy: An Ungrading Experience

Abstract

This article shares an experience with an “ungrading” experience in a radical political economy course at the University of Rhode Island (URI). Using qualitative data in the form of student narratives gathered from their written work, we argue that this form of student assessment empowers students to deepen metacognition, fosters their resilience and self-awareness, and privileges principles such as cooperation, collaboration, and sharing in learning, in contrast to the individualized and competitive atmosphere conventional grading creates. Student narratives also point to ways in which ungrading allowed them to engage deeply with the world around, to examine their own lives and work in the context of capitalism, and to uncover possibilities for resistance and action. Thus, ungrading can provide an entry point into anti-capitalist assessment practices.

JEL classification: A20, B14, B50