Graded Assignments Term Papers - Grading lengthy individual papers can be a burden many faculty teaching large classes would rather avoid. Two alternatives are to make such papers optional or to use a series of shorter writing response activities, including reaction papers, journals, or reflections, rather than a single long essay. One way to control the length of responses is to provide students a limited amount of space for their answers. When restricted to a certain space, students are forced to get to the point. Ungraded Assignments Ungraded writing assignments give students writing practice and offer instructors valuable feedback without the burden of heavy grading.
Ungraded assignments ask students to share their understanding of the course material.
These exercises can be used also as at the end of class to assess what students understand from the lecture and if the lecture was effective. As for grading, the assignments can be marked for either creditor no credit, or full, partial, or no credit. Ranking Activities - Nancy Shapiro of UMCP uses ranking activities on the first day of class. Students are asked to list three to five goals they hope to achieve by taking the course. After listing these goals, they then rank them in order of importance.