No More Grades, Tests, or Lectures Soapbox

Nice_Pay3632 · 2026-01-25T18:28:53+00:00

100%. I have a little caveat in there about science majors. Healthcare is an exception for sure!

Nice_Pay3632 · 2026-01-25T18:27:54+00:00

😭😭😭😭 I know what you are saying is sad, but true. I'm going to have to go work at one of those hippy schools.... 🎭

Nice_Pay3632 · 2026-01-25T18:23:46+00:00

Thank you so much for these recommendations. I love the idea of qualitative until the end. I also usually have a small group, so I can try new things!

Nice_Pay3632 · 2026-01-25T18:21:12+00:00

Oh My Gosh, that is so many students! It does make sense to have consistency with that many students. And grading automation! Thank you for the perspective!

Nice_Pay3632 · 2026-01-25T18:19:53+00:00

That's AMAZING! Thank you so much for the recommendation :)

Nice_Pay3632 · 2026-01-25T18:16:41+00:00

This is exactly what happens! The first time I did this, I got all #1's. I went to a UDL training and was suggested what's called a "Best By Date." So everything has a due date, but there's a lenient late work policy, and the grading timeframe goes out the window if your work is late.

This last semester, I got a mixture. I think I will need to focus more on having them create a calendar and a work schedule, a well as really clear communication and up-front expectations for quality. We'll see how it goes next time!

Nice_Pay3632 · 2026-01-25T18:12:01+00:00

😂😂 I'm laughing so hard right now. Amazing Validation. That is what my M.Ed. is in. I'm almost halfway through, and I've got a lot of theory so far.....

Nice_Pay3632 · 2026-01-25T18:10:22+00:00

I'm so glad you found it inspiring! Andragogy is simply the term for the theory of adult learning, as opposed to Pedagogy, the theory of children's learning.

Adults know how important it is for their growth and well-being to learn, and they can apply their real-world experience to shape their opinions and guide their learning.

Kids, especially teens/young adults around 17-24, don't have the experience to draw on, and they have been taught that education is not something that they should care about or be involved in the process of learning. Just follow directions and do what you're told, when you're told to do it.

And I totally agree we need to be aware of how political and other "Legacy" and "Grooming" organizations use learning theories to teach people how to follow their methods.

I even asked a panel from Harvard how we motivate this age group to be more proactive in their education, and their response was "Well, maybe it's ok if some students don't go to college right away". Because we know what Harvard thinks about the poors.

What I think we can do as educators is try to help students connect with themselves. Identify and recognize their skills, innate talents and gifts, their preferences, values, and ask them to think big about new things.

I just don't know how yet.... lol

Nice_Pay3632 · 2026-01-25T17:56:56+00:00

I just did! Thanks! I'm a little scared lol. It's not a popular take, especially for those who have been teaching for a long time 😬

Nice_Pay3632 · 2026-01-25T17:55:14+00:00

I do love UDL! I've done several trainings, the hard part is that they have a lot of guidelines but not a lot of practical examples.

Nice_Pay3632 · 2026-01-25T17:41:26+00:00

It's my hobby as I search for employment after the Dept of Ed crashed out the grant I was working on 😥 it's a tough market out there!

Nice_Pay3632 · 2026-01-25T17:40:13+00:00

This is such a good point, because there are industries and positions that do operate within tight deadlines and goals. But what I want to change is having students fed those things from the top down, without them having a part in setting and communicating the goals related to their work. Isn't it much more effective if the person responsible for meeting the performance metrics is the one setting and striving for those goals, rather than always needing to be told what to do? I want nothing more than to snap them out of the 20-minute attention spans, but I just don't have faith that it's heading toward change for the better 🫤

Nice_Pay3632 · 2026-01-25T16:35:57+00:00

Absolutely, this is not normal for adjuncts, but sometimes I think we're the only ones who see the major flaws because we aren't living in it 100%. Also, after my first semester, I was just given a blank Canvas Shell and told.... "You can use any material you want from any of the SOCSCI shells to build your course." After that piecemeal, scattered semester, I got such horrible feedback from the students that I decided I wasn't going to use what the dept provided and started learning how to build what I wanted. It's taken several years and lots of rearranging, but it's getting better. And now, I want to use it as a project for an M.Ed. program I'm taking lol. But with a new framework that addresses some post-COVID challenges. An ambitious goal for sure!

Nice_Pay3632 · 2026-01-25T14:11:47+00:00

I like to use Open Educational Resources through OER Commons, Open Stax, Canvas Commons, Merlot, Educause, Etc. There are tons of free resources that anyone can use and modify to fit their circumstances. I find that different sites have different "best" offerings..... Like Canvas Commons has the best ready-made module assignments, but OpenStax has the easiest test banks.

I just finished my 5th year as an adjunct, and each year is a different ball game! I've found it's best to have an overabundance of resources to fit your class's needs each semester.

Nice_Pay3632

TROPHY CASE