Brockport Today

Psychology Professor Receives Innovative Instruction Technology Grant from SUNY

Dr. Laurel McNall, Psychology, was awarded a $14,999 Innovative Instruction Technology Grant (IITG) on behalf of the SUNY Office of the Provost and the Innovative Instruction Research Council for her project entitled Going Gradeless:  Exploring Ungrading as an Assessment Innovation to Enhance Student Outcomes and Equality.

Dr. McNall’s project will focus on faculty development related to alternative forms of grading. Traditional grading is not always an effective tool for enhancing student learning. Research has found that traditional grading practices can perpetuate bias and inequalities among groups of students, and may be a contributing factor to the current student mental health crisis.

This project will focus on collaborative approaches to grading, which rely more heavily on feedback rather than numerical grades. The funding will support a full-day workshop in September as well as a faculty learning community (FLC) during the ’23-24 academic year, with incentives for FLC members to try out an aspect of alternative grading in their courses.

If you’d like more information, please contact Dr. Laurel McNall at lmcnall@brockport.edu

Back to Brockport Today