Alternative Grading Strategies
- Registration Closed
Thursday, October 23, 2025
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM ET
.1 ASHA CEUs
Alternative grading is an educational approach that emphasis mastery, effort and growth rather than just performance measured through points and letter grades. The approach encourages transparency, student autonomy, revision based on feedback, and minimization or elimination of penalties in grading. When incorporated into a classroom successfully, these methods can improve student learning and motivation while also creating a more equitable learning environment where all students can thrive. In this workshop, participants will learn more about alternative grading strategies through demonstration and practice in the four primary pillars: clearly defined standards, helpful feedback, marks indicate progress, and reassessment without penalty. Bring examples of your current syllabi and assignments to this workshop so you can implement the pillars into your own courses.
Learning Objectives
- Summarize the benefits of employing alternative grading strategies for instructors and students.
- Apply an alternative grading strategy to a current course or assignment.
- Modify an existing grading procedure or course assignment to align with alternative grading.
Time Ordered Agenda
6:00 - 6:05 PM ET Introductions and speaker disclosures
6:05 - 6:15 PM ET Grading and Alternative grading-What's wrong and not wrong with traditional methods
6:15 - 6:50 PM ET 4 Pillars discussed, examples provided, application time
6:50 - 7:00 PM ET Questions and Answers
For questions about this webinar, please contact us at admin@capcsd.org. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with a link to log in.
Jennifer Essig, MA, CCC-SLP
Indiana University South Bend
Jennifer Essig is the founding graduate program director of speech-language pathology and a clinical associate professor at Indiana University South Bend. She is currently pursuing an EdD in higher education leadership at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, MO. The focus of her research is how students in CSD programs perceive traditional grading vs. alternative grading practices and if there is a difference between those perceptions based on background. Jennifer teaches coursework in responsive practices and counseling, dysphagia, and medical speech language pathology. She is passionate about creating a classroom centered around kindness, equity, and growth. In her limited spare time, she is a mom to both humans and pets and likes planning family fun.
Disclosures
Financial: Employee at Indiana University South Bend and will be receiving an honorarium for presenting this webinar.
Non-Financial: ASHA and CAPCSD member.
Samantha Scripture, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Worcester State University
Samantha Scripture Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences Department at Worcester State University. Sam specializes in pediatric language disorders and early intervention. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate classes with alternative grading practices. Sam is currently a Scholarship in Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Fellow in Teaching and Learning in CSD examining transformative learning with reflective practices.
Disclosures
Financial: Full-time employee at Worcester State University and will be receiving an Honoraria from CAPCSD
Non-Financial: None
Jennifer C. Friberg-Fort, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow (Moderator)
Illinois State University
Dr. Jennifer Friberg-Fort is the Cross Endowed Chair in the Scholarship of Teaching and Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois (USA). She is the co-editor of three recent volumes: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences and Disorders (2024), Going Public Reconsidered: Engaging the World Beyond Academe Through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (2022), and Evidence-Based Education in the Classroom: Examples from Clinical Disciplines (2022). Friberg-Fort is a founding editorial board member of the peer reviewed journal Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders and recently co-founded SoTL in the States as a resource for supporting SoTL in the United States.
Speaker Disclosures: Dr. Friberg-Fort earns a salary from Illinois State University and royalties from several publishing companies for the books she has written and edited. She accepted an honorarium to present this webinar. Non-financial disclosures include that Friberg-Fort serves as a site visitor for the CAA, membership on CAPCSD’s Online Professional Development committee, and service on the editorial boards of SoTL in the States and Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences and Disorders.
This course is designed with a participation requirement that ensures meaningful engagement and learning. Participants must be present for the entire 60-minute webinar to receive the assessment. The assessment is a key component in obtaining both their certificate of completion and ASHA CEUs. In addition to standard assessments of the speaker's effectiveness and the overall content quality, participants are challenged to demonstrate practical application of the knowledge gained. The required question prompts participants to articulate and list two specific action items they plan to implement. This promotes critical thinking about how to apply new information in their professional practice with a forward-thinking response.
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