The Meaning and Impact of Participating in a Course that Used an Ungraded Approach: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Publication Date

2026

Presentation Length

Poster/Gallery presentation

College

College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Department

Occupational Therapy, School of

Student Level

Graduate

Faculty Mentor

Elena Wong Espiritu

Presentation Type

Poster

Summary

Occupational students experience great amounts of stress, with grades being a significant factor that negatively affects well-being. Drawbacks of the current traditional grading approach include negative psychological impacts, competition, and performance-based anxiety, affecting student well-being and stress. Current interventions to address student well-being have centered around mindfulness and physical activity. However, alternative grading approaches, specifically an ungraded approach, may also help promote student well-being without sacrificing high academic standards and encouraging student ownership of their learning. An ungraded approach uses reflection, formative feedback, and collaboration instead of traditional letter-grade ratings to further learning. This approach has previously been studied from a student perspective, but overall, the research is limited and has centered around undergraduate populations. The purpose of this study is to explore the meaning and impact of participating in a course that used an ungraded approach from the graduate occupational therapy student perspective. Participants were drawn from two cohorts of Belmont University Master of Occupational Therapy students enrolled in a hybrid clinical reasoning course.  Data was collected through written reflections in which participants described their experiences taking the ungraded course. These reflections served as the primary data source for analysis. Qualitative data analysis was conducted following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase framework, including familiarization with the data, generation of initial codes, theme development, theme review, theme definition and naming, and production of the final report. Multi-level coding strategies were employed, including open coding, focused coding, and in vivo coding, allowing themes to emerge inductively from the data. Findings from this study highlight the perceived meaning and impact of an ungraded approach on student experience, offering insight into how this alternative grading approach may influence student engagement, learning, professional growth, and well-being. These results may inform future curriculum design and support the integration of innovative educational strategies within occupational therapy programs.

Comments

Will upload poster closer to symposium if needed. Poster development still in progress. 

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