“The honest work of education was helping students see that most of education isn’t honest work. And then helping them to thrive regardless.” ~ Sean Michael Morris www.seanmichaelmorris.com/my-selfie-wi...

My Selfie with Paulo Freire; or, Honest Work

Education spins on the axis of reputation which spins on the axis of influence...so much so that the desire to simply help people learn can get very, very lost in the mix.

seanmichaelmorris.com

“Turnitin monetizes student intellectual property and contributes to a culture of suspicion in education.” I’m quoted in a recent article from @themarkup.org @calmatters.org and @chronicle.com themarkup.org/artificial-i...

California colleges spend millions to catch plagiarism and AI. Is the faulty tech worth it? – The Markup

Colleges and universities renew Turnitin subscriptions year after year even though its flawed detectors are expensive and require students to let the company keep their papers forever.

themarkup.org

So far, my review of Bluesky is that it is everything that was unpleasant about 2015 Twitter and not much of what was truly great. I’m still not sure why it ever made sense to clone the structure of a platform that had so thoroughly combusted. I’m here for now, and will attempt to remain open.

“The work, though, is not to imagine that the hierarchy doesn't exist (it does), but to work together with students to dismantle it. That work starts by talking frankly about how these systems work and how the culture of grades impacts us.“

Jesse Stommel (Jessifer)@jessifer.bsky.social · last yr.

Can we do assessment differently, in ways that increase access, support greater inclusion, improve learning outcomes, and enhance the experience of teaching and learning?

Can we do assessment differently, in ways that increase access, support greater inclusion, improve learning outcomes, and enhance the experience of teaching and learning?

The Practice of Ungrading

Ungrading inspects the inequities of schooling, asks hard questions of the structures of our schools, and offers a critique of the labor conditions for teachers at all levels of education.

jessestommel.com

A lovely read ahead of #TheGradingConference in a few weeks. I especially loved "a bunch of quantitative legalese masquerading as pedagogy" as a turn of phrase—perhaps because it so accurately describes where I, and probably many others, started.

Jesse Stommel (Jessifer)@jessifer.bsky.social · last yr.

"The work of ungrading is to push back on the culture of grades and quantitative assessment that reinforces hierarchies between students and teachers, while reducing both to a set of crude (often inscrutable) data points." www.jessestommel.com/the-practice...

It’s been almost two years since I’ve written something entirely new about ungrading. Really glad to have this out in the world. It’s a simple piece but it gets to some incredibly practical aspects of this work that I haven’t written about before.

Jesse Stommel (Jessifer)@jessifer.bsky.social · last yr.

"The work of ungrading is to push back on the culture of grades and quantitative assessment that reinforces hierarchies between students and teachers, while reducing both to a set of crude (often inscrutable) data points." www.jessestommel.com/the-practice...

"The work of ungrading is to push back on the culture of grades and quantitative assessment that reinforces hierarchies between students and teachers, while reducing both to a set of crude (often inscrutable) data points." www.jessestommel.com/the-practice...

The Practice of Ungrading

Ungrading inspects the inequities of schooling, asks hard questions of the structures of our schools, and offers a critique of the labor conditions for teachers at all levels of education.

jessestommel.com

There are no shortcuts, to learning or to digging ourselves out of what feels like a very deep hole. But there are small steps. We do have choices!

Jesse Stommel (Jessifer)@jessifer.bsky.social · last yr.

“If education is going to prevail in its mission, it will require those who teach to lead the way. And I believe it can start with small things, like the choices you make when designing your next class, or the sentences you write on your syllabus…” seanmichaelmorris.ghost.io/the-pedagogy...

“If education is going to prevail in its mission, it will require those who teach to lead the way. And I believe it can start with small things, like the choices you make when designing your next class, or the sentences you write on your syllabus…” seanmichaelmorris.ghost.io/the-pedagogy...

The Pedagogy We Practice

On May 20, 2025, I was invited to keynote the Spring Pedagogy Institute at Plymouth State University. The text of that keynote is below, followed by the slide presentation. It’s been awhile since I’v...

seanmichaelmorris.ghost.io

Very excited that I was invited to contribute to the latest issue of Teaching Media from @jcmsjournal.bsky.social — edited by @lisawj.bsky.social and @jennblaylock.bsky.social and featuring pieces by @jeanketterling.bsky.social @briannajc.bsky.social and more. quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jcms/teach...

Part II of our JCMS teaching dossier on ungrading is here! Check out my intro, "Risky Business." Thanks, as ever, to my wonderful co-editor @jennblaylock.bsky.social! I'll shout out some of our terrific contributors in the comments below. quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jcms/teach... #ungrading #teaching

“Rather than focusing on financial education on the ‘Big Three,’ this study suggests improving financial well-being by helping students access public benefits and other material supports.” educationnorthwest.org/publications...

Financial Knowledge and Basic Needs Insecurity Among Undergraduate Students

Can increasing financial knowledge among college students reduce basic needs insecurity? Explore our findings from nationally representative data.

educationnorthwest.org

Letter to the editor in today's NY Times advocates for gradeless education! She even links to relevant articles and research, including posts by @jessifer.bsky.social and @alfiekohn.bsky.social #edusky #ungrading www.nytimes.com/2025/04/26/o...

When 30% of students have accommodations requests, I think: 1) why are disability services units so underfunded? 2) can we make radical decisions to reimagine the pedagogy of our courses to meet the needs of all students? 3) what funding can we advocate for to support faculty development efforts?

Super excited to be a part of this collection. Lots of amazing folks and perspectives represented. Thanks to @lisawj.bsky.social and @jennblaylock.bsky.social and many many others who contributed! (My own piece comes out soon in part two.) #ungrading

Jason Mittell@jmittell.bsky.social · last yr.

Check out this dossier of reflections on #ungrading from a range of Film & Media Studies faculty (including me) - thanks to @jennblaylock.bsky.social for co-editing! quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jcms/teach...

I am happy to announce the publication of the first part of a 2-part @jcmsjournal.bsky.social Teaching Media dossier on #ungrading that @lisawj.bsky.social and I co-edited. Please check out "Part I: Critical Reflections on Ungrading" here: quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jcms/teach... Part two coming soon!

Check out this dossier of reflections on #ungrading from a range of Film & Media Studies faculty (including me) - thanks to @jennblaylock.bsky.social for co-editing! quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jcms/teach...

The wonderful @jennblaylock.bsky.social and I co-edited a 2-part Teaching Media Dossier for @jcmsjournal.bsky.social on #ungrading. "Part I: Critical Reflections on Ungrading" is now live, and we couldn't be prouder. Huge thanks to our contributors and editors! Look out for Part II soon! #teaching

Academia's culture of competition breeds this kind of cruelty. Too often, faculty who've suffered in these systems believe that suffering is what made them successful. So, they perpetuate that suffering with their own students, rather than seeing that success doesn't have to be wrought that way.

Arcas De Disco@puckarks.bsky.social · last yr.

If you suffered in life and want other people to suffer as you did because "you turned out fine," you did not in fact turn out fine.

Do not obey in advance.

Regulation By Intimidation: OCR's Title VI Dear Colleague Letter

In a move that appears motivated more by intimidation than actual enforcement power, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights issued a Dear Colleague Letter late in the evening on Fri...

educationcivilrights.com

Looking forward to being back in Vancouver for Digital Pedagogy Lab next week. I’m co-teaching about alternative assessment with the inimitable Martha Burtis. bccampus.ca/event/digita...

Digital Pedagogy Lab 2025 (2025-02-18)

Are you ready to push the boundaries of teaching with technology?   The Digital Pedagogy Lab is more than just another educational conference. It’s a dynamic, cohort-based community of practi...

bccampus.ca

On Wall-E: It knows we're watching it now, 17 years later. It winks at our nostalgia. The movie knew it would become a relic of the past about the future. The cynicism and hopefulness remain intact. It still asks us to listen, even if we didn't the first time.

wall e from the movie wall e is standing on a rocky surface

ALT: wall e from the movie wall e is standing on a rocky surface

media.tenor.com

"It's not every day that you find out you're responsible for three billion deaths." ~ Sarah Connor

Google ending AI arms ban incredibly concerning, campaigners say

The tech giant previously ruled out applications that were "likely to cause harm".

bbc.com

But, also, you don't have to be silent in the face of bullying. This is why I hate the phrase, "don't feed the trolls." Yes, you don't need to engage, and it's often not useful. But call it out. Point to the systemic shit that fuels and amplifies bullies.

Jesse Stommel (Jessifer)@jessifer.bsky.social · 2y ago

Block and mute. Realizing I could just hit block is the best thing I've learned on social media. Bullies, bigots, people who make up shit, and people who incessantly shift goal posts just to incite you to engage. The algorithms on many platforms are tuned to rage-bait. We don't have to play along.

Block and mute. Realizing I could just hit block is the best thing I've learned on social media. Bullies, bigots, people who make up shit, and people who incessantly shift goal posts just to incite you to engage. The algorithms on many platforms are tuned to rage-bait. We don't have to play along.

Criticism of technology has a history. We have to look back as we look forward. Our pushback on insidious tech (and especially edtech) has to be as nuanced as possible. 🧵

For folks who want it gathered in one place, a thread with links to (and excerpts from) my public writing on #ungrading…

Jesse Stommel (Jessifer)@jessifer.bsky.social · 2y ago

The word "ungrading" is an active present participle. It doesn't mean "not grading." Ungrading acknowledges the existence of grades and invites systemic critique, an undoing or thoughtful dismantling. Not best practices, but fluid, contextual practices to push against an insidious culture of grades.

Students at Santa Monica College need your help now! They have been seriously impacted and are raising money for emergency grants, food, and clothing to be delivered swiftly to those who need help now. Please join me & donate⬇️ foundation.smc.edu/areas-to-sup... #lafires

Just finished @jessifer.bsky.social’s book and it’s giving me life! #Ungraders if you haven’t read it yet, do yourself the favor and it will help you get inspired. Let your humanity be a counter friction against the mechanization of teaching and learning ✊ pressbooks.pub/thegrade/