Naming What Matters: Transforming the Gradebook into a Rhetorical Tool for Learning and Connection

Traditional gradebook categories use categories that frame assignments as tasks to be completed for compliance rather than as opportunities for growth. By renaming compliance categories as learning-centered practices, faculty maximize the rhetorical power of their linguistic choices, which, in turn, increases transparency, fosters student engagement, and aligns assessment more closely with learning outcomes. Grounded in constructivist theory, rhetorical pedagogy, and the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework, this interactive session guides participants through a redesign of their grading categories to communicate skill development and promote intrinsic learning and meaningful connection to the course materials. Participants will (a) deepen their awareness of how language in the gradebook shapes student perceptions and engagement, often leading to increased completion of student work; (b) generate a personalized list of reframed category titles, drawing inspiration from USG career competencies and their own pedagogical goals; (c) gain ready-to-use strategies and access a shared repository of category options; and (d) leave prepared to implement a rhetorical gradebook. Deliverables include a renaming bank, guiding strategies, and sample worksheets.