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The field of computer science has a problem of representation-many groups are not represented in our classroom at levels approaching their composition in society. Unfortunately, the representation issue is a larger societal issue and begins well before students enter our institutions. Though we acknowledge that building inclusive and equitable classroom environments cannot increase representation by itself, it can have an impact on retention and inclusion for members of marginalized communities. Current grading policies overemphasize the gaming aspect of points (e.g., goal is to maximize points) in ways that distract students from paying attention to learning. Alternatives to traditional grading, such as standards or competency-based grading, specifications-based grading, and ungrading, allow instructors to change the conversation and redirect the focus on learning. The goal of this Birds of a Feather is to foster the creation of a community of like-minded educators interested in exploring alternative grading methodologies in computer science. The goal is to make computing classrooms more accessible and equitable for all students.more » « less
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We share approaches for coordinating the use of many online educational tools within a CS2 course, including an eTextbook, automated grading system, programming practice website, diagramming tool, and debugger. These work with other commonly used tools such as a response system, forum, version control system, and our learning management system. We describe a number of approaches to deal with the potential negative effects of adopting so many tools. To improve student success we scaffold tool use by staging the addition of tools and by introducing individual tools in phases, we test tool assignments before student use, and we adapt tool use based on student feedback and performance. We streamline course management by consulting mentors who have used the tools before, starting small with room to grow, and choosing tools that simplify student account and grade management across multiple tools.more » « less
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