Emily Pitts Donahoe
@empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
1.6K followers 1.1K following 290 posts
Associate Director at the University of Mississippi's Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning. Pedagogy, alt grading, teaching writing and lit. Substack: Unmaking the Grade. Opinions are my own. https://t.co/8ABfZoim4C
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empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
I'm one of the facilitators for the institute, along with my fab colleagues @derekbruff.bsky.social, @drew-lewis.com, Michael Palmer, Adriana Streifer, and @lindsaymasland.bsky.social. We're looking forward to working with a great group of educators on their alt grading practices!
empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
Only one week left to apply for the Center for Grading Reform's Alternative Grading Institute! This two-day, hands-on, virtual experience offers opportunities to connect grading with your values and design an alt grading system for one of your courses. www.centerforgradingreform.org/alternative-...
Alternative Grading Institute
www.centerforgradingreform.org
empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
Thank you, Bonni, I am so honored that you thought of me for this episode 😭
empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
Thank you, Cyndi, I was so honored that Bonni asked me to participate!
Reposted by Emily Pitts Donahoe
drew-lewis.com
Are you ready to align your grading practices with your values?

Join us December 17–18 for the Alternative Grading Institute (online), which will bring together faculty from across higher education for a two-day, hands-on experience in standards-based, specifications, and collaborative grading.
Alternative Grading Institute
www.centerforgradingreform.org
Reposted by Emily Pitts Donahoe
sarahesilverman.bsky.social
Third & final post in my series on Neurodivergence and Alternative Grading w/ @empittsdonahoe.bsky.social

We share some of our thoughts on how to make alt-grading more neurodiversity-informed, based on our research and conversations, plus ideas for future research
open.substack.com/pub/beyondth...
Neurodivergence and Alternative Grading, Part 3
What We Learned and Where We Might Go Next
open.substack.com
empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
Well, it's been real, I guess!!
bsky.app
Bluesky @bsky.app · Aug 22
Unfortunately, Bluesky is unavailable in Mississippi right now, due to a new state law that requires age verification for all users.

While intended for child safety, we think this law poses broader challenges & creates significant barriers that limit free speech & harm smaller platforms like ours.
Reposted by Emily Pitts Donahoe
geekypedagogy.bsky.social
I'm really looking forward to visiting the UM CETL in October! Gonna talk about Snafu Edu & hang out with #SoTL superstars like @josheyler.bsky.social, @empittsdonahoe.bsky.social & @liznorell.bsky.social.
josheyler.bsky.social
Plus a visit from @geekypedagogy.bsky.social to talk about her new book *SNAFU EDU*!
Reposted by Emily Pitts Donahoe
sarahesilverman.bsky.social
Excited to share this new post in our series on neurodivergence and alternative grading!
empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
The second post in a series on neurodivergence and alternative grading by @sarahesilverman.bsky.social and myself is live! In this post, we review some existing discourse on the topic. beyondthescope.substack.com/p/neurodiver...
Neurodivergence and Alternative Grading, Part 2
Some existing discourse
beyondthescope.substack.com
empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
The second post in a series on neurodivergence and alternative grading by @sarahesilverman.bsky.social and myself is live! In this post, we review some existing discourse on the topic. beyondthescope.substack.com/p/neurodiver...
Neurodivergence and Alternative Grading, Part 2
Some existing discourse
beyondthescope.substack.com
empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
Thank you, Nicole! It was a pleasure to speak with you all. I’m glad we’re able to connect here!
empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
Someone once asked me why it took me 11 yrs of higher ed to earn a PhD in English when I could have been a neurosurgeon in roughly the same amount of time. The implication was: it shouldn’t take me that long to learn all those Shakespeare facts. He fundamentally didn’t get what studying lit *was*.
empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
And this is why “historian” is usually at the top of those dumb lists of professions most vulnerable to AI. It’s because people don’t understand what historians, or the humanities more broadly, *do*! They think it’s just learning and regurgitating facts!
erinbartram.bsky.social
I think this is all true, but I also think about the number of people who have assumed my PhD (in history) took a long time because it takes that long to memorize all those facts. They eschew skill building, of course, but also confuse knowledge accumulation/regurgitation with knowledge production.
shengokai.blacksky.app
Something that I have been thinking about with attribution of "PhD level intelligence" or "PhD level expertise" to a machine is that it reflects an increasing trend among these AI bros and their sycophants to want the products of highly skilled training without actually doing any of the work.
empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
I'm really excited to be working with @sarahesilverman.bsky.social on this series about neurodivergence and alt grading. More coming soon!
sarahesilverman.bsky.social
The first in a planned series of 3 posts w/ @empittsdonahoe.bsky.social - All about alternative grading and neurodivergence. The first post explains why we are interested in this topic. Two next 2 explore what others have written and where we should go next

beyondthescope.substack.com/cp/169858001
Neurodivergence and Alternative Grading, Part 1
Why we're curious about this topic
beyondthescope.substack.com
empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
“Anything an instructor can do to promote acquisition of skills over acquisition of certification is…disruptive to the technofeudal model of education.”
empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
“The tools EdTech entrepreneurs hope to make part of the core infrastructure of education…take for granted that students will accept almost any inconvenience, indignity, and even physical discomfort if they know it is required to attain a high grade.” theamericanvandal.substack.com/p/against-te...
Against Technofeudal Education
Pillars For Protecting Our "Core Infrastructure" From OpenAI
theamericanvandal.substack.com
Reposted by Emily Pitts Donahoe
oupress.bsky.social
Out Now! "Snafu Edu: Teaching and Learning When Things Go Wrong in the College Classroom" by @geekypedagogy.bsky.social is like a preparedness kit and gives teachers an educational “go-bag” of insights and strategies to have at the ready when things go sideways. www.oupress.com/978080619546...
empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
I'm excited to share last week's blog post by guest contributor Noël Ingram! I definitely learned a lot from Noel's experiences. If you're thinking about how to handle AI in your classroom this fall, her reflections are a must-read. emilypittsdonahoe.substack.com/p/off-the-ra...
Off the Rails: Reflections on a Semester with “AI Tracks” and Rethinking Student AI Agency
A guest post by Noël Ingram
emilypittsdonahoe.substack.com
Reposted by Emily Pitts Donahoe
mraleosays.bsky.social
Teaching literary theory has been the most influential approach I’ve used to improve HS students’ interpretive ability.

Theory helps them see what’s possible with interpretation, not just what’s permitted by “correct” readings.

#literacies #iteachenglish #edusky

open.substack.com/pub/trevoral...
Why I Teach Literary Theory to High Schoolers (and you should too)
Helping students read the word and world-system one lens at a time
open.substack.com
empittsdonahoe.bsky.social
Today's the day! Can't wait to get started with the 2025 Grading Conference!
thegradingconference.com
The 2025 Grading Conference starts tomorrow! Follow and use #TheGradingConference to see snippets from our incredible sessions and participate in the conversation!!

Also, check out today's 100th episode of The Grading Podcast where we talk about the origins of the Conference! www.thegradingpod.com