CFP: Ungrading :2026 Central APA-AAPT Teaching Hub

The American Association of Philosophy Teachers (AAPT) and the APA Committee on the Teaching of Philosophy (CTP) seek presenters for a session on Ungrading at the AAPT-APA Teaching Hub at the 2026 APA Central Division meeting, February 18 – 21, in Chicago, Illinois. The AAPT-APA Teaching Hub is a collaborative meeting space hosting a series of interactive workshops and conversations designed specifically for philosophers and created to celebrate teaching within the context of the APA divisional meetings. The Teaching Hub aims to offer a range of high-quality and inclusive development opportunities that address the teaching of philosophy at all levels.

SESSION GOALS

Ungrading is a recent approach to teaching that involves actively challenging and deconstructing traditional grading structures.  Ungrading contrasts not only with traditional grading, but also with ‘alternative grading’, as it attempts to shift both student and instructor focus away from grades, scores, and reductive or quantifiable assessments of end-products. This session aims to explore the philosophy, pedagogy, and practical implementation of ungrading specifically in the context of philosophy classes. We welcome submissions both supportive and critical of ungrading. 

We welcome proposals on any topic related to this theme, including (but not limited to) the following:

• Sharing applications of ungrading to assignments, papers, exams, student meetings, etc.

• Limitations to/of ungrading (pedagogy, evaluation, curriculum design, state & institutional requirements, large classes, heavy teaching loads)

• Differences in ungrading in different classes, e.g., introductory vs. advanced courses, undergraduate vs. graduate level, in special topics classes (such as philosophy of education, courses on pedagogy, applied/project-based courses, etc.)

• Lessons learned from ungrading (including practical wisdom, personal experiences, and adjustments to current practice).

• Benefits of ungrading (including student outcomes, academic labor, etc).

• Ungrading and AI/technology (including in asynchronous & digital classrooms, plagiarism, & surveillance/monitoring of coursework, technological aids & learning outcomes, etc).

• Ungrading and its relation to Critical Pedagogy, disability, decolonization efforts, feminist theory & gender, etc.

• Ungrading and student engagement, participation, and retention 

• Ungrading and metaphilosophy (the value & aims of philosophy education at various levels and implications for ungrading, etc).

• Ungrading and Ethics of Care in Philosophy Education (including topics related to student care such as neurodivergence, mental health, as well as student- instructor relationships, humanistic/student-centered teaching, etc).

• Ungrading and Academic Rigor & Grade Inflation

• Ungrading as a Mixed Method (the use of ungrading along with other methods of learning & assessment, including both traditional & non-traditional approaches).

FORMAT 

Contrary to typical conference paper sessions, Teaching Hub sessions have historically been expected to be highly interactive in engaging the audience. However, in addition to the interactive engagement session proposals, this year we are also open to traditional conference paper submissions on teaching philosophy. See below for more information about the submission options.

INTERACTIVE SESSION PROPOSALS

Proposals should indicate how audience members will participate in the session. The primary goal for the Teaching Hub is for attendees to walk away with something concrete to deploy in their own classrooms/teaching context. 

What does the Teaching Hub mean by "highly interactive? This includes (but is not limited to) the following:

• Presenters focusing less time on arguments for teaching some content or teaching a particular way, and more time on what it would actually look like to teach that content or teach in that way.

• Presenters thinking of the audience as their students and themselves as the facilitator/teacher. How could you cover the same content in a way that your audience participates in active learning activities during the session time?

• Presenters offering and demonstrating clear, practical examples of teaching methods, classroom activities, policies, practices, etc.

• Presenters conceptualizing of themselves as a facilitator, not giving traditional philosophical only talk-style presentation. 

PAPER SUBMISSIONS

• Papers should substantively engage with the session theme and practices in or approaches to teaching philosophy, blending theoretical and practical considerations relating to teaching philosophy. Papers may involve any of the following, in connection with the session’s theme: 

• Engaging with existing scholarship in teaching and learning, pedagogy, or philosophy of education.

• Exploration of the value, nature, norms, or state, of philosophy in relation to teaching philosophy

• Laying out implications of a philosophical position for teaching and pedagogy 

• Philosophical considerations of different ways of teaching, structuring classes, presenting or interpreting content, or methodological insights in teaching philosophy

• Philosophical reflection, exploration, and insights relating to identity, self, social and political factors, institutional contexts, and so on in the context of teaching philosophy

• Papers should be suited for philosophical and pedagogical discussions with participants. In that spirit, paper sessions should not involve merely reading the paper, but instead be a more conversational presentation aimed at engaging audience in discussion. Paper presentations will be 25 minutes long, followed by a 20-minute open discussion with the audience. 

• In addition to the paper, please include 4-6 substantive audience discussion questions related to your paper.

ALL SUBMISSIONS:

• Proposals or papers should be sent to Michael Hyde ([email protected]) by August 15, 2025, with the subject line “Ungrading AAPT-APA TH 2026”. 

• In the body of the email, please include your name, institutional affiliation (if any), position (if any), and email contact information.

• Submissions/proposals will be expected to align with the AAPT’s forthcoming AI policy, which at the minimum will discourage the use of AI and require that AI use be cited.

• In the meantime, given the professional context and expectations of the APA-AAPT Teaching Hub, along with negative environmental and interpersonal impacts, issues with intellectual property, reliability/’hallucinations’, and more, we ask that potential presenters not make use of generative-AI during any stages of the process leading to the submission and presentations. (This includes but is not limited to Gemini, CoPilot, Grammarly, ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and AI-generated images.)

• We aim to select presenters by September 1, 2025.

INTERACTIVE PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS

• Attached to the email, please include your anonymized submission of 500–750 words (.doc, .docx, or .pdf) detailing the following: (1) describe the focus of your session, (2) an overview of how you plan to use your session time, including how you will make the session highly interactive (3) what you hope the audience will take away from your session, and (4) whether you are requesting a 25- or 50-minute session

PAPER SUBMISSIONS

• Attached to the email, please include your anonymized submission (.doc, .docx, or .pdf) with the following: (1) 150-word abstract, (2) paper submission (maximum 3,000 words, excluding footnotes/bibliography), (3) 4-6 substantive audience discussion questions regarding your paper’s argument(s). 

DEADLINE for submissions: August 15, 2025

Questions about this session should be directed to Michael Hyde at the above email address. For general information about the AAPT-APA Teaching Hub, please visit the Teaching Hub website. For specific information about the Teaching Hub at the 2026 APA meeting in Chicago, IL, please contact co-chairs Abram Capone ([email protected]) and Cassie Finley ([email protected]).