Students and faculty have differing definitions of success in courses. Rarely is there an explicit conversation about this. The default expectation becomes an "A" Contract grading defines students' options to complete their coursework and the consequences. In a nutshell, students can choose to do less work for a lower grade. Contract grading shifts the conversation between students and faculty. Students can gain a greater sense of agency and control by defining what success looks like to them (Katopodis & Davidson, 2020). Students may have greater internal motivation (Danielewicz & Elbow, 2009). While faculty set up a menu of options, students can choose given their personal goals and constraints.