Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning

Tag: Breana Bayraktar

Conversation Hours: Advanced Alternative Grading

Register here | Facilitator: Breana Bayraktar

Already using some form of alternative grading in your courses? Join colleagues who are actively implementing alternative grading practices — not to learn the basics, but to share what’s working, troubleshoot challenges, and think through new ideas together. We will meet via Zoom every 3rd Monday at 2pm (dates below).

Even if you cannot attend all of the meetings, feel free to register for each occurrence as it fits your schedule; you must register for each separate event. This group is focused on discussion and sharing, and participants will have the opportunity to bring examples from your own courses to share and get feedback on. We will not have a set list of readings, but will focus on a different question or theme for each meeting, in addition to whatever topics participants would like to address.

Contact Breana Bayraktar ([email protected]) with any questions!

Meeting Dates & Tentative Themes
Sept 14: Starting lines — How did you introduce your grading system to students this semester?
Oct 5: First feedback cycles — What’s working in your early rounds of feedback or reassessment, and what?
Oct 26: Resistance and confusion — How do you handle students who push back or misunderstand your approach?
Nov 16: Keeping momentum — How do you sustain student engagement with alt grading as end-of-semester pressure kicks in?
Dec 7: Institutional realities — How do you navigate final grades, incompletes, and systems that weren’t built for what we do?
Jan 11: One thing I’m changing — Based on last semester, what are you iterating on and why?
Feb 1: Revision and reassessment policies — What rules govern redos in your course, and how are they holding up?
Feb 22: Equity and access — Where do you see alt grading advancing equity — and where does it fall short?
Mar 15: Mid-spring check-in — What are you noticing right now about student learning, motivation, and stress?
Apr 5: The hard conversations — How do you talk to students about where they stand before the final stretch?
Apr 26: End-of-course practices — What does closure look like in an alt-graded course?
May 17: Year in review — What worked, what didn’t, and what are you still trying to figure out?

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Conversation Hours: Advanced Alternative Grading

Register here | Facilitator: Breana Bayraktar

Already using some form of alternative grading in your courses? Join colleagues who are actively implementing alternative grading practices — not to learn the basics, but to share what’s working, troubleshoot challenges, and think through new ideas together. We will meet via Zoom every 3rd Monday at 2pm (dates below).

Even if you cannot attend all of the meetings, feel free to register for each occurrence as it fits your schedule; you must register for each separate event. This group is focused on discussion and sharing, and participants will have the opportunity to bring examples from your own courses to share and get feedback on. We will not have a set list of readings, but will focus on a different question or theme for each meeting, in addition to whatever topics participants would like to address.

Contact Breana Bayraktar ([email protected]) with any questions!

Meeting Dates & Tentative Themes
Sept 14: Starting lines — How did you introduce your grading system to students this semester?
Oct 5: First feedback cycles — What’s working in your early rounds of feedback or reassessment, and what?
Oct 26: Resistance and confusion — How do you handle students who push back or misunderstand your approach?
Nov 16: Keeping momentum — How do you sustain student engagement with alt grading as end-of-semester pressure kicks in?
Dec 7: Institutional realities — How do you navigate final grades, incompletes, and systems that weren’t built for what we do?
Jan 11: One thing I’m changing — Based on last semester, what are you iterating on and why?
Feb 1: Revision and reassessment policies — What rules govern redos in your course, and how are they holding up?
Feb 22: Equity and access — Where do you see alt grading advancing equity — and where does it fall short?
Mar 15: Mid-spring check-in — What are you noticing right now about student learning, motivation, and stress?
Apr 5: The hard conversations — How do you talk to students about where they stand before the final stretch?
Apr 26: End-of-course practices — What does closure look like in an alt-graded course?
May 17: Year in review — What worked, what didn’t, and what are you still trying to figure out?

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Conversation Hours: Advanced Alternative Grading

Register here | Facilitator: Breana Bayraktar

Already using some form of alternative grading in your courses? Join colleagues who are actively implementing alternative grading practices — not to learn the basics, but to share what’s working, troubleshoot challenges, and think through new ideas together. We will meet via Zoom every 3rd Monday at 2pm (dates below).

Even if you cannot attend all of the meetings, feel free to register for each occurrence as it fits your schedule; you must register for each separate event. This group is focused on discussion and sharing, and participants will have the opportunity to bring examples from your own courses to share and get feedback on. We will not have a set list of readings, but will focus on a different question or theme for each meeting, in addition to whatever topics participants would like to address.

Contact Breana Bayraktar ([email protected]) with any questions!

Meeting Dates & Tentative Themes
Sept 14: Starting lines — How did you introduce your grading system to students this semester?
Oct 5: First feedback cycles — What’s working in your early rounds of feedback or reassessment, and what?
Oct 26: Resistance and confusion — How do you handle students who push back or misunderstand your approach?
Nov 16: Keeping momentum — How do you sustain student engagement with alt grading as end-of-semester pressure kicks in?
Dec 7: Institutional realities — How do you navigate final grades, incompletes, and systems that weren’t built for what we do?
Jan 11: One thing I’m changing — Based on last semester, what are you iterating on and why?
Feb 1: Revision and reassessment policies — What rules govern redos in your course, and how are they holding up?
Feb 22: Equity and access — Where do you see alt grading advancing equity — and where does it fall short?
Mar 15: Mid-spring check-in — What are you noticing right now about student learning, motivation, and stress?
Apr 5: The hard conversations — How do you talk to students about where they stand before the final stretch?
Apr 26: End-of-course practices — What does closure look like in an alt-graded course?
May 17: Year in review — What worked, what didn’t, and what are you still trying to figure out?

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Conversation Hours: Advanced Alternative Grading

Register here | Facilitator: Breana Bayraktar

Already using some form of alternative grading in your courses? Join colleagues who are actively implementing alternative grading practices — not to learn the basics, but to share what’s working, troubleshoot challenges, and think through new ideas together. We will meet via Zoom every 3rd Monday at 2pm (dates below).

Even if you cannot attend all of the meetings, feel free to register for each occurrence as it fits your schedule; you must register for each separate event. This group is focused on discussion and sharing, and participants will have the opportunity to bring examples from your own courses to share and get feedback on. We will not have a set list of readings, but will focus on a different question or theme for each meeting, in addition to whatever topics participants would like to address.

Contact Breana Bayraktar ([email protected]) with any questions!

Meeting Dates & Tentative Themes
Sept 14: Starting lines — How did you introduce your grading system to students this semester?
Oct 5: First feedback cycles — What’s working in your early rounds of feedback or reassessment, and what?
Oct 26: Resistance and confusion — How do you handle students who push back or misunderstand your approach?
Nov 16: Keeping momentum — How do you sustain student engagement with alt grading as end-of-semester pressure kicks in?
Dec 7: Institutional realities — How do you navigate final grades, incompletes, and systems that weren’t built for what we do?
Jan 11: One thing I’m changing — Based on last semester, what are you iterating on and why?
Feb 1: Revision and reassessment policies — What rules govern redos in your course, and how are they holding up?
Feb 22: Equity and access — Where do you see alt grading advancing equity — and where does it fall short?
Mar 15: Mid-spring check-in — What are you noticing right now about student learning, motivation, and stress?
Apr 5: The hard conversations — How do you talk to students about where they stand before the final stretch?
Apr 26: End-of-course practices — What does closure look like in an alt-graded course?
May 17: Year in review — What worked, what didn’t, and what are you still trying to figure out?

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Conversation Hours: Advanced Alternative Grading

Register here | Facilitator: Breana Bayraktar

Already using some form of alternative grading in your courses? Join colleagues who are actively implementing alternative grading practices — not to learn the basics, but to share what’s working, troubleshoot challenges, and think through new ideas together. We will meet via Zoom every 3rd Monday at 2pm (dates below).

Even if you cannot attend all of the meetings, feel free to register for each occurrence as it fits your schedule; you must register for each separate event. This group is focused on discussion and sharing, and participants will have the opportunity to bring examples from your own courses to share and get feedback on. We will not have a set list of readings, but will focus on a different question or theme for each meeting, in addition to whatever topics participants would like to address.

Contact Breana Bayraktar ([email protected]) with any questions!

Meeting Dates & Tentative Themes
Sept 14: Starting lines — How did you introduce your grading system to students this semester?
Oct 5: First feedback cycles — What’s working in your early rounds of feedback or reassessment, and what?
Oct 26: Resistance and confusion — How do you handle students who push back or misunderstand your approach?
Nov 16: Keeping momentum — How do you sustain student engagement with alt grading as end-of-semester pressure kicks in?
Dec 7: Institutional realities — How do you navigate final grades, incompletes, and systems that weren’t built for what we do?
Jan 11: One thing I’m changing — Based on last semester, what are you iterating on and why?
Feb 1: Revision and reassessment policies — What rules govern redos in your course, and how are they holding up?
Feb 22: Equity and access — Where do you see alt grading advancing equity — and where does it fall short?
Mar 15: Mid-spring check-in — What are you noticing right now about student learning, motivation, and stress?
Apr 5: The hard conversations — How do you talk to students about where they stand before the final stretch?
Apr 26: End-of-course practices — What does closure look like in an alt-graded course?
May 17: Year in review — What worked, what didn’t, and what are you still trying to figure out?

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Conversation Hours: Advanced Alternative Grading

Register here | Facilitator: Breana Bayraktar

Already using some form of alternative grading in your courses? Join colleagues who are actively implementing alternative grading practices — not to learn the basics, but to share what’s working, troubleshoot challenges, and think through new ideas together. We will meet via Zoom every 3rd Monday at 2pm (dates below).

Even if you cannot attend all of the meetings, feel free to register for each occurrence as it fits your schedule; you must register for each separate event. This group is focused on discussion and sharing, and participants will have the opportunity to bring examples from your own courses to share and get feedback on. We will not have a set list of readings, but will focus on a different question or theme for each meeting, in addition to whatever topics participants would like to address.

Contact Breana Bayraktar ([email protected]) with any questions!

Meeting Dates & Tentative Themes
Sept 14: Starting lines — How did you introduce your grading system to students this semester?
Oct 5: First feedback cycles — What’s working in your early rounds of feedback or reassessment, and what?
Oct 26: Resistance and confusion — How do you handle students who push back or misunderstand your approach?
Nov 16: Keeping momentum — How do you sustain student engagement with alt grading as end-of-semester pressure kicks in?
Dec 7: Institutional realities — How do you navigate final grades, incompletes, and systems that weren’t built for what we do?
Jan 11: One thing I’m changing — Based on last semester, what are you iterating on and why?
Feb 1: Revision and reassessment policies — What rules govern redos in your course, and how are they holding up?
Feb 22: Equity and access — Where do you see alt grading advancing equity — and where does it fall short?
Mar 15: Mid-spring check-in — What are you noticing right now about student learning, motivation, and stress?
Apr 5: The hard conversations — How do you talk to students about where they stand before the final stretch?
Apr 26: End-of-course practices — What does closure look like in an alt-graded course?
May 17: Year in review — What worked, what didn’t, and what are you still trying to figure out?

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Pre-ITL Workshop: Rethinking Academic Integrity in the Age of AI Through Alternative Assessment

Register here | Facilitator: Breana Bayraktar

AI detection tools are inaccurate, biased, and not an effective solution to concerns about academic integrity. The real solution isn’t better surveillance, it’s removing the conditions that make cheating feel worth it in the first place. This workshop will help you explore how alternative grading schemes can support authentic work and academic integrity.

This event is part of our pre-ITL conference workshop series; however, attendance at ITL is not required.

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Workshop: Crafting an AI Policy That Reflects Your Values

Register here | Facilitator: Breana Bayraktar

Formerly titled “Workshop: Communicating With Students About Ethical AI Use”

Not sure whether to ban AI, embrace it, or something in between? This hands-on session will help you move from uncertainty to clarity. Through guided frameworks, discipline-specific examples, and individual drafting time, you’ll leave with a coherent, nuanced AI policy tailored to your courses. This workshop is part of the Teaching with AI Credential.

*Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Workshop: Beyond the Syllabus – Talking with Students About AI

Register here | Facilitator: Breana Bayraktar

Formerly titled “Workshop: Communicating With Students About Ethical AI Use”

This workshop focuses on how to talk with students about AI use in ways that build trust rather than suspicion, respond to violations without eroding relationships, and cultivate a classroom culture where integrity is a shared value. Through discussion, role-play scenarios, and practical strategies, you’ll leave with language and approaches you can use from day one. This workshop is part of the Teaching with AI Credential.

*Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Deadline: Application to Join a SoTL Faculty Cohort

Sign up here | Facilitator: Breana Bayraktar

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Faculty Cohort is a year-long professional development program for faculty who are new to SoTL or just beginning to develop a classroom-based inquiry project. Through regular cohort meetings, one-on-one mentoring, peer feedback, and structured accountability, participants move from curiosity about their teaching to a completed scholarly project ready for dissemination.

Over the course of the academic year, cohort members will design and implement a SoTL project, analyze findings to inform evidence-based practice, and produce a scholarly product. Faculty facilitators provide individualized support throughout the process.

Priority deadline for applications: September 1, 2026
Final deadline: September 15, 2026
Program begins October 5, 2026.

Note: Only participants of this program are eligible to apply for SoTL Curriculum and Teaching Leadership Funds.