Grading Conference Day 2 Preview

Building on yesterday’s post previewing the first day of our 2026 Grading Conference, today we are taking a look at Day 2.

We kick off with a keynote from Brie Tripp. I am very excited about this talk, as I was recently back at the University of South Alabama just after Brie had given the keynote at their Conference on Teaching and Learning. I was there a week after her talk, but the faculty I was working with were still raving about it—they were all talking about some small tweaks to assessments they were going to make to their fall classes based on things they took away from her talk.

The second day of the conference is unique because it features our poster session from 12:30–1:30 EDT. The poster gallery will be linked from the schedule page a few days before the conference for asynchronous viewing, and during this time our poster presenters will be live on Zoom to have conversations with folks about their posters. Our presenters will be there the whole hour, but feel free to drop by any time during that hour to talk to a few presenters.

Our day then dives into parallel sessions. In the first block, I am very intrigued to see a panel on retesting without penalties in large enrollment courses. We frequently hear from folks who are interested in alternative grading, but struggle to find ways to integrate it into the large courses they teach. This panel also reminds me of last year’s keynote address from Eden Tanner, who spoke about exam retakes in her large enrollment chemistry courses.

Day two also involves a few sessions near and dear to my heart on faculty learning communities. Having just today wrapped up co-leading an inter-institution learning community (through the RIOS Institute and the Center for Grading Reform), I am curious to hear from Sarah Justice and Sarah Klanderman about the lessons they learned from leading their learning community. The day closes out with a session of workshops and panels, including a workshop on how to develop a grading-focused community of practice at your institution.

Check back tomorrow for a look at Day 3!

Drew Lewis is an independent higher education consultant and the Director of Research for the Center for Grading Reform. He is a member of the organizing team for the Grading Conference.