Breana Bayraktar

Instructor

faculty development, alternative grading practices, instructor feedback practices, multilingual students, community college students, scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)

Dr. Bayraktar is an educational developer with the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning, where she specializes in blended learning/hybrid pedagogy, supports classroom inquiry (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning/SoTL) projects, and runs learning communities focused on faculty grading and feedback practices. She is also principal investigator for a SCHEV grant-funded, cross-institutional and multidisciplinary investigation of AI in Teaching & Learning. Prior to joining the Stearns Center, she taught English as a second language at the community college level and worked in curriculum development, assessment, and teacher preparation. Dr. Bayraktar's current research projects focus on community in/as faculty development, alternative grading and instructor feedback practices, and artificial intelligence in teaching and learning.

Current Research

Please explore current research projects here: breanabayraktar.com/research.

Selected Publications

“Silos to Synergy: Statewide Collaboration as a Model for Ethical and Scalable AI Integration.” (2026) Journal of Higher Education Management. With Dayna Henry, and Jessica Taggart.

“Supporting the Shift: Professional Development for Alternative Grading Practices.” (2026) New Directions for Community Colleges. With Indigo Eriksen.

“Building Networks, Fostering Innovation: Designing and Facilitating a Collaborative Faculty Mentor Training Program.” (2026) To Improve the Academy.

“Navigating the AI-Enabled Education Landscape: A Multifaceted Approach to Providing Effective Professional Learning and Support for Educators.” (2025) Theory Into Practice. With Dayna Henry and Jessica Taggart.

“Building Trust Through Feedback: A Conceptual Framework for Educators.” (2025) Teaching and Learning Inquiry. With Kiruthika Ragupathi and Katherine A. Troyer.

“Finding Community through an Academic Development Collective: Overcoming Constraints through Strategic Collaboration.” (2024) International Journal for Academic Development.

“Reduced Stress through Agency and Autonomy: Community College Student Perspectives of Labor-Based Grading.” (2024) Teaching English in the Two-Year College. With Indigo Eriksen.

Expanded Publication List

“Institutional Support Structures as Catalysts for Faculty Development and Teaching Excellence.” (Forthcoming) Journal of Further and Higher Education.

“Preparing Distributed Leaders: Faculty Mentor Identity and Readiness During Institutional Change.” (Forthcoming) International Journal of Academic Development.

"Applying TILT to Authentic Assessment in a Diverse, Interdisciplinary Graduate Course.” (forthcoming) In TILTed Pedagogy: A Collection of Evidence-Based Assignments to Inspire Learning. Center for Engaged Learning.

“Silos to Synergy: Statewide Collaboration as a Model for Ethical and Scalable AI Integration.” (2026) Journal of Higher Education Management. With Dayna Henry, and Jessica Taggart.

“Supporting the Shift: Professional Development for Alternative Grading Practices.” (2026) New Directions for Community Colleges. With Indigo Eriksen.

“Building Networks, Fostering Innovation: Designing and Facilitating a Collaborative Faculty Mentor Training Program.” (2026) To Improve the Academy.

“From Comments to Conversations: Scaffolding Feedback.” (2025) Deeper Learning Journal of Practice. https://dljp.org/from-comments-to-conversations-scaffolding-feedback/.

“Equity-Minded Writing Placement for a ‘New Normal’: Four Case Studies of Student Self-Placement (SSP).” (2025) In WPAing in a Pandemic and Beyond: Revision, Innovation, and Advocacy. Utah State University Press. With Lisa Mastrangelo, Jolivette Mecenas, and Katherine Daily O’Meara.

“Building Trust Through Feedback: A Conceptual Framework for Educators.” (2025) Teaching and Learning Inquiry. With Kiruthika Ragupathi and Katherine A. Troyer.

“Finding Community through an Academic Development Collective: Overcoming Constraints through Strategic Collaboration.” (2024) International Journal for Academic Development.

“Reduced Stress through Agency and Autonomy: Community College Student Perspectives of Labor-Based Grading.” (2024) Teaching English in the Two-Year College. With Indigo Eriksen.

“Cross-Institutional FLCs That Support Equity-Based Pedagogy and Student Success.” (2024) In Faculty Learning Communities: Working Towards a More Equitable, Just, and Antiracist Future in Higher Education. Information Age Publishing. With Kim Case, Jodi Fisler, and Heather Keith.

“Inclusive Student Engagement Strategies and Students’ Sense of Belonging in Multimodal Learning Environments.” (2023) In Emerging Stronger: Pedagogical Lessons from the Pandemic. Routledge.

“Supporting English Language Learners in the Era of Direct Enrollment.” (2023) Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

Grants and Fellowships

"AI in Teaching and Learning" project was awarded the Fund for Excellence and Innovation grant from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, 2024-2026. ($93,000)

“A Community of Practice Approach to Exploring Alternative Grading” project was awarded a 2025-2026 POD Network Research Grant ($3,200)

Education

Dr. Bayraktar received her EdD from Manhattanville College, where she focused on how faculty professional development influences teaching practices. She received an MEd with a focus on adult education from George Mason University and a BA in French and history from the College of William & Mary.