Beyond Grading

2025 event highlights

(full schedule and program details to follow)

• Keynote presentation by Peter Felten, Co-author of Relationship-Rich Education (presenting via Zoom)
• Strategy exchange featuring McGill instructors sharing their strategies for fostering relationships
• Networking with colleagues from across McGill
• Light refreshments 

What are relationship-rich classrooms?

Relationships in higher education—whether between students, between students and instructors, or between instructors and the entire class—are a vital part of the educational experience. Learning environments that prioritize trust, belonging, and meaningful interaction foster strong, supportive connections. These connections help students engage with academic content, develop essential learning skills, and overcome challenges. In an age increasingly shaped by generative AI, relationships cultivated in the classroom serve as a vital counterbalance, grounding learning in empathy, authenticity, and shared experience. 

Keynote speaker: Peter Felten

Peter Felten is Professor of history, Executive Director of the Center for Engaged Learning, and Assistant Provost for teaching and learning at Elon University (US). 

He has published eight books about undergraduate education, including Relationship-Rich Education: How human connections drive success in college (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2020) co-authored by Leo Lambert, and Connections are Everything: A college student’s guide to relationship-rich education (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2023) co-authored by Isis Artze-Vega, Leo Lambert, and Oscar Miranda Tapia. His newest book, The SoTL Guide: (Re)orienting the scholarship of teaching and learning, is co-authored by Katarina Mårtensson and Nancy Chick, and will be published late 2025. 

Peter is on the advisory board of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and is a fellow of the Gardner Institute. 

Read:

Relationship-Rich Education Connections are Everything