Many faculty have shared that scheduling conflicts interfere with their ability to participate in some CTL events. They also expressed diverse interests with respect to the topics they’re most interested in exploring further. Meeting in a small group about a topic of shared interest allows people to set their own schedules and develop their own goals with support from the CTL.
What is a Learning Community? A learning community is a small group of faculty and staff who are interested in deepening their knowledge about a particular topic and/or working together to develop a project or community of practice. These groups read, meet, discuss, plan, and possibly share what they learn with the broader community. This could take place over a semester or an entire academic year.
What would CTL provide? The Cromwell CTL can help coordinate scheduling of the learning communities, provide lunch, and provide funds to purchase books or other materials relevant to the topic.
What would the learning community share at the end? Participants could share their findings in a number of (low stress) ways. They could report out at a CTL Bitesize or lunch-and-learn event; they could write a blog post for The Catalyst or create a short video or podcast about the topic; they could communicate findings and suggestions regarding the topic to relevant committees and campus leaders. Participants could also list on their annual review materials and/or CV their participation in a “Cromwell Learning Community.”
Some examples of past Cromwell Learning Communities include:
- “End Indoctrination in K–12 Education” Executive Order: Historical Precedents, Contemporary Issues, and Future Directions
- Questioning AI
- Alternative Grading and Ungrading
- Civic and Community Engagement
- Data Across the Curriculum
- Works in Progress: Faculty/Staff Writing Group for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Learning Communities can explore any topic of interest to our work in higher ed. Some broad areas of interest that might be explored through a Learning Community are:
- Classroom Discussions
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging
- Faculty/Staff Career Development
- Faculty/Staff Wellness
- Interdisciplinary/Transdisciplinary Teaching and Research
- Mind, Brain, and Education: Lessons from Learning Sciences
- Open Educational Resources (OER)
- Universal Design for Learning