Current Learning Communities


Learning Communities (LCs) bring faculty and staff together to foster a 1-2 semester-long conversation on a topic of mutual interest and encourage an application of the knowledge gained.  Each LC consists of a facilitator and a group of at least four faculty or staff.  If you are interested in registering for an LC, simply apply for a Learning Community in the FTLC Grant System.  All faculty are eligible to apply, and staff may participate with supervisor approval.

If you are interested in forming or leading a Learning Community for the current or upcoming academic year, complete a Learning Community Letter of Intent Form. If you are leading an LC, visit the LC Facilitator Resources page.

Looking for inspiration?  Visit our Past Faculty Learning Communities webpage to see a complete list (with descriptions) of FLCs from past academic years.


2023-2024 LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Why join an FLC?--Highlights and interviews with GVSU faculty who have participated in an FLC previously

Download the Transcript

Don't take our word for it.  Watch this short video in which GVSU faculty are interviewed about the impact participating in a Pew FTLC Faculty Learning Community had on them.  We couldn't ask for better ambassadors for this fantastic program!



Cohort-Based

This series features topics that are interest to a discipline-specific group of faculty or staff.

  • Fall 2023
    • Engineering PedagogyHow might we properly address systemic inequalities introduced by pedagogical practice in engineering?
  • Fall 2023 & Winter 2024 (year-long)
  • Winter 2024
    • Engineering PedagogyHow might understanding the way we process information and make decisions help inform teaching and learning engineering?
    • Facilitating Student Learning in Biomedical Sciences—What Strategies can we incorporate into our biomedical sciences courses to help students reflect on their learning, apply strong study skills and increase motivation?
    • Psychology DEI-AB—What resources (books, podcasts, articles) and research-informed methods might help faculty in the Psychology Department facilitate equity and belonging among students faculty, and staff from marginalized communities?
Image to represent a cohort--several stick figures in a group.

Connected Teaching 2.0: Relational Cultural Theory in Praxis

Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 (year-long)

How might faculty design, develop, and implement a Connected Teaching approach leveraging Relational Cultural Theory?

In 2023, faculty participated in an Learning Community in which they studied the book, Connected Teaching, by Harriet L. Schwartz (2019), discussion Relational Cultural Theory and various applications of it. In 2023-2024, we wish to continue the conversation and engage further with Connected Teaching strategies using Relational Cultural Theory as a framework for our own scholarship of teaching and learning. Therefore, the faculty in Educational Leadership and Counseling Department propose a two-semester LC for the purpose of studying research questions as follows:

  1. How might faculty design, develop, and implement a Connected Teaching approach?
  2. What are students' perceptions of connected teaching strategies?
  3. Do faculty find themselves more connected with their work and each other after engaging in a project that foregrounds connecting with students?

During the Learning Community time together, faculty will bring their learning forward through the use of a discussion and research protocol similar to the Tuning or Success Analysis protocol.

***This Learning Community is open to participants of the Winter 2023 Connected Teaching Faculty Learning Community.***

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Hybrid—some meetings online and some in-person.  In-person meetings will be held on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

Facilitator: Paul Bylsma, Education Programs—Department of Leadership and Counseling, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Cathy Meyer-Looze, Education Programs—Department of Leadership and Counseling, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Engineering Pedagogy

Winter 2024

How might understanding the way we process information and make decisions help inform teaching and learning in engineering?

Kahneman's work describes two modes of thinking, fast (emotional, intuitive) and slow (deliberative, logical), and applies that knowledge to cognitive bias and decision-making. Discussion of these topics can add insight into how we process knowledge and make decisions. This insight will inform pedagogy and allow participants a deeper understanding of student learning. 

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Pew Campus

Facilitator: Wendy Reffeor, Engineering, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Chris Pung, Engineering[email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Engineering Pedagogy

Fall 2023

How might we properly address systemic inequalities introduced by pedagogical practice in engineering?

This group will use the work of Paulo Freire's foundational text, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, as a starting point to invite participants to identify systemic inequalities and create an environment of empowered learning as applied to engineering disciplines.

***This Learning Community is for Engineering Faculty only.***

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Online/Zoom

Facilitator: Jeff Ward, Engineering, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Karl Brakora, Engineering, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Facilitating Student Learning in Biomedical Sciences

Winter 2024

What Strategies can we incorporate into out biomedical sciences courses to help students reflect on their learning, apply strong study skills and increase motivation?

BMS faculty will read Saundra Yancy McGuire's Teach Students How to Learn and meet biweekly to discuss key points. We will also use meetings to brainstorm ideas for integrating new strategies to our specific courses.

**This Learning Community is open to BMS faculty only.***

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Allendale Campus

Facilitator: Jennifer Bourbina, Biomedical Sciences, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


KCON 2023-24 Writing Circle

Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 (year-long)

How might a discipline-specific writing group with writing buddies help support the scholarship goals of both novice and experienced nursing faculty and increase their comfort with academic writing?

Do you have manuscripts or grants needing time and attention? Does accountability to others foster your writing productivity? Using the book, Little Guide to Getting Your Journal Article Published (J. Bond, Rowman, and Littlefield), as well as group and university support, faculty will develop strategies that strengthen their writing skills and productivity. To support the development of faculty academic writing practices, this Learning Community will:

  • meet every four to six weeks via Zoom during the fall and winter semesters
  • establish writing buddies based on group membership and needs,
  • provide in-person dedicated writing space
  • offer end-of-semester retreats with snacks

***This Learning Community is open to KCON Faculty only.***

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Hybrid—some meetings online and some meetings in-person. In-person meetings will be held on the Health Campus.

Facilitator: Susan Strouse, Nursing, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Psychology DEI-AB

Winter 2024

What resources (books, podcasts, articles) and research-informed methods might help faculty in the Psychology Department facilitate equity and belonging among students, faculty, and staff from marginalized communities?

Members of the Psychology Department's DEI-AB community will work in pairs to explore and discuss several books and articles, and podcasts with relevance to arranging, supporting, and evaluating more equitable and inclusive experiences for students with marginalized social identities, as well as all students, faculty, and staff in the department.

***This Learning Community is open to Psychology Department DEI-AB community members only.***

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Allendale Campus

Facilitator: Amanda Karsten, Psychology, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Gwenden Dueker, Psychology[email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Contemplative Pedagogy

Stick figure meditating--representing contemplative actions

This ongoing series includes one introduction to contemplative pedagogy for those who are new to the idea and a more advanced topic for those who would like to apply their existing knowledge of contemplative pedagogy.

 


Rest as Resistance: Exploring New Conversations Supporting Mindful Living

Fall 2023

How might mindfulness support the pursuit of rest as resistance?

Do you measure your worth by your productivity? Do you focus on daily tasks to the detriment of long-term goals? Together we will ready Tricia Hersey's Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto, and explore what rest looks like and how it related to creating a habit of mindfulness. According to Hersey, "rest, in its simplest form, becomes an act of resistance and a reclaiming of power because it asserts our most basic humanity. We are enough." With mindfulness, we can assert that we are enough here in this present moment. To supplement Hersey's book, we will also use Jon Kabat-Zinn's book, Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, to provide meditation practices that can be readily implemented and support moments of reset and reflection.

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Virtual (Online with Zoom)

Facilitator: Ashley Rosener, University Libraries, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Teaching Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness

Winter 2024

What are the considerations to keep in mind to ensure that mindfulness practices are beneficial for students? 

Mindfulness has been shown to have a wide range of physiological and psychological benefits, and it is being increasingly used in academic settings to foster student wellbeing and resilience. Its intimate connection to trauma invites both hopefulness and caution, as its widespread adoption comes with the potential for both beneficial and adverse effects. "First Do No Harm" also applies to mental health, and this FLC will explore David Treleaven's seminal work, "Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness," to ensure that safe and transformative mindfulness practices are offered throughout GVSU. 

Meeting Dates/Times: Meeting on the following Tuesdays at 2:00 on Zoom

  • January 23
  • February 6 & 20
  • March 12 & 26
  • April 9 & 23

Location/Campus: Virtual (Online with Zoom)

Facilitator: Karen Gipson, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: David Eick, Modern Languages and Literatures and Pew FTLC Faculty Fellow, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.

Teaching Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness

Fall 2023

What are the considerations to keep in mind to ensure that mindfulness practices are beneficial to students?

Mindfulness has been show to have a wide range of physiological and psychological benefits, and it is being increasingly used in academic settings to foster student wellbeing and resilience. Its ultimate connection to trauma invites both hopefulness and caution as its widespread adoption comes with the potential for both beneficial and adverse effects. "First Do No Harm" also applies to mental health, and this Learning Community will explore David Treleaven's seminal work, Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness, to ensure that safe and transformative mindfulness practices are offered throughout GVSU.

Meeting Dates/Times: Meeting on the following Tuesdays from 9am-10am on Zoom

  • October 3, 17, and 31
  • November 14 & 28
  • December 12

Location/Campus: Virtual (Online with Zoom)

Facilitator: Karen Gipson, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: David Eick, Modern Languages and Literatures and Pew FTLC Faculty Fellow, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.



Effective Teaching: Classic and Contemporary Thought

This ongoing series will feature two LCs each semester, one delving into a foundational text of progressive educational philosophy (e.g. Rousseau, Dewey, Hooks), the other providing a contemporary lens and practical approaches to confront today's pedagogical challenges.  All faculty are welcome to join one or both LCs.

  • Spring/Summer 2024
    • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Transforming the College Classroom How might creating a classroom environment that is conducive to learning benefit students for the world beyond college?
Stick figure person standing at a podium and pointing to a presentation screen--image represents the act of teaching.

Transforming the College Classroom

Spring/Summer 2024

How might creating a classroom environment that is conducive to learning benefit students for the world beyond college?

This learning community is focused on the book, The New College Classroom (Harvard UP 2022), and is open to all faculty who are seeking innovative ways to improve the learning environment in their classrooms. Participants will discuss research related to the science of learning and explore pedagogies which can be integrated into their classroom.

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: TBD (hybrid)

Facilitator: Elizabeth Davis, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: David Eick, Modern Languages and Literatures and Pew FTLC Faculty Fellow, [email protected] 

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.



Fostering Belonging in the Classroom and Community

Design with six rings intertwined in a circular pattern--image represents radical inclusion

This series is devoted to topics that build and reinforce diversity, inclusion and equity.

  • Fall 2023
  • Fall 2023 & Winter 2024 (year-long)
  • Winter 2024


Strong Start

  • Fall 2023
Figure crouching on race track starting block


Topic-Based

comment bubble with a star in it--image represents the idea of a topic

This series works to gather faculty or staff from a wide variety of disciplines around a single topic of interest

Ableism in Academia

Fall 2023

What does it mean to be and to work outside the so-called norm?

This learning community will bring together those who are interested in exploring disability and accessibility as aspects of diversity. In the collection of essays that make up Ableism in Academia: Theorizing Experiences of Disabilities and Chronic Illness in Higher Education, the authors "define disability, ableism, chronic illness, and neurodiversity on their own terms" (p. 5). These variations in definitions highlight a theme and a goal for this learning community: recognize the value, the importance, and the challenges of considering both the common and the individual perspectives on disability and chronic illness as part of identity. This learning community will provide space to share our own experiences for those who wish to. We will also discuss how we can support and empower ourselves and our colleagues.

Meeting Dates/Times: Meeting on the following Mondays/Thursdays from 9am-9:50am

  • Thursday, September 28
  • Monday, October 9
  • Thursday, October 26
  • Monday, November 6
  • Thursday, November 30

Location/Campus: Hybrid—some meetings online and some in-person.  In-person meetings will be held on the Allendale Campus in JHZ 3068 (Zumberge Hall).

Facilitator: Bradford Dykes, Statistics, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Caitlin Callahan, Geology, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


As We Have Always Done

Fall 2023

How might we practice and teach anti-colonialism in our classrooms?

In this Learning Community, we will read As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom through Radical Resistance by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. Situating political action within Indigenous communities' resistance, Simpson's book demonstrates how refusing to accept the continuance of settler colonialism can transform our interactions to cultivate a generative future. The goal of this Learning Community is for us to move beyond merely acknowledging harm, come together in solidarity, learn how we might engage anti-colonial practices in meaningful ways, and implement them in our classrooms.

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Virtual (Online with Zoom)

Facilitator: Dawn Rutecki, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Assessing Student Learning through Digital Media

Winter 2023 & Fall 2023

How can integrating digital skills into course assessments strengthen students' abilities to create with technology, preparing them for today's workforce?

We aim to explore how integrating digital skills into course assessments using digital media can provide diversely situated students the opportunity to demonstrate their learning in unique and creative ways. We welcome faculty across GVSU who are already using these types of assignments as well as those who are interested in using this approach in the future. Working with the soon-to-be launched Digital Creator Lab (DCL), this LC will discuss all aspects of designing, implementing, and then evaluating digital media based assessments.

***This Learning Community is currently FULL.***

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Hybrid—some meetings online and some meetings in-person.

Facilitator: Justin Melick, Information Technology, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Gabrielle Miller, University Libraries, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Bringing Global Perspectives into the Classroom by Introducing International Virtual Exchange

Fall 2023

How might we incorporate virtual exchange projects in our courses to promote intercultural dialogue and foster collaboration, problem solving, and global awareness in our students?

International Virtual Exchange (IVE) is a pedagogical approach in which faculty from different cultural regions develop and facilitate a collaborative project for students enrolled in their respective courses. Because IVE provides a structured, meaningful intercultural work experience, it has the potential to expand their cultural perspectives and to foster communication and collaboration skills that are valued in the workplace. This learning community is designed for faculty who are already using IVE as well as faculty who want to explore its use. Participants will read selected chapters from The Guide to COIL Virtual Exchange and discuss topics including:

  • Typical models for using IVE and suggestions for finding international partners, developing projects, and sustaining partnerships
  • Ideas for using IVE to meet student learning outcomes in different disciplines
  • On and off-campus resources and support for implementing IVE

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Hybrid—some meetings online and some meetings in-person.  In-person meetings will be held on the Allendale Campus.

Facilitator: Ellen Shupe, Psychology, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Zsuzsanna Palmer, Writing, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


ChatGPT and the Humanities

Fall 2023

How can we make pedagogically-sound, ethical use of the generative-AI in our classrooms?

Readings and discussions in this learning community will focus on understanding generative-AI tools, such as ChatGPT, and their ethical applications in the Humanities classroom. We will encourage participants to experiment with these tools and to build and test classroom activities using generative-AI that both increase student awareness of these tools and explore the Humanities in new ways.

Meeting Dates/Times: from 11am-11:50am on the following Mondays

  • September 25
  • October 9 & 30
  • November 13 & 17
  • December 11

Location/Campus: In-person on the Allendale Campus in JHZ 3068 (Zumberge Hall).

Facilitator: David Eick, Modern Language and Literatures[email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Christine Rener, Director of Pew FTLC, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Coaching Colleagues, Students, and Ourselves

Winter 2024

How might we draw on successful coaching strategies in our supervision and mentorship of colleagues and students?

As we strive to be better mentors and supervisors, we can learn from the field of coaching to ask better questions and help our colleagues, students, and ourselves grow professionally and personally. In this learning community, we will read Co-Active Coaching: The proven framework for transformative conversations at work and in life (4th ed.), the book that changed the field of professional coaching forever. This book provides practical guidance for embracing coaching as a core competency to improve workplace engagement. We will also read the newer book, Coach the Person, Not the Problem: A Guide to Using Reflective Inquiry, in which Marcia Reynolds cites the latest brain science to show why reflective inquiry works and provides techniques, tips, and structures for creating breakthrough conversations.

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Online/Zoom

Facilitator: Ashley Rosener, University Libraries, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Collaborating for Student Success

Winter 2024

How can teaching faculty and support staff work together to build students' confidence and encourage belonging outside the classroom to foster academic success?

Student success as a concept isn't actually new. A 2017 Inside Higher Ed piece cited an EAB report that tracked the term (relating to retention) to the 1970s. We're certainly still talking about retention--now more than ever—focusing extra attention on diversity, the first-year experience, and the impact of technology. The work of helping students succeed is incumbent on all of us, faculty and staff. In this learning community, we'll discuss faculty-staff success collaborations already underway and put our heads together to dream up others. Gayle Schaub, Student Success Librarian, is mapping out a plan for cross-campus collaboration that includes workshops, trainings, and even trivia nights to engage students and build not only their skills but also their confidence and their determination to succeed. Join the discussions!

Meeting Dates/Times: Meeting from 11am–12pm on the following Fridays;

  • January 26
  • February 16
  • March 15
  • April 12

Location/Campus: Online with Zoom

Facilitator: Gayle Schaub, Liberal Arts Program, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Cultivating Resilience and Stamina in the Elementary Classroom

Winter 2024

In this post-COVID world, how might we better support elementary teacher interns, both emotionally and academically, building up their professional stamina?

Our elementary interns are GVSU seniors who are completing their academic training with an all-day field placement where they assume full classroom responsibility. Our interns began their college careers experiencing COVID-related trauma and emotional distress. The responsibilities of elementary classroom teachers have increased greatly in meeting the needs of young student who have also experienced trauma. Educator stress is high, and teacher burnout is tremendous. (70 percent of teachers quit within their first five years of teaching.) We seek to explore ways to better support our interns and to help them weather the storms so they are better prepared academically and emotionally to be resilient in the classroom. This LC will use the book, Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators by Elena Aguilar, concentrating discussions on the second half of the book, and making adjustments to course content, practices and pedagogy in a collective effort toward improvement.

***This Learning Community is open to EDI 430 faculty only.***

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: In-person on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Facilitator: Liz Storey, Education Programs—Teaching and Learning, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Megan Freudigmann, Education Programs—Teaching and Leanring, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Cultivating Resilience and Stamina in the Elementary Classroom

Fall 2023

In this post-COVID world, how might we better support elementary teacher interns, both emotionally and academically, building up their professional stamina?

Elementary interns are GVSU seniors who are completing their academic training with a field placement where they assume full classroom responsibility. Our interns began their college careers experiencing COVID-related trauma and emotional distress. The responsibilities of elementary classroom teachers have increased greatly in meeting the needs of young student who have also experienced trauma. Educator stress is high, and teacher burnout is tremendous—70 percent of teachers quit within their first five years of teaching. We seek to explore ways to better support students and to help them "weather the storms" so they are better prepared academically and emotionally to be resilient in the classroom. This LC will use the book, Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators by Elena Aguilar, as a starting point and will adjust course content, practices and pedagogy in a collective effort toward improvement.

***This Learning Community is open to EDI 430 faculty only.***

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: In-person on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Facilitator: Liz Storey, Education Programs—Teaching and Learning, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Megan Freudigmann, Education Programs—Teaching and Leanring, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Demystifying Disability-Becoming an Intentional Ally

Fall 2023

How can we be proactive and intentional in our efforts to design syllabi and inclusive classroom environments that support and respect individuals with disabilities?

This learning community seeks to bring together faculty in education to explore how we can be proactive and intentional in our teaching to ensure our language. course design, and assessment practices are inclusive of individuals with disabilities. To accomplish this, we will read Emily Ladau's book, Demystifying Disability, which will help structure our conversations around what disability is, the impact of the Disability Rights Movement, how conceptions of disability intersect with ableism and accessibility, and the intentional moves we can implement to ensure we are both designing our own inclusive courses, but also modeling for our teacher candidates, how to do so. These moves will include applying a critical lens to our syllabi, assignments, and other instructional tools to ensure we're being inclusive and thoughtful in our efforts to help demystify disability.

***This Learning Community is open to faculty from the Early Childhood and Special Educations programs only.***

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Hybrid—some meetings online and some meetings in-person.  In-person meetings will be held on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

Facilitator: Kathryn Ohle, Educational Programs[email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Julia Snider, Educational Programs[email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Designing Groupwork

Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 (Year-long)

How can we create tasks for our student groupwork in math that are effective for heterogeneous groups?

Reading the book Designing Groupwork: Strategies for the Heterogeneous Classroom, we will discuss the principles and design activities for our classrooms. Participants will offer feedback on each other's activities.

***This Learning Community is open to math faculty only***

Meeting Dates/Times: Meeting on the following Fridays from 3–4pm on Zoom

  • September 29
  • October 20
  • November 17
  • December 8

Location/Campus: Online/Zoom

Facilitator: Lisa Hawley, Mathematics, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Lauren Keough, Mathematics, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Disability Visibility: The Myth of Normal

Winter 2024

How can faculty come together to recognize ableism, the myth of normal, and the voices of the disabled so they can best support students' learning around disability?

The purpose of this learning community is to bring together faculty to explore the myth of normal through the lens of the disabled, using the themes of Alice Wong's book, Disabled Visibility. Social constructs, such as the disability and ableism will be defined and explored; theoretical and experimental models of disability will be discussed; and multiple perspectives on disability will be shared and critiqued. As faculty come into their own around their expanding notions around this topic, action plans for how to share these understandings with students, colleagues, and community members will be explored.

***This Learning Community is open to CECI faculty only.***

Meeting Dates/Times: Meeting from 3:00pm–4:00pm on the following Wednesdays,

  • January 31
  • February 14 & 28
  • March 20
  • April 3 & 17

Location/Campus: In-person on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Facilitator: Kathryn Ohle, Education Programs—Teaching and Learning, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Monica Harris, Education Programs—Teaching and Learning, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.

Finding the Sweet Spot: Challenging and Supporting Students

Fall 2023

How do we support AND challenge students?

This LC will read and discuss Sarah Rose Cavanaugh's new book, Mind Over Monsters: Supporting Youth Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge. The description of this books reads: "An investigation into the mental health crisis affecting young adults today, and an impassioned argument for creating learning environments characterized both by compassion and challenge." Participants will be invited to contemplate and design a learning environment that can both support and challenge students.  Faculty who teach first-year students are invited to apply.

Meeting Dates/Times: Meeting on the following Thursdays from 11am–12pm in MAK D-1-142

  • September 21
  • October 5 & 19
  • November 2, 16, & 30

Location/Campus: Meeting in-person in MAK D-1-142 on the Allendale Campus

Facilitator: Tom Pentecost, Chemistry, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Generative AI and the Humanities

Winter 2024

How might we make responsible and pedagogically-sound use of generative AI in our classrooms? 

Participants will familiarize themselves with generative-AI tools such as ChatGPT and hone a responsible and pedagogically sound approach to their use in our classrooms.

Meeting Dates/Times: Meeting on the following Tuesdays from 3pm–4pm over Zoom

  • February 6 and 20
  • March 12 and 26
  • April 9 and 23

Location/Campus:  Virtual over Zoom

Facilitator: David Eick, Modern Languages and Literatures[email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Rachel Anderson, English[email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


How to Incorporate Undergraduate Research into Courses

Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 (year-long)

How can undergraduate research be incorporated into the courses of a regular undergraduate curriculum without increasing faculty and student workload?

Universities are increasingly recognizing the immense value of providing students with research experiences that go beyond traditional classroom learning. However, one-on-one undergraduate research (UR) experiences can be time consuming, and not scalable to most students. Incorporating UR into coursework is one strategy to enable more students to experience UR. In this Learning Community, we will explore how to incorporate research into the classroom experience. We will share ways other GVSU faculty have embedded research experiences into coursework, and help participants strategize ways to envision UR within their courses. For those who are interested in developing UR in their coursework, there will be an additional opportunity for mentor-mentee partnerships with faculty experienced in implementing UR in coursework. Although this Learning Community is geared toward UR, graduate instructors may also apply if interested.

Meeting Dates/Times: Meeting on the following Mondays and Tuesdays in JHZ 3068

  • January 29 at 10am and January 30 at 11am
  • February 26 at 10am and February 27 at 11am
  • March 25 at 10am and March 26 at 11am

Location/Campus: Hybrid—some meetings online and some in-person. In-person meetings will be held on the Allendale Campus.

Facilitator: Anna Hammersmith, Sociology, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Feryal Alayont, Mathematics, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


How to Integrate AI in Advertising and Public Relations Teaching

Spring/Summer 2024

How can AI improve the teaching practice in Advertising and public relations?

This learning community will explore how to integrate AI technology into the courses of Advertising (Ad) and public relations (PR). This learning community will collaboratively learn how to use some of the popular AI tools for writing, designs. and data analysis in the field of advertising and public relations/ The professors in the community can help each other to keep up with the most important tech trends and prepare our students for a future in which competence in AI is a requisite.

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: TBD

Facilitator: Faye Yang, School of Communication, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.

International Virtual Exchange: Introduction, Ideas, and Implementation

Winter 2024

How might we incorporate virtual exchange projects in our courses to promote intercultural dialogue and foster collaboration and global awareness in our students?

International Virtual Exchange (IVE) is a pedagogical approach in which faculty from different cultural regions develop and facilitate a collaborative project for students enrolled in their respective courses. Because IVE provides a structured, meaningful intercultural work experience, it has the potential to expand their cultural perspectives and to foster important communication and collaboration skills that are highly valued in the workplace. This learning community is designed for faculty who are already using IVE, as well as for faculty who want to explore its use in their courses. Participants will read selected chapters from The Guide to COIL Virtual Exchange (2022) and discuss topics related to the use of virtual exchange in their respective courses, including: 

  • Models for using IVE
  • Suggestions for finding international partners, developing projects, and sustaining partnerships 
  • The use of IVE to meet student learning outcomes across disciplines
  • On and off-campus resources and support for implementing IVE

Meeting Dates/Times: Meeting from 11am–12pm on the following Fridays

  • January 19
  • February 2 & 16
  • March 1 & 15
  • April 5 & 19

Location/Campus: Hybrid—some meetings will be held virtually and others will be in-person

Facilitator: Ellen Shupe, Psychology[email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Zsuzsanna Palmer, Writing[email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Internships: Approaches, Strategies, and Best Practices

Winter 2024

How can we help students get the most out of their internship? 

Internships serve different purposes for different students. For some students, an internship can serve as a starting point for their academic and professional aspirations. For others who have a clearer vision, an internship can help them apply their knowledge and skills in a "real world" setting. Much of the responsibility for helping students understand the purpose and value of an internship falls on the shoulders of internship directors. 

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Hybrid—meetings online and last meeting is in-person held on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

Facilitator: Dauvan Mulally, Writing, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Internships: Approaches, Strategies, and Best Practices

Fall 2023

How can we help students get the most out of their internship?

Internships serve different purposes for different students. For some, an internship can serve as a starting point for their academic and professional aspirations. For others who have a clearer vision, an internships can help them apply their knowledge and skills in a "real world" setting. Much of the responsibility for helping students understand the purpose and value of an internship falls on the shoulders of internship directors. Therefore, this Learning Community will center on helping GVSU internship directors explore:

  • best practices for advising and evaluating student internship experiences
  • strategies for outreach, networking, and student preparation
  • approaches for building and strengthening relationships with employers and community partners

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Hybrid—some meetings online and some meetings in-person. In-person meetings will be held on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

Facilitator: Dauvan Mulally, Writing, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Living and Learning from the Environment; An Environmental Humanities Perspective

Fall 2023

How might we "teach" environmental humanities, broadly conceived?

At a time when it is so easy to be despondent, how might we teach environmental humanities in a way that is more hopeful and change precipitating? We constantly hear how the world is hurtling toward a point of no return. Yet, we continue to live and breath. For our students, so impacted by this pandemic, much of the new environmental research about human induced planetary change can feel debilitating rather than charging them with action. In this LC, we will explore some cutting-edge environmental humanities perspectives and research to reflect on possible pedagogical responses that reorient student learning towards asking new questions and reframing despondent narratives to more actionable analytical ones.

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Hybrid—some meetings online and some in-person.

Facilitator: Ramya Swayamprakash,
Integrative, Religious, and Intercultural Studies, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Aaron Eddens, Area and Global Studies, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Small Teaching

Winter 2024

What can we learn and apply from Lang’s classic?

Whether or not you caught his keynote talk at our Fall Teaching and Learning Conference, you’ll learn glean useful ideas from and enjoy reading James Lang’s classic in the scholarship of teaching and learning, Small Teaching (Jossey-Bass, 2nd ed. 2021). From the back cover blurb: “Research into how we learn can help facilitate better student learning―if we know how to apply it. Small Teaching fills the gap in higher education literature between the primary research in cognitive theory and the classroom environment. In this book, James Lang presents a strategy for improving student learning with a series of small but powerful changes that make a big difference―many of which can be put into practice in a single class period.”

Meeting Dates/Times: Meeting from 1pm–2pm on the following Fridays

  • February 9 & 23
  • March 15 & 29
  • April 12 & 26

Location/Campus: Virtual (Online with Zoom)

Facilitator: David Eick, Modern Languages and Literatures and Pew FTLC Faculty Fellow, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.

Supervising the Elementary Teacher Apprentice

Fall 2023

In this post-COVID world, how might we better support elementary teacher apprentices, both emotionally and academically, as they begin their first intense fieldwork experience?

The seniors who are entering their elementary apprenticeship semester began their college careers experiencing COVID-related trauma in the form of unprecedented lockdowns, social isolation, adjusted content delivery and emotional distress. Some have also experienced significant childhood trauma. Many students are arriving in their field practicum year unprepared for the emotional and academic challenges they will face, as they carry unresolved trauma into their classrooms. With CARE reports at an all-time high, we seek to explore ways to better scaffold and support students both academically and emotionally in this critical semester of introduction to daily classroom responsibilities. This Learning Community will use the book, Relationship, Responsibility, and Regulation: Trauma-Invested Practices for Fostering Resilient Learners, by Kristen Souers, as a starting point and will adjust course content, practices and pedagogy in a collective effort toward improvement.

***This Learning Community is open to adjunct faculty who supervise Elementary Teacher Apprentices.***

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: In-person on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Facilitator: Sheryl Vlietstra, Education Programs—Department of Teaching and Learning, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Teaching Adult Learners in the LEADS Format

Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 (year-long)

What are some effective strategies for connecting with adult learners in the accelerated LEADS format?

This group will support faculty teaching in the LEADS format by developing a culture of collegiality amongst LEADS faculty, sharing our experiences with adult learners, sharing assignment designs or other strategies that participants have used, and raising common questions or concerns to address as a group. We'll also be identifying and sharing some scholarly sources on adult pedagogy.

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Hybrid—some meetings online and some meetings in-person. In-person meetings will be held on the Allendale Campus.

Facilitator: Justin Pettibone, School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Pew FTLC Faculty Fellow, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Ungrading II

Winter 2024

Can rethinking assessment help students learn more?

“Ungrading” caught on as a response to the pandemic when suddenly we had to think about how to grade during a crisis. Many of us have not gone back to traditional grading, finding that students actually work harder when learning is emphasized over chasing grades, and their motivation becomes intrinsic rather than extrinsic. But how exactly does one ungrade when at semester’s end we must still give an A, B, C, D or F? Jesse Stommel’s blogs served as an instructor’s manual during the pandemic, and now he has published a book distilling his insights, Undoing the Grade: Why We Grade, and How to Stop (Hybrid Pedagogy 2023). This LC will welcome ungrading veterans who can share lessons learned, curious newbies, and even skeptics.

Meeting Dates/Times: Meeting from 12:30pm-1:30pm on the following Thursdays,

  • February 8 & 22
  • March 14 & 28
  • April 11 & 25

Location/Campus: Online (Zoom)

Facilitator: David Eick, Modern Languages and Literatures and Pew FTLC Faculty Fellow, [email protected] 

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.

Unity Amongst Unit Heads

Fall 2023 & Winter 2024 (year-long)

How can unit heads/department chairs support each other in navigating their roles.

The role of academic unit head can be a lonely position. Through discussing the practical, relatable, and often humorous new book, How to Chair a Department by Kevin Dettmer, we will build camaraderie and learn from each other. As Dettmer states, "As chair, I have a new cohort of colleagues: other department chairs and program directors. In this case, it's role rather than discipline that binds us, but that's a lot. They will understand the challenges, both bureaucratic and emotional, of your position; they will have experiences and advice to share...their counsel and just their informed listening will help you." Whether you are new in your role or a long-serving unit head, this LC will be a place to support, share, and develop new skills. The book's chapters are specific to the annual cycle of department chair responsibilities, and we will align readings accordingly.

***This Learning Community is open to academic unit heads/department chairs only.***

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Hybrid (some meetings in person and some online)

Co-Facilitator: Ellen Schiller, Education—Department of Teaching and Learning, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Mary Bower-Russa, Psychology, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


We Were Made for These Times

Winter 2024

What are the best ways to face all the changes that confront us, including those we initiated on our own?

We all go through tough times when it feels like the ground is being pulled out from under us. What we relied on as steady and solid changes or even appears to vanish. In this era of global disruption, as challenges to our individual, social, and planetary wellbeing abound, the pivots that life requires can feel overwhelming. In We Were Made For These Times, Kaira Jewel Lingo shares accessible advice on navigating difficult times of transition. Each chapter unfolds a step-by-step process to nurture deeper freedom and stability in daily life. Time- honored teachings will help you develop ease, presence, and self-compassion, supporting you to release the fear and doubt that is holding you back.

Meeting Dates/Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Online (Zoom)

Facilitator: Martina Reinhold, Physician Assistant Studies, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.


Women in Academia

This series is devoted to topics of particular interest to female faculty

Single flame surrounded by a wreath of foliage--image represents education and academia

Women, Leadership, and Higher Education

Fall 2023

Within higher education, how might women learn to lead with excellence and maintain their joy?

This learning community focuses on the book, A Leadership Guide for Women in Higher Education. This group is open to administrative professionals and affiliate, tenure-track, and tenured faculty who self-identify as women interested in exploring higher education leadership. Participants will explore professional identity, vision crafting, what brings joy, skill-building, leadership development, and support networks.

**This Learning Community is open to tenure-track, tenured, and affiliate faculty as well as AP colleagues across the university who self-identify as female and are interested in potentially pursuing leadership opportunities in higher education.**

Meeting Dates/Times: Meeting from 12pm–1pm on the following Tuesdays

  • September 26
  • October 3, 10, 17, 24, & 31
  • November 7

Location/Campus: Online/Virtual with Zoom

Facilitator: Erica Hamilton, Office of the Provost, [email protected]

Co-Facilitator: Kate Harmon, Office for Student Affairs, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this LC by completing an LC Application.



Page last modified March 21, 2024