Current Learning Communities
"This Learning Community has had a significant and immediate impact on both my teaching and broader professional work." - Fall 2025 Learning Community Participant.
What is a Learning Community?
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.
Open Learning Communities are open to faculty and staff from any office, department, or unit on campus. They fill up fast, so check them out!
Closed Learning Communities are open to faculty in specific areas of the university. But anyone can facilitate one for their own department, too.
Learning Communities 26F/27W Yearlong
BRAIDING INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE WITH WESTERN SCIENCES TO IMPROVE PEDAGOGIES
- Facilitated by: Elena Lioubimtseva - [email protected] - Geography and Sustainable Planning
- Co-facilitated by: Azizur Molla - [email protected] - School of Interdisciplinary Health
- Location/Campus: Hybrid - Valley Campus
- Type: Open
- Status: Still accepting applications
Braiding Indigenous Knowledge with Western Sciences to Improve Pedagogies
What are the best practices for integrating Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK) in transdisciplinary environmental curriculum informed by respectful, reciprocal, and relevant relationships with Indigenous communities?
IEK systems are grounded in thousands of years of ecological observations, skillful environmental stewardship, experiential learning, and holistic kinship relationships with the land, water, plants, and animals. Yet they remain largely absent from GVSU curricula, particularly in the environmental, physical, and life sciences. The lack of inclusion of Indigenous epistemologies and methods in environmental science curriculum stems from entrenched colonial power structures, systemic biases, and an ongoing reliance on extractive research models. Working collaboratively with Indigenous environmental education consultants, Native-American scholars, and Tribal organizations, we will develop a transdisciplinary framework for culturally appropriate inclusion of IEK across multiple academic programs. Guided by the principles of 4R (Relevance, Respect, Reciprocity, and Responsibility), this FLC will create new teaching resources, facilitate community-engaged service-learning pathways, and strengthen relationships between GVSU and Indigenous communities and their peoples. Ultimately, this work will prepare students to address environmental challenges through more inclusive, holistic, and community-centered approaches.
This Learning Community is primarily intended for faculty interested in environmental science and studies. Participants are encouraged to attend the workshops by the Indigenous consultants. More information about these workshops will be shared via the group facilitators.
Learning Objective 1
Evaluate and adopt effective approaches for decolonizing
environmental science content and methods through integration of
Indigenous perspectives.
Learning Objective 2
Develop culturally
appropriate teaching materials, pedagogical approaches, and resources
for holistic and inclusive transdisciplinary environmental curricula
and pedagogies.
Learning Objective 3
Establish pathways for long-term collaboration with Tribal
governments, Indigenous organizations, and other Native American
community partners that support internships, civic engagement, applied
research, and other high-impact learning activities
Register for Braiding Indigenous Knowledge with Western Sciences to Improve Pedagogies LC
BRINGING GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES INTO THE CLASSROOM WITH INTERNATIONAL VIRTUAL EXCHANGE/COLLABORATIVE ONLINE INTERNATIONAL LEARNING (IVE/COIL)
- Facilitated by: Ellen Shupe - [email protected] - Psychology & Pew FTLC | Zsuzsanna Palmer - [email protected] - Writing
- Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
- Dates: Fridays 11am-12pm | 9/25, 10/23, 11/20, 1/22, 2/26, 3/26, 4/23
- Type: Open
- Status: Still accepting applications
Bringing Global Perspectives into the Classroom with International Virtual Exchange/Collaborative Online International Learning (IVE/COIL)
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 faculty-led, active
learning approach that connects students with international peers for
a shared, online learning experience. Instructors from different
universities work together to develop projects or other activities.
Students in their courses then work together on projects, typically
over 2-8 weeks. Because it provides a structured, culturally informed
opportunity for collaboration, IVE fosters students' intercultural
awareness and leads to several skill-based and discipline-specific
benefits. It's also highly adaptable and can be used in any academic
discipline and at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
This
learning community is designed for faculty who are already using IVE
and faculty who are interested in learning more about it. Participants
will share ideas and experiences and discuss topics related to IVE,
such as finding international teaching partners, designing projects,
and managing logistics. Optional readings related to discussion topics
will be made available by the facilitators.
Learning Objective 1
Name specific ways IVE/COIL has been used by instructors at GVSU
and other universities
Learning Objective 2
Consider how find international teaching partners and sustain the
teaching partnerships and get help developing collaborative projects
and materials
Learning Objective 3
Explore how to meet student learning outcomes in different
disciplines through IVE/COIL
Learning Objective 4
Identify on and off-campus resources and support for integrating
IVE/COIL in your courses
BUILDING ACCESSIBILITY LEADERS ACROSS CAMPUS
- Facilitated by: Barbara Stevens - [email protected] - eLearning
- Location/Campus: Hybrid - Valley Campus
- Type: Open
- Status: Still accepting applications
Building Accessibility Leaders Across Campus
How can faculty and staff be supported in developing into departmental accessibility leaders, enabling them to effectively guide others in creating inclusive, compliant, and accessible digital content that aligns with Title II accessibility requirements?
This six-session train-the-trainer program, supported and facilitated by the Digital Accessibility Committee, is designed to prepare faculty and staff to serve as accessibility leads within their respective departments. Participants will acquire skills to create and remediate accessible digital content using tools such as Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat Pro, presentation software, and others. They will also learn how to interpret the Ally accessibility report within Blackboard courses and organizations, while gaining a foundational understanding of Title II of the ADA, inclusive design principles, and digital accessibility best practices. Through hands-on activities, collaboration, and practical application, participants will develop the ability to identify accessibility barriers, support colleagues, implement sustainable accessibility practices, and contribute to a more inclusive campus environment. In-person and Zoom meetings will be available for each session.
Learning Objective 1
Analyze digital content, communication practices, and instructional materials to identify accessibility barriers and evaluate compliance with Title II of the ADA, WCAG principles, and inclusive design standards.
Learning Objective 2
Apply accessibility best practices and remediation techniques to create accessible documents, PDFs, presentations, media, and online content using tools such as Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat Pro, presentation software, and the Ally accessibility report.
Learning Objective 3
Design and facilitate departmental accessibility initiatives, resources, and peer training opportunities that promote sustainable accessibility practices and foster a culture of inclusion across GVSU.
Register for Building Accessibility Leaders Across Campus LC
INT 100: FROM ORIENTATION TO TRANSFORMATION
- Facilitated by: Maureen Wolverton - wolvertm@gvsu.edu - SIS
- Location/Campus: Hybrid - Valley Campus
- Type: Open
- Status: Still accepting applications
INT 100: From Orientation to Transformation
What are some effective strategies to strengthen the first year experience for INT 100 students?
This group will support faculty teaching INT 100 by seeking ways to better support first year students. Faculty will review course materials, examine co-curricular structures, and evaluate the course title/description. We will work on developing a culture of collegiality amongst INT 100 faculty, sharing our experiences with first year students, sharing assignment designs or other strategies that participants have used, and raising common questions or concerns to address as a group. We will also share and discuss scholarly sources on the first-year academic experience and gateway course redesign best practices.
Learning Objective 1
Review course materials to support INT 100 Reader Revisions.
Learning Objective 2
Examine co-curricular structures and recommend ways to strengthen these.
Learning Objective 3
Evaluate the course title/description for clarity and relevance.
Learning Objective 4
Cultivate a culture of collegiality through collaboration.
INTERNSHIPS: APPROACHES, STRATEGIES, AND BEST PRACTICES
- Facilitated by: Dauvan Mulally - [email protected] - Writing
- Location/Campus: Hybrid - City Campus
- Type: Open
- Status: Still accepting applications
Internships: Approaches, Strategies, and Best Practices
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 can 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 fall on the shoulders of internship directors.
Learning Objective 1
Understand best practices for advising and evaluating student internships experiences
Learning Objective 2
Articulate strategies for outreach, networking, and student preparation
Learning Objective 3
Consider approaches for building and strengthening relationships with employers and community partners
Register for Internships: Approaches, Strategies, and Best Practices LC
LIBERATORY ADULT EDUCATION IN THE BELLAMY CREEK PROGRAM
- Facilitated by: Paul Bylsma - [email protected] - Higher Education and Student Affairs
- Co-Facilitated by: Aaron Yore-VanOosterhout -[email protected] - Bellamy Creek Program
- Location/Campus: Hybrid - City Campus
- Type: Closed (accepting applications from faculty teaching in the Bellamy Creek Prison Education Program)
- Status: Still accepting applications
Liberatory Adult Education in the Bellamy Creek Program
How might Bellamy Creek Program instructors develop a liberatory approach to adult education?
This learning community (LC) will explore adult education as a liberatory practice within the Bellamy Creek Prison Education Program. Faculty teaching in the program, many of whom have witnessed the transformative potential of education in a carceral setting, are invited to come together to examine how critical perspectives on teaching and learning can inform their practice. Drawing from literature on critical adult education and critical prison education, participants will reflect on the social, ethical, economic, and political conditions that shape prison education. Through structured discussion and reflection on their own classroom experiences, LC members will work to develop an integrated philosophy of liberatory teaching in prison. Foundational ideas about adult learners and andragogical practice will provide a starting point for examining how teaching strategies, classroom relationships, and course design can support critical inquiry while affirming incarcerated students’ agency and dignity.
Learning Objective 1
Identify and analyze key
concepts from critical adult education and critical prison education
literature and examine how these ideas relate to their teaching
practice in the Bellamy Creek Program (BCP).
Learning Objective 2
Examine components of a critical andragogical teaching philosophy
and identify pedagogical strategies that align with the specific
relational and institutional context of the BCP.
Learning Objective 3
Develop and articulate a coherent philosophy of liberatory prison
education and accompanying andragogical principles that support
incarcerated students in engaging in critical inquiry, action, and advocacy.
Register for Liberatory Adult Education in the Bellamy Creek Program LC
SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION (SDI) IN PK-12 EDUCATION
- Facilitated by: Jennifer DeWaard- [email protected] - CECI Teaching and Learning
- Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
- Type: Open
- Status: Still accepting applications
Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) in PK-12 Education
How can we embed SDI in teacher preparation so that our candidates are prepared to address students' unique needs while also ensuring access to general education?
This learning community will provide an opportunity for teacher preparation instructors to focus on examining the content, methodology, and delivery of instructional strategies and techniques that are core to our courses and curriculum.
Through book study and examination of our existing courses and activities, we will plan to model and incorporate SDI as a concept, part of IDEA law, and current high priority in Michigan PK-12 schools. We will examine the capacity for teacher candidates and instructors to integrate this concept in current coursework.
Learning Objective 1
Identify and analyze key SDI concepts as they relate to our
teaching practice.
Learning Objective 2
Align instruction with shared learning concepts by examining
course activities and instructional strategies that align with SDI as
it is related to educational equity, student success, and current
PK-12 requirements.
Register
for Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) in PK-12 Education LC
SUPPORTING SOCIAL JUSTICE-MINDED TEACHER DEVELOPMENT DURING THE INTERNSHIP SEMESTER
- Facilitated by: Leanne Kang - [email protected] - CECI Literacy, Educational Foundations, & Technology
- Co-Facilitated by: Janelle Grant Ashbaugh - [email protected] - CECI Literacy, Educational Foundations, & Technology
- Location/Campus: Hybrid - City Campus/ Online
- Type: Closed - Participants must have completed the prior year's LC "Reflecting on the Teacher Internship Experience: How Do We Cultivate Social Justice-Minded PK-12 Teacher Identities?"
- Status: Still accepting applications
Supporting Social Justice-Minded Teacher Development During the Internship Semester
How might cross-departmental collaborations more explicitly support the development of social justice-minded teachers during their teacher internships experience at the College of Education and Community Innovation?
This Learning Community (LC) builds on last year’s LC, “Reflecting on the Teacher Internship Experience: How Do We Cultivate Social Justice-Minded PK-12 Teacher Identities?” This year, we will extend and deepen that work by continuing to explore how teacher candidates develop and sustain social justice-minded identities as educators.
Learning Objective 1
Continue to identify areas of curricular overlap across courses and
potentially propose, or plan, ways to streamline programming.
Learning Objective 2
Examine and analyze our collective work and identify the ways in
which we cultivate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that
support the development of social justice-minded teacher identities.
Register for Supporting Social Justice-Minded Teacher Development During the Internship Semester LC
TEACHING ADULT LEARNERS IN THE LEADS FORMAT
- Facilitated by: Ariel Mokdad- [email protected] - SIS
- Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
- Type: Open
- Status: Still accepting applications
Teaching Adult Learners in the LEADS Format
What are some effective strategies for connecting with adult learners in the accelerated LEADS format?
This learning community is designed for mentors. 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 consider some writings on andragogy (aka pedagogy for adults), as we think about how to positively impact our adult students!
Learning Objective 1
Successfully engage with adult learners in LEADS format courses
Learning Communities Fall 2026
A WOMAN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING: JEWISH WOMEN IN EARLY MODERN EUROPE - REOPENING THE ARCHIVES
- Facilitated by: Carolyn Shapiro-Shapin - [email protected] - History
- Co-Facilitated by: Grace Coolidge - [email protected] - History
- Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) - Valley Campus
- Type: Open
- Status: Still accepting applications.
A Woman is Responsible for Everything: Jewish Women in Early Modern Europe - ReOpening the Archives
How do new archival materials give us insights into women's role in early modern Jewish communal life?
Debra Kaplan and Elisheva Carlebach’s book, A Woman Is Responsible for Everything: Jewish Women in Early Modern Europe (Princeton, 2025), explores the role of Jewish women in early modern Europe in urban, village, and ghetto settings. Their text offers insights into their communal life, roles in the economy, institutional leadership, writings, and faith. The authors tap new archival materials to create a text that incorporates the voices of Jewish women of all social classes, conditions of work, and marital status including those who were single, married, widowed and divorced.
Participants will read and discuss how this new scholarship can enrich GVSU courses in European history, women’s history, family history, history of science, medicine and technology, economic history, art history, and literary history. This learning community is recommended for historians and open to those in kindred disciplines who work with historical methods and/or who are interested in the subject matter.
Learning Objective 1
Incorporate new scholarship on women's history into GVSU course offerings
Learning Objective 2
Integrate new archival methods into teaching and research
BUILDING COHESION & CONNECTION: CREATING SPACES OF BELONGING IN OUR CLASSROOMS AND WORLD
- Facilitated by: Lisa Perhamus - [email protected] - School of Interdisciplinary Studies
- Co-Facilitated by: Sarah Cox - [email protected] - School of Interdisciplinary Studies
- Location/Campus: In-person - Allendale Campus
- Dates: Thursdays 8:30am-9:45m | 9/17,10/1, 10/15, 10/29, 11/12, 12/3,
- Type: Open
- Status: Still accepting applications.
Building Cohesion & Connection: Creating Spaces of Belonging in Our Classrooms and World
During this moment of heightened societal division, what does it mean and what does it take to create learning environments that are genuine spaces of belonging for students, ourselves, and each other?
With a focus on community building, this LC offers educators who
teach in the classroom and beyond a supportive and intellectually rich
space to consider what it means to understand “belonging" as a
human need.
We will read john a. powell’s 2024 book, The
Power of Bridging: How to Build a World Where We All Belong. For
powell, one way to meet the need to belong is through bridging, which
is about “practice and the values that anchor people to those
practices.” Together, we will explore the nuances of bridging and
belonging, conceptually, and in classroom practice.
We will
explore questions like: What is at stake for students seeking to
belong in a classroom where bridging practices are limited? How can we
fortify our own bridging practices, both as teachers and as human
beings living in a collective? And how can we support students in
their bridging journeys of belonging?
Learning Objective 1
To identify skills and strategies for translating concepts of
bridging and belonging into practices for the classroom and everyday life.
Learning Objective 2
To examine how educators can de-polarize classroom talk and
interpersonal dynamics.
Learning Objective 3
To describe how bridging and belonging can help mitigate divisive
societal influences in learning environments.
IDENTITY AND INTEGRITY IN TEACHING LC
- Facilitated by: Wendy Reffeor - [email protected] - Engineering
- Co-Facilitated by: Chris Pung - [email protected] - Engineering
- Location/Campus: In-person - City Campus
- Type: Closed - Faculty in the Padnos College of Engineering
- Status: Still accepting applications.
Identity and Integrity in Teaching
How does a teacher's understanding of their own identity and integrity influence their ability to create meaningful learning experiences and authentic connections with students?
This professional learning community brings educators together to explore Parker Palmer's The Courage to Teach through reflective reading, discussion, and collaborative inquiry. Participants will examine the inner landscape of teaching, considering how personal identity, values, relationships, and professional experiences shape their practice. Through thoughtful dialogue and shared reflection, members will support one another in developing greater authenticity, resilience, and purpose in their work, ultimately enhancing both educator well-being and student learning.
Learning Objective 1
Examine the connection between personal identity and teaching practice.
Learning Objective 2
Understand the concept of teaching from a place of authenticity
and integrity.
Learning Objective 3
Analyze the role of fear, vulnerability, and courage in education.
Learning Objective 4
Explore the importance of community in teaching and learning.
Learning Objective 5
Cultivate habits of reflective practice.
PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION
- Facilitated by: Bradford Dykes - [email protected] - Statistics
- Co-Facilitated by: Marie Mangold - [email protected] - Modern Languages and Literatures
- Co-Facilitated by: Maggie Goss - [email protected] - Pew FTLC
- Location/Campus: In-person meetings- Valley Campus
- Dates: Tuesdays 2:00 - 3:00PM (Sep 15, 29, Oct 13, Nov 10, 24, Dec 8)
- Type: Open
- Status: Still accepting applications.
Progress Over Perfection
How might faculty sustain meaningful habits of mind and practice (i.e. get it all done)?
Are you feeling like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done? You’re right! And you’re not alone. This learning community will explore evidence-based strategies for planning your semester, establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries and role clarity, and exercising conscious control over your activities. Drawing from readings selected by facilitators and participants, we will learn together about how to sustain meaningful habits (of mind and practice), practice active goal setting and planning, and be "accounta-buddies" (accountability partners) for one another.
Learning Objective 1
Consider barriers to managing your time
Learning Objective 2
Explore evidence-based strategies for planning your semester,
establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries and role clarity, and
exercising conscious control over your activities
Learning Objective 3
Practice building a community of support in accountability
THINKING LAB: CREATIVITY AND HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN IN HIGHER EDUCATION
- Facilitated by: Arya Jadhav - [email protected] - Computer Science
- Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) - Valley Campus
- Type: Open
- Status: Still accepting applications.
Thinking Lab: Creativity and Human-Centered Design in Higher Education
Have you ever felt stuck with a process, assignment, communication, or workflow you wish you could redesign, but didn’t want to solve alone?
Higher education is standing in the middle of a tsunami of change.
AI, shifting student needs, institutional pressures, political
uncertainty, environmental crises, and rapid technological
transformation are reshaping classrooms, offices, programs, and daily
work while the ground is still moving.
From ancient centers
of learning such as Takshashila to the modern university, education at
its best has never been merely the transfer of technical knowledge. It
has been a space for dialogue, inquiry, wisdom-building, and preparing
human beings to meet uncertainty with thoughtfulness and
imagination.
This small collaborative redesign studio
invites faculty and staff to bring one real challenge from their
classroom, workflow, program, or institutional role. Across the
semester, each participant’s challenge will become the focus of a
dedicated session. Together, the group will diagnose where engagement
or creativity breaks down and collaboratively generate practical
redesigns participants can apply in their own work.
Learning Objective 1
Identify and articulate a meaningful challenge
Learning Objective 2
Analyze the pain points
Learning Objective 3
Apply creativity-supportive and human-centered design principles
to reimagine existing practices and experiences
Learning Objective 4
Engage in collaborative redesign and peer feedback processes to
iteratively refine ideas and solutions
Learning Objective 5
Reflect on how creativity, curiosity, and intentional design
influence learning, engagement, and human connection
Register for Thinking Lab: Creativity and Human-Centered Design in Higher Education LC
THRIVING WITH ADHD
- Facilitated by: Ashley Rosener - [email protected] - University Libraries
- Location/Campus: Online/ Zoom
- Type: Open
- Status: Closed; No longer accepting applications
Thriving with ADHD
What can we learn from cutting-edge research and strategies to thrive with ADHD from Childhood through Adulthood?
Are you navigating an ADHD diagnosis? Do you want to learn how to support and encourage your students with ADHD? This learning community will join together in reading ADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction--from Childhood through Adulthood along with Small Talk: 10 ADHD Lies and How to Stop Believing Them. Looking at both the science behind ADHD and lived experiences, we will gain a better understanding of how we can be neuroinclusive.
Learning Objective 1
Identify your limiting ADHD beliefs and harmful stereotypes.
Learning Objective 2
Discover the specific elements to look for to enhance the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit inherent in the ADHD mind.
USING TRAUMA-SENSITIVE MINDFULNESS TO SUPPORT STUDENT WELLBEING
- Facilitated by: Karen Gipson - [email protected] - Physics
- Location/Campus: Online/ Zoom
- Type: Open
- Status: Still accepting applications.
Using Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness to Support Student Wellbeing
How might trauma-sensitive mindfulness support student wellbeing?
Mindfulness has been well-documented to improve physical and psychological wellbeing, but recent studies indicate that trauma-sensitivity is crucial for such benefits to be realized in many people. As one form of Trauma-Informed Pedagogy (TIP), this LC will explore the importance and foundational principles of trauma-sensitive mindfulness (TSM), so that faculty and staff will be able to confidently incorporate TSM strategies and techniques into their courses and other work with students. Topics include the need for using trauma-sensitivity when offering mindfulness to students and the five core principles of TSM. A video library of ready-to-use TSM practices will also be shared for participants to incorporate into classroom settings and/or other interactions with students.
Learning Objective 1
Discuss various well-documented benefits of mindfulness.
Learning Objective 2
Discuss the need for trauma-sensitivity when offering mindfulness
practices to students.
Learning Objective 3
Explain the five principles of trauma-sensitive mindfulness.
Learning Objective 4
Identify 1-3 TSM practices to consider incorporating into your work with students
Register for Using Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness to Support Student Wellbeing LC
For additional information about any of these programs, please contact us at [email protected].