• Facilitated by: Ellen Shupe, [email protected] 
• Co-Facilitated by: Zsuzsanna Palmer, [email protected]
• Location/Campus: Zoom Online 
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer 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 the projects, typically over 2-8 weeks. Because it provides a structured, culturally informed opportunity for collaboration, IVE fosters students’ intercultural awareness and leads to a number of 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 
Understand how IVE/COIL has been used by instructors at GVSU and other universities. 

Learning Objective 2 
Identify ways to find international teaching partners and sustain the teaching partnerships and get help developing collaborative projects and materials. 

Learning Objective 3 
Recognize how to implement IVE/COIL to meet student learning outcomes in different disciplines. 

Learning Objective 4 
Identify on and off-campus resources and support for integrating IVE/COIL in your courses. 

Register in our Grant System for the Bringing Global Perspectives into the Classroom with International Virtual Exchange/Collaborative Online International Learning (IVE/COIL) LC

• Facilitated by: Barbara Stevens - [email protected] -  616-331-9093
• Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
  • Fridays, 10:30 - 11:30 am (except for session 3, which will run 10 - 11 am)
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Building Inclusive Digital Environments: ADA Title II and Campus Accessibility

How can we, as faculty and staff, create digitally accessible environments that uphold Title II of the ADA and ensure equitable access for all students, colleagues, and campus community members?

This learning community brings together faculty and staff from across campus to explore how digital accessibility, guided by Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), can be integrated into everyday practices. Over the course of 7 monthly sessions, participants will engage in collaborative discussions and hands-on activities focused on creating inclusive digital environments for students, colleagues, and campus visitors. Topics include legal responsibilities, accessibility standards (such as WCAG), accessible course design, and tools for evaluating and improving digital content. By learning together and sharing strategies, participants will develop practical action plans to apply accessibility principles within their own roles and departments. This community is open to all faculty and staff, regardless of technical expertise, and is ideal for anyone committed to advancing equity and inclusion through accessible digital practices. 

Building Inclusive Digital Environments: ADA Title II and Campus Accessibility Schedule

Session 1 - Welcome and Orientation

October 3rd

Session 2 - Understanding ADA Title II Requirements

November 7th

Session 3 - Accessibility for Students (10 - 11 am)

December 5th

Session 4 - Accessibility for Faculty and Staff

January 23rd

Session 5 - Tools & Technology for Accessibility

February 20th

Session 6 - Developing Departmental or Office Action Plans

March 20th

Session 7 - Sharing Action Plans and Celebration

April 17th

Learning Objective 1 
Explain the legal obligations of higher education institutions under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as they relate to digital accessibility. 

Learning Objective 2 
Identify common digital accessibility barriers that affect students, faculty, and staff, and describe strategies to address them. 

Learning Objective 3 
Use campus-supported tools and resources to assess and enhance the accessibility of digital documents, websites, and media. 

Learning Objective 4 
Collaborate with peers across departments to share challenges, insights, and effective practices for creating inclusive digital environments. 

Learning Objective 5 
Develop an individualized or departmental action plan to improve digital accessibility in one’s area of work or instruction. 

Register in our Grant System for the Building Inclusive Digital Environments: ADA Title II and Campus Accessibility LC

• Facilitated by: Santos Ramos - [email protected] - 269-209-9073
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in-person meetings in Allendale
• Type: Closed. Intended for LAS faculty.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Doing Latin American & Latino/a Studies

How can we build a thriving community for Latin American and Latino/a Studies in higher education?

Participants will engage in a series of discussions about the role Latin American and Latino/a Studies (LAS) currently plays at and beyond Grand Valley, as well as potential pathways towards creating a thriving community for students, staff, and faculty interested in these fields of study. Example themes include the following: engaging with Latine groups across the university, pedagogy in LAS courses, LAS outreach, supporting Latine students, building relationships with local communities, decolonial and Indigenous research methodologies, and other suggestions brought by participants.

Learning Objective 1: Understand the positionality of Latin American and Latino/a Studies

Learning Objective 2: Apply knowledge toward building a thriving environment for Latin American & Latino/a Studies

Register in our Grant System for the Doing Latin American & Latino/a Studies LC

• Facilitated by: Terry Stockton - [email protected] - 616-304-9960
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in-person on both the Allendale and the Pew Downtown campuses. 
• Type: Closed. Intended for faculty teaching EDF 115.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

First Year Experiences; Introduction to Education Class

How can we, as a faculty learning community, design a first-year Introduction to Education course that fosters a strong sense of belonging, promotes critical engagement with issues of identity and equity, and supports students in exploring their purpose and potential as future educators?

Introduction to Education (EDF 115) is a first-year education course that introduces students to the teaching profession through the themes of identity, equity, and educational purpose. Instructors guide first-year students through reflective inquiry, foundational concepts in education, and the development of academic and social belonging. Faculty in this learning community will explore scholarship related to the course, coordinate around shared goals, align course content, and foster a cohesive, student-centered experience that encourages exploration of educational careers and critical engagement with issues of diversity and justice in schooling.

Learning Objective 1: Foster a Cohesive and Inclusive Learning Environment: Faculty will collaborate to design and implement course experiences that promote a sense of belonging, identity development, and inclusive pedagogical practices for first-year students.

Learning Objective 2: Align Instruction with Shared Learning Goals: Faculty will co-develop and refine course materials, assessments, and instructional strategies that align with common objectives related to educational equity, student success, and exploration of the teaching.

Learning Objective 3: Support First-Year Student Transitions: Faculty will engage in ongoing reflection and dialogue to strengthen their ability to mentor, advise, and support first-year students academically, socially, and professionally within the context of their transition to university life.

Register in our Grant System for the First Year Experiences; Introduction to Education Class LC

• Facilitated by: Dauvan Mulally - [email protected] - 616-331-3547
• Location/Campus: Allendale (Valley) Campus 
  • Date/Time: Fridays from 10-10:45 AM
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer 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, and 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. In this learning community, we'll identify best practices for advising and evaluating student internship experiences, discuss strategies coordinators can use for outreach, networking, and student preparation, and consider approaches for building and strengthening relationships with employers and community partners.

Learning Objective 1 
Identify best practices for advising and evaluating student internship experiences

Learning Objective 2 
Discuss strategies internship coordinators can use for outreach, networking, and student preparation

Learning Objective 3 
Identify useful approaches for building and strengthening relationships with employers and community partners

Register in our Grant System for the Internships: Approaches, Strategies, and Best Practices Learning Community

• Facilitated by: Sigrid Danielson - [email protected] - 616-331-2574
• Location/Campus: In-person meetings in Allendale
• Type: Closed. Intended for VMA faculty.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Navigating the Academic Self

How do you shape the trajectory of an academic career?

Balancing engaged teaching, research, and service is a challenge for many faculty members. In addition, professors may find it difficult to position their own work within a broader institutional framework. Our group will start with readings from Donald E. Hall’s, The Academic Self: An Owner’s Manual, as he reflects on a career at a teaching-intensive institution. Then, we will build on Hall’s ideas with essays that address the challenges of teaching, research, and service in the current academic environment. This LC is intended for those at the start of their careers, but any faculty member in VMA who is looking to chart their next steps is welcome!

Learning Objective 1: Identify how one’s professional identity is influenced by institutional and external factors.

Learning Objective 2: Reflect on how the intersections of teaching, research, and service shift over the course of one’s career.

Learning Objective 3: Implement strategies for shaping one’s academic self.

Register in our Grant System for the Navigating the Academic Self LC

• Facilitated by: Leanne Kang – [email protected] – 609-598-2188
• Co-Facilitated by: Janelle Grant Ashbaugh – [email protected]
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in-person meetings on the Pew Campus.
• Type: Closed. Intended for EDI and EDF faculty.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Reflecting on the Teacher Internship Experience: How Do We Cultivate Social Justice-Minded PK-12 Teacher Identities

By reflecting on the teacher internship experience at the College of Education and Community Innovation, how can we better cultivate social justice-minded PK-12 teacher identities?

Given recent changes in how the Michigan Department of Education certifies teachers, CECI has revamped many of its programs and courses. This LC provides an important opportunity for EDF and EDI instructors to take pause and collectively examine our changes as a whole, especially focusing on the teaching internship experience.

Through reflective exercises (e.g., curriculum mapping), we will consider how the internship experience is cultivating teacher identities that center social justice. We will think about how we are creating capacity for students to think deeply and critically about their teaching experience. Do our students leave our program with a deep understanding of how teaching is enacted within systems of power? Do they believe they can be agents of change? This LC will enable us to determine how the internship semester can ensure that every student engages with a process that might result in teaching dispositions that center social justice.

Learning Objective 1: Reflect on the teaching internship experience (e.g., What are the ways in which we cultivate social justice-minded PK-12 teacher identities? What do we do well? What would we like to do better?).

Learning Objective 2: Identify areas of curricular overlap across courses and potentially propose, or plan, ways to streamline programming.

Register in our Grant System for the Reflecting on the Teacher Internship Experience: How Do We Cultivate Social Justice-Minded PK-12 Teacher Identities LC

• Facilitated by: Patty Bolea - [email protected] - 616-331-6560
• Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Supporting Student Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge

How do we best match our compassion with academic challenge for students struggling with mental health concerns?

This LC will read and discuss Sarah Rose Cavanagh's new book, Mind Over Monsters: Supporting Youth Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge. The description of the book 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. 

Learning Objective 1 
Participants will be able to describe the mental health challenges facing our students. 

Learning Objective 2 
Participants will design activities that will both challenge and support their students.

Register in our Grant System for the Supporting Student Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge LC

• Facilitated by: Justin Pettibone - [email protected] - 616-331-8120
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in-person meetings in Allendale
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer 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 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. 

Learning Objective 1 
Help faculty learn now to successfully engage with adult learners in LEADS format courses. 

Register in our Grant System for the Teaching Adult Learners in the LEADS Format LC

• Facilitated by: Wendy Reffeor - [email protected] - 616-331-6010
• Co-Facilitated by: Jeffrey Ward - [email protected] - 616-331-6268
• Location/Campus: In-Person on the Pew Downtown (City) Campus.
• Type: Closed. Intended for Engineering faculty.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Applying Understanding of Moral Development to Engineering Processes

How might the way we process deeply, often non-rational, held beliefs such as religion and politics influence the way we learn and grow in our careers? 

Jonathan Haidt shows how moral judgments arise not from reason but from gut feelings. He shows why liberals, conservatives, and libertarians have such different intuitions about right and wrong, and he shows why each side is actually right about many of its central concerns. 

We will discuss the increase in social intuitionism (rational thought is often developed to justify initial beliefs) which leads to a “us against them”/tribal philosophy. Leading to a single or competing dual thought process, that decreases the effectiveness of brainstorming to finding unique solutions to engineering (and social) problems. 

Learning Objective 1: Understand how moral judgements are formed 

Learning Objective 2: Apply knowledge of how moral judgements are formed to engineering processes 

Learning Objective 3: Develop a stronger sense of community among engineering faculty 

Register in our Grant System for the Applying Understanding of Moral Development to Engineering Processes LC

• Facilitated by: Brian Kipp - [email protected]- 616-331-8546
• Location/Campus: In-person on the Allendale (Valley) Campus.
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

BMS Book Club Fall 2025

How has the understanding of cancer changed over the years?

The book club provides an environment for faculty and students to come together and discuss the science and history of cancer. We will be reading The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The interaction between students and faculty in this relaxed atmosphere provides an invaluable experience as both groups can share differing perspectives. Students see faculty see each other in a different light, fostering deep conversations that are not likely to happen in the traditional classroom.

Learning Objective 1: Students and faculty will discuss the history and science of cancer.

Register in our Grant System for the BMS Book Club Fall 2025 LC

• Facilitated by: Michelle Calkins - [email protected] - 616-331-8024
• Co-Facilitated by: Jerry Stinnett - [email protected] - 616-331-3209
• Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
• Type: Closed. Intended for Writing faculty.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

More than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI Reading Group 

How might we help students think about writing and composing to ensure they use AI writing tools critically, appropriately, and effectively?

This learning community will read and discuss John Warner's recent book More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI. For each meeting participants will be asked to read sections of the book and during LC meetings we will discuss the issues and ideas that Warner's book raises including  what writing is, how AI writing tools work, what is valuable about writing with and without AI tools, and how we might teach writing so that students can understand and practice effective use of AI writing tools. The group will meet 6 times during the Fall semester. Warner's book is an accessible, readable, but thoughtful and informed consideration of these issues and will function as the springboard for open discussions during each session.

Learning Objective 1: Develop a working understanding of how AI writing tools function 

Learning Objective 2: Articulate explicitly what is valuable about writing and the writing process 

Learning Objective 3: Discuss pedagogical strategies for teaching students to use AI tools critically but effectively in writing 

Register in our Grant System for the More than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI Reading Group LC

• Facilitated by: Rick Vandermolen, [email protected]
• Co-Facilitated by: Cathy Meyer-Looze, [email protected]
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in-person on the Pew Downtown Campus.
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Process Communication Model: Cracking the Human Communication Code

How might the Process Communication Model (PCM) help participants understand preferences people hold in communication and therefore (with practice) become more effective in communication with colleagues and students?

You have meetings, take calls, and you stay up-to-speed with e-mails and apps. But how can you truly connect in a world that's always on? And how can you create an environment in which your team will thrive and build on each other's strengths? The Process Communication Model® (PCM) is the premier tool for decoding human interactions. As leaders and colleagues, you can learn to speak each other's language and contribute to a workplace that leverages differences for the better. Inclusive, individual leadership - If you know each of your team members' unique set of needs, you'll know how to connect to and motivate everyone in their own way. Less stress, more energy - Practicing PCM will help your employees turn potentially negative conversations, situations, or actions into positive, productive work. Increased operational effectiveness - Reducing miscommunication leads to more efficient teams. Less confusion, more clarity. Less talk, more action.

$180 for Individual PCM Profile (if in EL&C Individual PCM Profile cost will be covered by Unit Head). 

Learning Objective 1: Improved Self-Awareness

Learning Objective 2: Understanding of Others

Learning Objective 3: Effective Ways to Connect

Register in our Grant System for the Process Communication Model: Cracking the Human Communication Code

• Facilitated by: Lindsay Ellis, SWS Writing, [email protected]
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in-person on the Pew Downtown Campus. Thursday mornings from 10-11 on October 16, November 6, and December 4th.  
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Professors as Writers: Developing Habits to Draft and Publish Fluently

What strategies help professors to write prolifically while teaching?

This learning community will study the research of Robert Boice on the writing habits of prolific professors. Together we read his book Professors as Writers: A Self-Help Guide to Productive Writing, and also implement the habits and approaches that Boice recommends. Whether participants are working on an article, a book, a dissertation-to-publication conversion, an integrative statement, or a sabbatical proposal, this learning community will support more fluent progress while discouraging procrastination, blocking, and the time-management problems of over-teaching. 

Learning Objective 1:  Apply research on the habits of prolific faculty writers to one's own writing process.

Register in our Grant System for the Professors as Writers: Developing Habits to Draft and Publish Fluently

• Facilitated by: Jay Knight, [email protected] 
• Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Reading Between the Lines: Intersex Identity and Institutional Ethics

How can exploring intersex identity through memoir help us challenge institutional norms and create more ethical, inclusive practices in higher education and how our students interact with communities served?

This Learning Community centers on Nobody Needs to Know by Pidgeon Pagonis, a powerful memoir that reveals the lived experience of growing up intersex in a world shaped by secrecy, medical intervention, and binary gender norms. Intersex people are as common as natural redheads, yet their stories are often erased or misunderstood. Through guided discussions, multimedia resources, and reflective dialogue, participants will explore intersex identity, medical ethics, and the role of institutions in shaping inclusion and care. Especially relevant for faculty and staff in Gender Studies, Social Work, and Health Sciences, this community will foster critical conversations about trauma-informed practice, intersectionality, and advocacy both in the classroom and in the communities we serve. 

Learning Objective 1: 
Critically examine intersex identity and lived experience through the lens of memoir, with attention to how gender, medicalization, and institutional power intersect. 

Learning Objective 2:  
Analyze the ethical and social implications of medical and educational practices affecting intersex individuals, with a focus on trauma-informed and inclusive approaches. 

Learning Objective 3:  
Develop strategies for fostering equity and advocacy in higher education and community engagement, particularly in fields such as Gender Studies, Social Work, and Health Sciences. 

Register in our Grant System for the Reading Between the Lines: Intersex Identity and Institutional Ethics LC

• Facilitated by: Laila McCloud - [email protected] - 616-331-6293
• Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
• Type: Closed. Intended only for faculty teaching EDH 181.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Supporting Students in EDH 181 LC

How can we intentionally design and sustain equitable teaching practices that foster growth, belonging, and success for students enrolled in EDH 181?

This learning community explores strategies to create equitable classrooms that foster growth, belonging, and student success. Through collaborative reflection and practice, participants will refine their teaching approaches, analyze course materials and policies, and develop sustainable habits to increase the quality of EDH 181. 

Learning Objective 1: Evaluate teaching approaches to identify opportunities to reduce inequities and explicitly promote inclusion. 

Learning Objective 2: Collaborate with colleagues to share innovative practices. 

Register in our Grant System for the Supporting Students in EDH 181 LC

• Facilitated by: Jennifer Vanderground- 616-516-9488 - [email protected]
• Co-Facilitated by: Pengtong Qu – 616-331-3467 - [email protected] 
• Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
• Type: Closed. Intended for Literacy Studies and English Education.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Strengthening our Understanding of Dyslexia, Literacy Studies & English Education

How can an informed understanding of dyslexia and supportive literacy practices strengthen our preparation of pre-service and in-service teachers in literacy education?

As faculty in Literacy Studies and English Education, we play a pivotal role in shaping how educators understand and respond to diverse literacy needs. This community of practice will focus on the defining characteristics of dyslexia dispelling myths, examining current research, and exploring how dyslexia intersects with broader literacy development. Together, we will investigate approaches and evidence-based practices designed to support striving readers, particularly those with dyslexia. 

Through shared inquiry, discussion, and reflection, we will examine how to embed these practices into coursework and clinical experiences. Guided by Overcoming Dyslexia, by Dr. Sally Shaywitz, as well as other reputable sources, we will work collaboratively to enhance our programs and better equip pre-service and in-service teachers to recognize, understand, and teach students with dyslexia effectively and equitably. 

Learning Objective 1:  Identify and describe the cognitive, linguistic, and behavioral characteristics of dyslexia, drawing from current research and key texts such as Overcoming Dyslexia by Dr. Sally Shaywitz. 

Learning Objective 2: Analyze and debunk common myths and misconceptions about dyslexia, replacing them with evidence-based understanding grounded in research. 

Learning Objective 3: Evaluate evidence-based practices for their effectiveness in supporting striving readers, with a focus on students with dyslexia. 

Learning Objective 4: Integrate inclusive practices into coursework and clinical experiences guided by the new dyslexia laws, ensuring that pre-service and in-service teachers are prepared to recognize and respond to the diverse literacy profiles of their students with dyslexia 

Learning Objective 5: Develop empathy and insight into the social-emotional impacts of dyslexia by examining secondary characteristics such as low self-esteem, anxiety, and behavioral responses and exploring how these challenges influence student identity, classroom behavior. 

Register in our Grant System for the Strengthening our Understanding of Dyslexia, Literacy Studies & English Education LC

• Facilitated by: Karen Gipson - [email protected]
• Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Trauma-Informed Pedagogy in Higher Education

How can you ensure that your classroom or other work with students is inclusive of students who have experienced trauma?

With approximately 70% of college students self-reporting mental health concerns, trauma-informed pedagogy should be considered universal design. This LC will explore an edited volume of essays that elucidate various aspects of trauma-informed pedagogy in higher education. Participants will learn about trauma with the goal of incorporating trauma-informed practices in their classrooms and other student settings, to ensure that ALL students benefit from their educational endeavors at GVSU. 

Learning Objective 1: Discuss the rationale for trauma-informed pedagogy in higher education setting. 

Learning Objective 2: Describe at least one technique that could be beneficial to apply to educational settings at GVSU 

Register in our Grant System for the Trauma-Informed Pedagogy in Higher Education LC

• Facilitated by: Ayana Weekley - [email protected] - 616-331-8173
• Co-Facilitated by: Laurence José - [email protected]
• Location/Campus: In-person on the Allendale (Valley) Campus
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Unmasking AI: Building Critical AI Literacy

How can critical AI literacy, attentive to the ways that AI systems may amplify social inequalities and discrimination, shape how we engage with AI in our pedagogy? 

Participants will read Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What is Human in the World of Machines by Joy Buolamwini to learn more about the social equalities built into AI systems. Through discussion, participants will explore how Buolamwini’s insights can help to inform how public institutions may engage with the evolving AI landscape. Participants will also be encouraged to share ideas and develop strategies for incorporating these ideas into their own pedagogy. 

Learning Objective 1: To understand the ethical implications of AI systems. 

Learning Objective 2: To explore and define critical AI literacy. 

Learning Objective 3: To develop strategies to incorporate critical AI literacy into the classroom. 

Register in our Grant System for the Unmasking AI: Building Critical AI Literacy LC

• Facilitated by: Arya Jadhav - [email protected] - 616-331-2683 
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in-person meetings on the Allendale (Valley) Campus.
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Visual Thinking in a Verbal World

How can we redesign classrooms to celebrate visual thinkers, verbal thinkers, and everyone in between, so collaboration becomes a learning tool, not a group project horror story?

This LC is for anyone who's ever watched a student sketch their way into clarity or freeze during a ‘class discussion.’ Inspired by Temple Grandin’s Visual Thinking, we’ll dive into what happens when we stop designing classrooms for one kind of brain. The plan? Read, rant, and remix. We’ll explore how to pair visual and verbal thinkers to help both sides adapt and thrive (and maybe prevent one from steamrolling the other in group work). This is about building more inclusive, human learning spaces, especially now, when AI is trying to outthink us all. Come for the cognitive chaos. Stay for the design experiments, weird metaphors, and maybe a spreadsheet that doesn’t make you want to cry. 

Learning Objective 1: Explore and implement strategies to support diverse cognitive styles, with a focus on visual thinking 

Learning Objective 2: Design more inclusive and adaptive learning environments in specific teaching and learning contexts  

Register in our Grant System for the Visual Thinking in a Verbal World LC

• Facilitated by: Ryan Schollmeier - [email protected] - SCB Management Department - 502-592-2672
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in person meetings on the City Campus in Grand Rapids
  • Monday, February 2
    Time: 12:00 - 1:00 pm
    Location: SCB 3001
    
    Monday, March 2
    Time: 12:00 - 1:00 pm
    Location: SCB 3001
    
    Monday, April 6
    Time: 12:00 - 1:00 pm
    Location: SCB 3001
• Type: Open
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Academic Rigor Through Better Assessment Design

How might we build assessments that foster deeper understanding and minimize opportunities for academic dishonesty in the era of AI?

This LC explores how faculty can design rigorous, authentic assessments that encourage deeper student learning while reducing opportunities for academic dishonesty in an AI-enabled environment. Through collaborative discussion, shared practices, and hands-on redesign of assessments, participants will examine how AI tools influence student work and how thoughtful, transparent assessment strategies can promote integrity, engagement, and meaningful learning across disciplines.

Learning Objective 1: Learn best practices for designing assessments that promote academic rigor, transparency, and integrity in our AI-enabled reality.

Learning Objective 2: Explore and evaluate alternative experiential assessment approaches that emphasize application, reflection, and process over rote or easily automated outputs.

Register for the Academic Rigor Through Better Assessment Design LC 

• Facilitated by: Haixia Liu - [email protected] - BCOIS - 616-331-9545
• Co-Facilitated by: Haoyu Li - [email protected] - COC
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in person meetings on Allendale and Pew campus
  • one in-person meeting in Allendale (optional if not convenient)
  • one in-person meeting on Pew Campus (optional if not convenient)
  • four Zoom meetings (monthly from Jan. - April)
• Type: Open
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

AI-Enhanced Immersive Learning: VR/AR/MR for Student-Centered Classrooms 

How might AI-driven virtual and/or augmented reality tools enhance student-centered learning across disciplines? 

This Learning Community will explore the integration of AI-driven Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality to support student-centered teaching. Participants will learn together how immersive learning environments can increase engagement, promote collaboration, and personalize learning experiences. Through hands-on exploration on VR devices, online zoom discussions, and asynchronous review of current research and online resources, faculty will collaborate in designing and implementing AI-enhanced immersive activities in their own classrooms. This LC is open to faculty across campus. Participants will leave with actionable insights, ready-to-use resources, and a deeper understanding of how AI-driven immersive learning can supplement traditional teaching to support student-centered instruction. 

Learning Objective 1: Explore AI-driven VR/AR tools and their pedagogical applications 

Learning Objective 2: Learn design strategies for integrating immersive technologies into student-centered learning 

Register for the AI-Enhanced Immersive Learning: VR/AR/MR for student-Centered Classrooms  LC 

• Facilitated by: Dave Kurjiaka - [email protected] - BMS - 616-331-8975
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in person meetings on Allendale campus
• Type: Closed
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

BMS 250 Active Learning Community 

How can faculty teaching BMS 250 integrate active learning strategies into their class? 

This Learning Community will investigate active learning strategies for student engagement. While the community is composed of the Winter semester BMS 250 instructors, we invite others with an interest in active learning to attend. We will meet every 2 weeks to discuss a book on active learning (L. Dee Fink’s Creating Significant Learning Experiences) and to talk about active learning strategies people have tried.  

Learning Objective 1: Describe active learning strategies to engage students in BMS classes 

Learning Objective 2: Evaluate strategies faculty are using to engage students 

Register for the BMS 250 Active Learning Community  LC 

• Facilitated by: Brian Kipp - [email protected] - BMS - 616-331-8546
• Location/Campus: In person on Allendale campus
• Type: Closed
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

BMS Book Club Winter 2026

How can we help students apply what they learn in our classrooms to their lives and careers? 

The BMS Book Club is a place for faculty and students to come together and discuss topics in biomedical sciences. These topics are centered on books chosen that delve into the history of medicine or look to the future of medical advancements. This gathering fosters fun and exciting open discussion where faculty and students can get to know each other in an informal setting. 

Learning Objective 1: Students and Faculty will explore the readings to gain a better understanding of basic medical science.

Register for the BMS Book Club Winter 2026  LC 

• Facilitated by: Megan Freudigmann  - [email protected] - CECI - 616-970-5614
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in-person meetings on the Pew Campus.
• Type: Closed
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Building Effective Assessment Practices in the Elementary Internship 

How might we (clinical instructors) collect data on Pk-6 student achievement during the Elementary Internship semester more effectively, and foster more authentic assessment practices for our teacher candidates? 

One of the requirements of the Internship experience is to demonstrate teacher candidates are helping Pk-6 students' learning improve over time. During this LC, Pk-6 Clinical Instructors and Faculty will review, discuss, and reflect on the current expectations for Elementary Internship Field assessments (Instructional Plan and Field Observation) and will explore ways to improve instructional decision-making that occurs throughout the experience. We will lean on assessment best practices from a variety of resources, use field data to inform our decision-making, and use mentor teacher and administrator feedback to improve our key assessments. Our goal is to design more authentic and effective tools for success for the Elementary Internship. 

Learning Objective 1: Strengthen Data Collection & Analysis Practices

Learning Objective 2: Enhance Authenticity & Effectiveness of Internship Assessments

Register for the Building Effective Assessment Practices in the Elementary Internship LC [HYBRID]

• Facilitated by: Jolanta Lanier - [email protected] - BMS
• Co-Facilitated by: Kathryn Hebert - [email protected] - BMS
• Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
  • Tuesdays 10:00AM - 11:00AM 
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Creating Cultures of Growth in the Classroom

How can we convey a culture of growth and belonging in our classrooms? 

This Learning Community will focus on how we can create cultures of growth in our classrooms. Supported through the Provost's Office Student Success Initiative and the Pew FTLC's Strong Start Teaching Initiative, we will learn about evidence-based equitable and inclusive practices to support all students, but especially those in first-year, second-year, or foundational courses. We will utilize support resources from the Equity Accelerator. Building on the work of Carol Dweck's growth mindset, we will explore how faculty can work to create a culture wherein all students can succeed if they put forth effective effort. This LC is open to faculty of all ranks (and to staff as well, with supervisor permission). Participants need not have any familiarity with growth mindsets. 

Learning Objective 1:  Articulate the difference between a growth and fixed mindset.

Learning Objective 2: Describe cultures of growth and the importance in support a sense of belonging in students.  

Learning Objective 3: Apply the growth mindset framework to your own teaching contexts. 

Register for the Creating Cultures of Growth in the Classroom LC [TUESDAYS AT 10:00AM - ZOOM]

• Facilitated by: Leda Evans - [email protected] - KCON
• Co-Facilitated by: Susan Piazza - [email protected] - KCON
• Location/Campus: Zoom
• Type: Closed. Only offered to KCON faculty and staff.
• Status: Still accepting applications. 

Creating Cultures of Growth in the Classroom

How can we convey a culture of growth and belonging in our classrooms? 

This Learning Community will focus on how we can create cultures of growth in our classrooms. Supported through the Provost's Office Student Success Initiative and the Pew FTLC's Strong Start Teaching Initiative, we will learn about evidence-based equitable and inclusive practices to support all students. We will utilize support resources from the Equity Accelerator. Building on the work of Carol Dweck's growth mindset, we will explore how faculty can work to create a culture wherein all students can succeed if they put forth effective effort. This LC is open to faculty of all ranks (and to staff as well, with supervisor permission). Participants need not have any familiarity with growth mindsets. 

Learning Objective 1:  Articulate the difference between a growth and fixed mindset.

Learning Objective 2: Describe cultures of growth and the importance in support a sense of belonging in students.  

Learning Objective 3: Apply the growth mindset framework to your own teaching contexts. 

Register for the Creating Cultures of Growth in the Classroom at KCON LC

• Facilitated by: Christopher Pung - [email protected] - Engineering -616-331-6262
• Co-Facilitated by: Ali Olcay - [email protected] - Engineering - 616-331-6015
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in person meetings on the City Campus in Grand Rapids
• Type: Closed.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Discussion of The War Against Boys: How Misguided Policies are Harming Our Young Men by Christina Hoff Sommers

How can we use the information in the War Against Boys to help all of our students succeed?

We will be reading and discussing The War Against Boys: How Misguided Policies are Harming Our Young Men by Christina Hoff Sommers. The learning community will provide an opportunity to read and critically discuss the book in the context of our majority male Engineering student body, with a goal of fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment. The sessions will also provide an opportunity for Engineering faculty to engage in conversation and community building outside of regular work activities.

Learning Objective 1: Understand what hurdles boys face in today’s educational system.

Learning Objective 2: Learn how to recognize and address bias in current educational policies.

Learning Objective 3: Learn how to promote inclusive learning practices in Engineering.

Register for the Discussion of The War Against Boys: How Misguided Policies are Harming Our Young Men by Christina Hoff Sommers LC 

• Facilitated by: Arya Jadhav - [email protected] - 616-331-2683 - School of Computing
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in-person meetings on the Allendale Campus.
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Empathy in Academia: Moving Beyond Transactional Teaching

"How do we teach with care without burning out?"

Join a fortnightly learning community for educators navigating the tensions between compassion and boundaries, systems and relationships. We'll explore how empathy can be a source of connection, resilience, and transformation. As educators, our role extends to not just teaching disciplinary knowledge; we also educate the students in often understated and undervalued emotional intelligence. Just as doctors take the Hippocratic Oath, simply by entering in this profession we implicitly agree to guide the next generation in how to be human, and empathy is a significant part of that. It is becoming a highly imperative skill in the age of AI. This is a space for honest conversation, creative exchange, and collective support. Each session will be a discussion around a central theme led by the facilitator. Let's reimagine what human-centered teaching looks like, together.

Learning Objective 1: Explore the role of empathy as a transformative force in teaching

Learning Objective 2: Learn to establish and maintain boundaries while practicing empathy

Learning Objective 3: Examine the impact of institutional systems on empathy in the classroom

Register for the Empathy in Academia: Moving Beyond Transactional Teaching LC

• Facilitated by: Tierney Powell - [email protected] - CLAS English - 616-331-3052
• Co-Facilitated by: Brian Deyo - [email protected] - CLAS English - 616-331-3388
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in person meetings on the Allendale and Pew Downtown campus
• Type: Open
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Humanities for Environmental Stewardship

How can the humanities help us envision and enact substantive environmental action?

Bringing together GVSU faculty from across the humanities and beyond who are engaging with environmental criticism, this LC will utilize bi-monthly (2x/mo) meetings to read about and envision together how we can build more just futures for our communities and climate. Utilizing a place-based approach to consider the site of the University, and specifically our University, this LC will consider how we can bolster infrastructures and programs to promote environmental stewardship, education, and research while simultaneously supporting the work of the humanities and the interdisciplines of environmental study. This LC will collectively read The Activist Humanist by Caroline Levine (2023, Princeton UP), which argues that humanists should mobilize the tools of the humanities to fight for environmental justice. This LC will also provide opportunities for LC members to facilitate supplemental readings and/or share their own completed and/or ongoing work (research, teaching, and service) on environmental justice, humanities-activism, and related topics.

Learning Objective 1: Foster inter- and cross-disciplinary collaboration between GVSU faculty in humanities and environmental fields, offering opportunities to read and think in community, share ongoing work, and consider how we might align our actions.

Learning Objective 2: Read and discuss contemporary scholarship considering the role that the humanities and institutions of higher learning can play in creating and supporting substantive environmental action. 

Learning Objective 3: Support faculty research, teaching, and/or service by providing LC members opportunities to present, discuss, workshop, and read material related to their own work on related topics.

Register for the Humanities for Environmental Stewardship LC 

• Facilitated by: Karen Gipson - [email protected] - CLAS -  616-331-2319 
• Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Incorporating Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness into Teaching and Working with Students

How might student wellbeing be enhanced through trauma-sensitive mindfulness practices?

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 a type of Trauma-Informed Pedagogy (TIP), this LC will explore the importance, foundation, and 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, fundamental background on trauma, connections between traumatic stress and mindfulness, and the five core principles of TSM. 

Learning Objective 1: Discuss the need for trauma-sensitivity when offering mindfulness practices to students 

Learning Objective 2: Explain the five principles of trauma-sensitive mindfulness 

Learning Objective 3: Identify at least one TSM practice appropriate to consider using in your work with students 

Register for Incorporating Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness into Teaching and Working with Students LC

• Facilitated by: Erica Hamilton - [email protected] - Academic Units - 616-331-7105
• Co-Facilitated by: Kate Harmon - [email protected] - DSA - 616-331-8602
• Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Leadership Is Easy, Said No One Ever (Growing as GVSU Leaders) 

How can we become leaders who thrive, not because leadership is easy but because we commit to doing the hard work well? 

This learning community explores the real work of leadership, embracing challenges, practicing honesty and resilience, and supporting one another as we grow into leaders who thrive through intentional effort rather than ease. Through a semester-long reading and discussion of GVSU alum Shaina Lane’s book, "Leadership Is Easy, Said No One Ever: 11 Habits to Learn Early So You Can Lead Expertly," we will draw on her authentic, experience-based insights to strengthen our individual and collective leadership practices. 

Learning Objective 1: Participants will deepen their understanding of authentic, challenge-driven leadership 

Learning Objective 2: Participants will identify, develop, and practice intentional leadership habits 

Register for the Leadership Is Easy, Said No One Ever LC

• Facilitated by: Lindsay Ellis - [email protected] - SWS - 616-331-2994 
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in-person meetings on Pew campus
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Professors as Writers

How can professors sustain a scholarly writing practice during the teaching semester? 

By reading a book about the scholarly writing process and meeting monthly, this LC will provide support for professors as writers. We begin the semester with goal setting not only for written products but also processes. During the term we share ideas to continuously improve those processes, and by spring we reflect on what we've learned about writing and ourselves as writers. This LC will collectively read Becoming the Writer You Already Are by Michelle R. Boyd (2022), which is designed to help scholars uncover their unique writing process and design a writing practice that fits how they work. 

Learning Objective 1: Apply scholarship on academic writing processes to continuously improve one's own academic writing process

Register for Professors as Writers LC

• Facilitated by: Nichole Moore - [email protected] - 616-331-6236 - CECI
• Location/Campus: Hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online/virtual) with in-person meetings on the Pew Campus.
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

The Art of Facilitation: Engaging Every Voice

What facilitation practices might support instructors and staff in authentically engaging diverse voices while fostering belonging, collaboration, and deeper learning?

This Learning Community will examine the principles and practices of facilitation using It’s Your Turn: Teachers as Facilitators, a handbook designed to strengthen confidence and competence in leading groups. Together, we will explore strategies that help instructors, staff, and group leaders authentically engage diverse voices, build trust, and create inclusive spaces where every participant feels valued. Using the text as our guide, participants will actively practice language and techniques that convey positive intentions, spark meaningful dialogue, and foster collaboration. Participants will reflect on ways to reframe conflict as opportunities for growth and recognize the richness diversity brings to group dynamics. Through discussion, hands-on practice, and shared reflection, participants will expand their ability to move beyond delivering content or agendas to facilitating transformative learning experiences. This Learning Community will empower members to strengthen group capacity, inspire belonging, and lead with impact and lasting engagement.

Learning Objective 1: Develop facilitation skills by practicing strategies to guide discussions and foster collaboration.

Learning Objective 2: Engage diverse voices by learning methods to include and value all perspectives.

Learning Objective 3: Transform challenges by reframing conflict and navigating group dynamics for growth.

Register in our Grant System for the The Art of Facilitation: Engaging Every Voice LC

• Facilitated by: Hazel McClure - [email protected] - University Libraries - 616-331-3077
• Co-Facilitated by: Corinna McLeod - [email protected] -  CLAS English - 616-331-8576 
• Location/Campus: via Zoom on Thursdays at noon the following dates:
  • 02/12
  • 02/26
  • 03/05
  • 03/19
  • 04/02
  • 04/16
• Type: Open
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

The Great Michigan Read

"How can memoir and a shared reading experience deepen our empathy and understanding and offer learning opportunities for our students in many disciplines?"

In this Learning Community we will read and discuss the multidisciplinary learning opportunities of this year's Great Michigan Read, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant by Curtis Chin. This book, which will be read across many public and academic communities in Michigan this year, is a memoir recounting growing up with and coming out to working class immigrant parents in an iconic Chinese restaurant in Detroit in the 1980's. We anticipate this book will be interesting to anyone interested in: food culture, Michigan/Detroit history, literature, gender and sexuality studies, writing, Chinese American culture, Chinese language studies, or just reading a good book in good company.

Learning Objective 1: The group will read and discuss perspectives about this memoir and the possibilities for using it as a text in classes.

Learning Objective 2: This group will take part in a larger statewide community reading experience.

Register for The Great Michigan Read LC

• Facilitated by: Karen Gipson - [email protected] - CLAS -  616-331-2319 
• Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
• Type: Open.
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Trauma-Informed Pedagogy as Social Justice

How can we ensure our classroom or work with students is inclusive of all students? 

With approximately 70% of college students self-reporting mental health concerns, trauma-informed pedagogy should be considered universal design. This LC will explore an edited volume of essays that elucidate various aspects of trauma-informed pedagogy in higher education, with the intention of educating participants around trauma and inspiring participants to incorporate trauma-informed practices in their classrooms and other student settings, to ensure that ALL students benefit from their educational endeavors at GVSU. Among the many topics discussed in this volume, essential essays include the eight principles of trauma-informed teaching, teaching students with marginalized identities in times of crisis, and developing a trauma-informed syllabus. 

Learning Objective 1: Discuss the rationale for trauma-informed pedagogy in higher education settings, particularly as it relates to social justice 

Learning Objective 2: Describe at least one technique that could be beneficial to apply to educational settings at GVSU 

Register for the Trauma-Informed Pedagogy as Social Justice LC

• Facilitated by: Julia Snider - [email protected] - CECI Teaching and Learning - 319-321-6875
• Co-Facilitated by: Lexie Oosting - [email protected] - CECI Teaching and Learning - 616-331-6276
• Location/Campus: Online/Zoom
• Type: Closed
• Status: No longer accepting applications.

Utilizing a Disability Studies Framework in Teacher Education

How can we as teacher educators use and embed a disability studies framework in our teacher preparation courses?

Teacher educators have the vitally important job of both teaching and modeling best practices. To prepare teacher candidates to provide high-quality, strength-based instruction to their current and future students with disabilities, we as teacher educators must first take an honest and reflective look at our own practices. One helpful strategy for guiding this reflection is to use a disability studies framework to examine, critique, and identify solutions to systems that provide barriers for people with disabilities. In this LC, we will spend time discussing how we currently plan and deliver course instruction and who this instruction benefits. Through reading and discussing practitioner articles and other supplemental resources, we will explore strategies for embedding a disability studies framework into any teacher education course.

Learning Objective 1: To understand what disability studies is and why it matters.

Learning Objective 2: To recognize and evaluate strategies that support a disability studies framework.

Learning Objective 3: To understand and apply strategies within our own course development and instruction.

Register for the Utilizing a Disability Studies Framework in Teacher Education LC