Fall 2023 Learning Communities
If you are interested in joining one of the learning communities below, please complete the registration form by Friday, September 8th.
Networks Exploring Strategies in Teaching (NEST)
Organizational Meeting: Thursday, September 21st at 3:30 p.m. (Seacobeck 151)
After a successful piloting last year, NEST is back for Fall 2023! NEST are small, interdisciplinary faculty groups meeting monthly to discuss teaching and provide support for improving classroom practice. The heart of the NEST program are classroom visits where faculty observe how we approach similar challenges and strategies through different contexts. As part of the NEST program, you’ll attend monthly meetings, open your class for a visitor or two, and visit at least 2 other classes during the semester. Previous NEST participants are welcome to join, and we hope to welcome new participants, as well!
No Time to Read Book Club
Fall semester meetings: October 12th, November 9th, and December 7th at 3:30 p.m. (Seacobeck 151)
Do you love the idea of book clubs, but never finish the reading? Join the ‘No Time to Read‘ Book Club and let us do the reading for you! At monthly meetings, CfT provides a 10–15-minute summary of designated chapters. Remaining meeting time is a discussion on key ideas and strategies from the chapter. You can read along or simply join the conversation–no homework and no guilt. Even better, you can attend as many (or as few) meetings as you want–each meeting stands alone.
This year, we are reading Mind Over Monsters: Supporting Youth Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge by Sarah Rose Cavanagh. Unlike years past, we will read the book over the academic year instead of one semester. Plus…No Time to Read Book Club participants will be able to attend a special roundtable discussion with the author on January 11th when she is at UMW for a keynote presentation and workshops! Everyone who registers for the No Time to Read Book Club by September 8th will receive a copy of the book.
Assignment Makeover: AI Edition Learning Community
Organizational Meeting: Tuesday, September 19th at 3:30 p.m. (Seacobeck 105)
You know AI is ‘here’ and maybe you’ve played around a bit on ChatGPT or Bing. You’ve attended PD Day and are wondering ‘what do I do now?’. Join this learning community to investigate how AI may disrupt a course assignment and pathways to either mitigate or enhance the disruption for student learning. This group may be especially helpful if you want to maintain the basic format of your assignment but are seeking ways to integrate AI meaningfully into its design.
Writing about Teaching and Learning Group
Organizational Meeting: Tuesday, September 26th at 3:30 p.m. (Seacobeck 105)
Participants will delve into the unique demands of writing about teaching and learning, including exploration of multiple genres from traditional research articles to reflective essays, opinion pieces, and award narratives. By the end of Spring 2024, participants will complete draft outlines or pieces depending on their selected genre. Our core resource will be Writing about Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Creating and Contributing to Scholarly Conversations Across a Range of Genres by Mick Healey, Kelly E. Matthews, and Alison Cook-Sather.
Fall 2023 Virtual Programs
Virtual opportunities do not require registration–join as your schedule permits!
Book Authors Group
Fridays, 3:30-5:00 p.m. on Zoom (contact Brenta Blevins or Zach Whalen for the meeting link)
Whether you are at the drafting-a-proposal stage or working on the follow-up success to your most recent bestseller, the Book Authors Group offers a space to develop the book you’ve been writing in your head for years! Meetings are a mix of information sharing and dedicated time for writing. If you have struggled to ‘make time’ for writing, this group offers friendly accountability. Book ideas and drafts do not have to be about teaching!
Teaching Talks
Meetings: September 11th, October 23rd, and November 13th at 12 noon on Zoom (meeting link in monthly First Friday email or contact the Center for Teaching)
We will read a teaching-focused article and discuss the ideas and their implications for our own classrooms. Articles will be announced in the First Friday email and are listed below:
September 11th: Using AI to Implement Effective Teaching Strategies in Classrooms: Five Strategies, Including Prompts (Mollick & Mollick, 2023)
October 23rd: TBA
November 13th: TBA
Teach30 (starting October 2023)
Periodically during the semester, CfT will offer 30-minute Zoom demonstrations of single strategies to use in your classes. Sessions and topics will be announced in the monthly First Friday email and the CfT Events Calendar. If you are seeking strategies for specific teaching challenges, send your requests our way!