Core Commitments Service-Learning
Co-sponsored with the Office for Service -Learning, members will develop knowledge of service-learning outcomes and assessment plans for a newly designed service-learning course to be taught during academic year 2008-2009, including the implementation of community partnership best practices into course design and delivery.

Schlolarship in Teaching and Learning
An interdisciplinary group of faculty who value, encourage, and engage in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). The community and its members will research and discuss professional practices leading to the development of scholarly teaching and enriched and meaningful student learning.

Web 2.0 Pedagogy and Scholarship
University faculty, staff, and graduate students will explore the use of Web 2.0 tools for pedagogical transformation, community partnerships, scholarship of engagement, and new models of scholarly publishing.

Additional community opportunities include:
• Active Learning in the Natural Sciences
• Grant Writing for Teaching and Learning Initiatives
• The IF Learning Community at BGSU Firelands
• Life Science Scientific Teaching and Reform
• New Faculty
• Research in Science and Mathematics Education
• Transition to Digital

For more information or to download an application, visit the CTLT’s Learning Community web page.

Active Learning in the Natural Sciences
Discussing, designing, implementing, and adapting new interactive engagement learning strategies for the large enrollment and/or introductory level science course

Grant Writing
Engaging in extensive peer review of members’ grant proposals, resulting in revision and development and submitting four federal-level grant proposals and several state and local grant proposals

Initiatives for the Future (IF)
Integrating futures thinking exercises into twelve courses, Office for Educational Outreach catalog, and BEST Partnership Customized Training catalog, while creating a visioning strategy for the “Shaping the Future of the Firelands,” community revitalization project

Life Science Scientific Teaching and Reform
Discussing, designing, implementing, adapting, and presenting new, interactive learning strategies focused on teaching reforms and teaching scientifically

Mentoring & ePortolio
Developing mentoring skills and strategies, including team and peer models through the creation of electronic identities and the implementation of professional development plans throughout the academic year

New Faculty
Sharing, discussing, and applying focused pedagogical strategies that can transform student engagement and learning; exploring university learning resources available for students and faculty such as the Writing Center, Chapman Residential Learning Community, IDEAL, scholarly communication, and teaching portfolios

Pedagogies in the Arts and Humanities
Researching and planning the Arts Pedagogy course to be offered summer 2007 to BGSU graduate students and sharing strategies for teaching non-arts majors in the various disciplines

Publication
Fostering interdisciplinary collegiality through reading, discussing, critiquing, editing and revising faculty members’ conference presentations and essays in-progress

Reflective Teaching
Reflecting on teaching and students’ learning through collaborative problem-solving—culminating in the development of new activities, assignments, and teaching portfolios

Research and Teaching
Engaging in discussions about research and writing goals and the challenges inherent in research and teaching, including group authorship of a manuscript on “The Ripple Effect,” submitted to the peer-reviewed Journal on Excellence in College Teaching

Research in Science & Mathematics Education
Engaging in critical discussions of research about how people learn and presenting STEM education research, leading to the creation of collaborative research paper presentations, publications, grant proposals, and a spin-off seminar on research and statistics in STEM education

Transition to Digital
Gaining an awareness of BGSU technology resources, increasing knowledge and experience using various tools to actively engage students inside and outside the classroom; developing a collaborative, peer-reviewed conference presentation on technology-related learning communities

This year’s faciliators (L to R): Jodi Haney, Karen Sirum, Mary Natvig, Andrew Hershberger, Mark Earley, Kay Strong, Lara Martin Lengel, Amy Robinson (not pictured: Kris Blair, Paul Cesarini, Radhika Gajjala)

For more information on this past year’s learning communities, visit The Center’s CTLT Learning Communities webpage. Applications for new learning communities will be available here for download in June.

For more information about the current learning communities offered through the Center, visit our Learning Community webpage or contact the Center for more information (2-6898 or ctlt@bgsu.edu).

Applications for next academic year’s learning communities will be available in June. Watch this site or the CTLT website for more information.