Teaching Commons
Communities of Practice

The Teaching Commons facilitates collaboration and cooperation among groups of instructors who want to pursue a particular topic in greater depth as a Community of Practice (CoP). 

While the focus and direction of CoPs are up to members, the Teaching Commons team will support your work by promoting CoPs to departments across the university; creating virtual meeting spaces; establishing new CoPs and processing registrations for existing ones; providing expertise in instructional design, instructional technology, library resources, and other areas as appropriate; and sharing updates and outcomes with the broader CU community.

If you'd like to join, or start, a Community of Practice, please email us

Equity-Minded "Small Teaching"

For this Teaching Commons Community of Practice (CoP), faculty and staff are invited to join in a series of book club-style meetings where we will discuss James Lang's Small Teaching through the lens of equity and inclusion.

Small Teaching draws on cognitive research and evidence-based practice to identify small but important techniques instructors can use to increase learning and engagement for students. In this CoP, our group will work through Dr. Lang's insights both as easy-to-use strategies and as steps towards more equity-minded teaching to help all Carroll students succeed.

To join this CoP and get a free copy of the book, email Kristen Trader.


Who is invited to join?

Any member of the Carroll teaching community.


What does this CoP ask of you?

Community members commit to attending meetings regularly; supporting each other as fully as possible; and maintaining a focus on progress over perfection. 
 

Proposed Schedule (Subject to Change)
Each month we will read and discuss 1-2 chapters from the book. To accommodate different teaching schedules, each monthly meeting will be offered twice: on a Wednesday at 12:00 and on a Thursday at 1:00.

 

October 6 (12:00) / October 7 (1:00)
MacAllister Board Room (in the Campus Center)

Introduction to Small Teaching; Chapter 1: Predicting 
 

November 17 (12:00) / November 18 (1:00)

Chapter 2: Retrieving; Chapter 3: Interleaving
 

January 19 (12:00) / January 20 (1:00) 

Chapter 4: Connecting; Chapter 5: Practicing
 

February 9 (12:00) / February 10 (1:00)

Chapter 6: Explaining
 

March 23 (12:00) / March 24 (1:00)

Chapter 7: Belonging; Chapter 8: Motivating
 

April 20 (12:00) / April 21 (1:00)

Chapter 9: Learning; Conclusion
 

Research & Creative Practice

Do you have a research project? Are you finishing a thesis and need motivation? Are you trying to develop a new course? Want some friendly & collegial support?

Join a Research and Creative Practice Community of Practice! This is a Community of Practice that Erin Taylor has started at Carroll University for faculty and staff development.

What this CoP asks of you:

Typically, groups meet every 2 weeks for 1 hour. You socialize with peers across different disciplines, set goals for yourself, hold each other accountable and celebrate each other's victories. This is a great way to get out of your office bubble, meet people you might not see on campus, and progress in your scholarship goals. Members last year said that this is a meeting that is worth it! I would love to have multiple groups so am looking for new members!

Spring 2022 update: Many of you have different course schedules the semester so we are opening for new members. For returning members, please fill out the form with your name and availability only. We will try to combine or rearrange groups as needed so that this can be a fulfilling experience for all. 

Ready to sign up? Fill out this short form.  

Please send questions to Dr. Erin Taylor, Asst Professor, Chemistry.

College Success for Students on the Autism Spectrum

For this Teaching Commons Community of Practice (CoP), faculty and staff are invited to join in a series of book club-style meetings where we will discuss Kuder, Accardo and Woodruffs (2021) College Success for Students on the Autism Spectrum: A Neurodiversity Perspective.

A sample chapter and book details can be found here.

Co-hosted with Autistic student leaders, this CoP will use the book, College Success for Students on the Autism Spectrum, as a launch pad to discuss and explore how to support our students with autism/Autistic students at Carroll. Helping both college faculty and student affairs staff enlarge their understanding of the experiences of students on the autism spectrum, the book provides guidance on putting supports in place to increase college success through the perspective of neurodiversity. Filled with the practical guidance needed to help neurodivergent students succeed, chapters address a variety of key issues from the transition to college to career readiness after graduation, support services, faculty, and staff roles, and enhancing academic success. As a group, we will decide where to take our learning within and beyond the book.

To join this CoP and get a free copy of the book, email Amy Toson no later than January 21, 2022 (by end of day).

Who is invited to join?

Any member of the Carroll teaching community.

What does this CoP ask of you?

Community members commit to attending meetings regularly; supporting each other as fully as possible; and maintaining a focus on progress over perfection.

Proposed Schedule (Subject to Change)

Each month or every other week (TBD as a group) we will read and discuss 1-2 chapters from the book, leaving space for additional learning/deep diving into topics. To accommodate different schedules, we will determine an exact meeting schedule, and chapters to focus on, with committed participants.

By January 21st (EOD)
e-mail interest to Amy | atoson@carrollu.edu
Late January

CoP Commitment | Books ordered | Choice of eBook or paper

Early February (Date and time TBD)

Ch. 1 – Neurodiversity | Ch. 2 Success Factors

Late February (date and time TBD)

Ch.4 - Academic Success | Additional Chapters - TBD

March - May

TBD pending schedules and interests of group members.

Summer Learning Possibility
We will discuss the potential to continue gathering and learning through the summer.

Explore More Resources in the Carroll Teaching Commons

Panoramic View of campus