A Learning Community is an active group of colleagues who work collaboratively on an on-going basis, focusing on a particular pedagogical or research topic, issue in higher education, or other topic of shared interest. By design, learning communities promote collegiality, and they also encourage innovation by providing a safe space to explore new ideas, experiment, and reflect with your colleagues. Collaborative staff facilitate some learning communities, but we support learning communities in a variety of other ways: selecting topics, identifying possible members, promotion and communication, logistical support, research, help with data collection, and as participants in the groups.
To join a Learning Community contact the facilitator mentioned in the description. You can also contact Chris Odato, Coordinator of Instructional Development, or Jenny Darrow, Director of Digital Learning, with questions or to inquire about support for forming a new learning community.
Open Education Learning Community
The Open Education Learning Community (OELC) is a group of faculty dedicated to developing and sustaining open educational practices that build access, equity and inclusion, and affordability at the College. We work with faculty as they form educational partnerships with their students, share experiences about successes and challenges, and expand opportunities for students to access and/or create open educational resources as part of their academic experiences. For more information or with questions contact Jenny Darrow, Director of Digital Learning.
Teaching & Learning Book Club
Participants in the Teaching and Learning Book Club read a selected book on a topic of broad interest to Keene State faculty and gather to discuss their reading and potential applications in their courses. This is an opportunity for participants to engage in cross-disciplinary discussions with faculty peers, with the potential to initiate broader discussions across the campus. In Fall 2021 we will be reading Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education by Thomas J. Tobin & Kirsten T. Behling (2018) and Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to Be Effective Teachers by Jessamyn Neuhaus (2019). See this link for more information or to sign up or contact Chris Odato with any questions.
Past Learning Communities:
- Open Pedagogy Learning Community
- Teaching Writing and Thinking Learning Community
- Holocaust and Genocide Studies Study Group
- Teaching and Learning Book Club
- Pedagogical Journal Club
- Department Chair Roundtables
- Living Learning Commons Faculty Learning Community
- Team-Based Learning Group
- The Daily Writing Habit
- Designing for Retention
- Exploring Digital Tools for Learning
- Meaningful Writing Learning Community
- Exploring Creative Writing
- Keene-Einbeck Music Learning Community