Graduate Student Learning Communities (GSLCs) at Indiana University Bloomington are cohorts of graduate students, often interdisciplinary, regularly gathering to discuss a teaching and learning topic of interest while forming a supportive community. During these learning communities, we ask questions about teaching and learning, try out teaching innovations, reflect on the effectiveness of our practice, and create new models of practice. We share a question or an interest, and then deepen our knowledge by interacting on an ongoing basis. GSLCs are part of the CITL’s mission to promote transformative learning experiences for IUB instructors.
Participants will be required to prepare for, attend, and actively participate in learning community meetings (likely to happen twice per month). Participants may be expected to produce certain documents, complete readings, and provide feedback to other learning community participants. After successful completion of the GSLC, participants receive an acknowledgement letter summarizing their accomplishments for their teaching portfolios. Participation in a GSLC satisfies, in part, requirements for the CITL’s Graduate Teaching Apprenticeship Program. Graduate students do not receive any monetary compensation for their participation. See specific learning community descriptions for any criteria needed to apply.
We request that individuals apply for only one GSLC per semester. You will be notified shortly after the application closes. Deadline for Fall 2019 learning communities: Friday, September 6th, 5 PM. The deadline for Spring 2020 learning communities will be in January 2020.
Transforming Your Research into Teaching (Summer 2019)
CITL Facilitator: Katie Kearns, Madeleine Gonin, and Leslie Drane
This 9-session workshop series will expose you to the basic elements of course design. Over the course of this workshop series, you will create a course proposal based on your current area of research. The workshop series is open to graduate students and post-doctoral scholars from any academic discipline. At the end of the series, you will have designed a full course syllabus and you will present your course to the group.
Improving Student Belonging in Classes and Majors (Fall 2019)
CITL Facilitator: Leslie Drane and Madeleine Gonin
Historically underrepresented and marginalized students may face unique difficulties (isolation, marginalization, discrimination, etc.) that cause them to change majors early in their college careers, decide to transfer to another institute for higher education, or discontinue their education. This learning community will bring together instructors who want to explore how to help students to develop a sense of belonging in a class, major, and/or discipline. This learning community will meet in Fall 2019, with the possibility of extending the GSLC into Spring 2020. The fall semester will include foundational readings. If members wish to continue into the spring semester, they will conduct a research project on the topic of sense of belonging in their class, major, and/or discipline. The results will be documented and shared to extend the impact of these transformations.
Criteria needed to apply:
Preferred: one semester of teaching experience at the college level
Introduction to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) (Fall 2019 – Spring 2020)
CITL Facilitator: Shannon Sipes and Leslie Drane
For many instructors, the classroom can be a source of interesting questions about students’ learning. For example: what is the impact of a specific active learning technique on my students’ understanding of course material? How do my students prepare for exams, and how does that correlate with their performance? Does my students’ prior coursework or academic background correlate with their performance in my class? In seeking answers to these kinds of questions, instructors can use the research methods of their own discipline to examine their teaching and their students’ learning. This is the premise underlying the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL), a program that helps instructors take a scholarly approach to their teaching and share the results of their inquiry with their colleagues. In this GSLC, participants will engage in SOTL by formulating a research question, applying their disciplinary expertise to identify methods to investigate the question, and gathering evidence to address it.
Criteria needed to apply:
One year of teaching experience at the college level
Completion of a department-based pedagogy course or G700
Full-year teaching commitment for 2019-2020
Orientation Peer Facilitator (Spring 2020)
CITL Facilitator: Leslie Drane and Charmian Lam
Learn to be a CITL workshop facilitator for the Associate Instructor Orientation while gaining new pedagogical knowledge and skills. Participants will design and lead AI-specific workshops on topics such as: teaching and learning theories; making use of class time; managing classroom authority and boundaries; and classroom climate (e.g., teaching controversial topics; engaging in group work; strategies for equitable classroom participation). CITL will provide ongoing training, mentoring, and resources on developing and facilitating a workshop.
Criteria needed to apply:
One year of teaching experience at the college level
Availability during August 2020 orientation week (the week before classes start)
Preferred: completion of a department-based pedagogy course or G700
Past GSLCs
Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in the Classroom
CITL Facilitator: Shed Siliman
Diverse, historically underrepresented and/or underserved graduate students face particular difficulties as associate instructors (e.g., discrimination, marginalization, isolation, problems with classroom authority, etc.). These challenges can impede AIs’ productive identity formation as both teachers and scholars in higher education. The Intersections of Identity and Instruction Graduate Student Learning Community seeks to promote the engagement and professional development of diverse graduate students as associate instructors. This community will provide a safe space for engaging instructors in strategies for holistic and equitable education.
Learn to be a CITL workshop facilitator for the AI orientation while gaining new pedagogical knowledge and skills. Participants will design and lead AI-specific workshops on topics such as: teaching and learning theories; making use of class time; managing classroom authority and boundaries; and classroom climate (e.g., teaching controversial topics; engaging in group work; strategies for equitable classroom participation). We will provide ongoing training, mentoring, and resources on developing and facilitating a workshop. To learn more about the expectations, check out this summary document.
Talking About Teaching
CITL Facilitator: Leslie Drane
This graduate student learning community will promote the engagement and professional development of graduate students as they prepare to talk about their teaching in a variety of settings and to multiple audiences. Through workshops, readings, and the creation of pedagogy-related materials, members will learn about strategies on how to share what they have learned about teaching with others. Topics will include: backward course design, writing course syllabi, creating diversity statements, organizing a teaching portfolio, and approaching an academic interview. Participants will receive opportunities to practice talking about teaching and will leave the community having produced multiple pedagogy-related materials.
Classroom Inquiry
CITL Facilitator: Katie Kearns
Graduate student participants will engage in evidence-based and reflective teaching practice. Grounded in discussions of literature about learning and pedagogy, participants will develop, implement, and assess an innovative approach that addresses a learning challenge for their students. Graduate students will also gain experience communicating professionally about their teaching. This community of inquiry and encouragement will foster an evolution in teaching techniques and a greater attentiveness to scholarly teaching.
Evidence-Based Teaching in Science, Technology, Informatics, and Math (STIM)
CITL Facilitator: Francesca White
How do people learn? What are the most effective approaches to teaching scientific reasoning skills? How do we create spaces that ensure lasting learning in STIM disciplines? How do we ensure access and inclusivity in our teaching approaches? How do we know students are learning in our classes? Graduate students in STIM and SBE disciplines (e.g., astronomy, biology, chemistry, computing, informatics, math, medical sciences, and physics, as well as social, behavioral, and economic sciences) are invited to join a community to find answers to these questions through local and national discussions of evidence-based methods in teaching.
Intersections of Instruction & Identity
CITL Facilitator: Rachel Boveja
Are you interested in learning strategies for teaching with diversity? Do you identify as a member of a marginalized group? The Intersections of Identity and Instruction Graduate Student Learning Community (I3 GSLC), a partnership of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning and the University Graduate School, seeks to promote the engagement and professional development of diverse graduate students as associate instructors. This community provides a welcoming space for unpacking diverse identities, teaching, and education.
Learn to be a CITL workshop facilitator for the AI orientation while gaining new pedagogical knowledge and skills. Participants will design and lead AI-specific workshops on topics such as: teaching and learning theories; making use of class time; managing classroom authority and boundaries; and classroom climate (e.g., teaching controversial topics; engaging in group work; strategies for equitable classroom participation). We will provide ongoing training, mentoring, and resources on developing and facilitating a workshop.
Talking About Teaching
CITL Facilitator: Leslie Drane
This graduate student learning community will promote the engagement and professional development of graduate students as they prepare to talk about their teaching in a variety of settings and to multiple audiences. Through workshops, readings, and the creation of pedagogy-related materials, members will learn about strategies on how to share what they have learned about teaching with others. Topics will include: backward course design, writing course syllabi, creating diversity statements, organizing a teaching portfolio, and approaching an academic interview. Participants will receive opportunities to practice talking about teaching and will leave the community having produced multiple pedagogy-related materials.
Classroom Inquiry
CITL Facilitator: Katie Kearns
Graduate student participants will engage in evidence-based and reflective teaching practice. Grounded in discussions of literature about learning and pedagogy, participants will develop, implement, and assess an innovative approach that addresses a learning challenge for their students. Graduate students will also gain experience communicating professionally about their teaching. This community of inquiry and encouragement will foster an evolution in teaching techniques and a greater attentiveness to scholarly teaching.
Intersections of Instruction & Identity
CITL Facilitator: Yari Cruz
Are you interested in learning strategies for teaching with diversity? Do you identify as a member of a marginalized group? The Intersections of Identity and Instruction Graduate Student Learning Community (I3 GSLC), a partnership of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning and the University Graduate School, seeks to promote the engagement and professional development of diverse graduate students as associate instructors. This community provides a welcoming space for unpacking diverse identities, teaching, and education.
Orientation Peer Facilitator
CITL Facilitators: Katie Kearns, Leslie Drane, Yari Cruz
Learn to be a CITL workshop facilitator for the AI orientation while gaining new pedagogical knowledge and skills. Participants will design and lead AI-specific workshops on topics such as: teaching and learning theories; making use of class time; managing classroom authority and boundaries; and classroom climate (e.g., teaching controversial topics; engaging in group work; strategies for equitable classroom participation). We will provide ongoing training, mentoring, and resources on developing and facilitating a workshop.
Talking About Teaching
CITL Facilitator: Leslie Drane
This graduate student learning community will promote the engagement and professional development of graduate students as they prepare to talk about their teaching in a variety of settings and to multiple audiences. Through workshops, readings, and the creation of pedagogy-related materials, members will learn about strategies on how to share what they have learned about teaching with others. Topics will include: backward course design, writing course syllabi, creating diversity statements, organizing a teaching portfolio, and approaching an academic interview. Participants will receive opportunities to practice talking about teaching and will leave the community having produced multiple pedagogy-related materials.
Evidence-Based Teaching in Science, Technology, Informatics, and Math (STIM)
CITL Facilitator: Katie Kearns
How do people learn? What are the most effective approaches to teaching scientific reasoning skills? How do we create spaces that ensure lasting learning in STIM disciplines? How do we ensure access and inclusivity in our teaching approaches? How do we know students are learning in our classes? Graduate students in STIM and SBE disciplines (e.g., astronomy, biology, chemistry, computing, informatics, math, medical sciences, and physics, as well as social, behavioral, and economic sciences) are invited to join a community to find answers to these questions through local and national discussions of evidence-based methods in teaching.
Intersections of Instruction & Identity
CITL Facilitator: Jordan Lynton and Katie Kearns
Are you interested in learning strategies for teaching with diversity? Do you identify as a member of a marginalized group? The Intersections of Identity and Instruction Graduate Student Learning Community (I3 GSLC), a partnership of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning and the University Graduate School, seeks to promote the engagement and professional development of diverse graduate students as associate instructors. This community provides a welcoming space for unpacking diverse identities, teaching, and education.
Orientation Peer Facilitator
CITL Facilitators: Katie Kearns
Learn to be a CITL workshop facilitator for the AI orientation while gaining new pedagogical knowledge and skills. Participants will design and lead AI-specific workshops on topics such as: teaching and learning theories; making use of class time; managing classroom authority and boundaries; and classroom climate (e.g., teaching controversial topics; engaging in group work; strategies for equitable classroom participation). We will provide ongoing training, mentoring, and resources on developing and facilitating a workshop.
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