WMUx

Man smiling while speaking into a microphone at a school event

WMUx
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5230 USA
(269) 387-4200

Learning Communities and Cohorts

Throughout the academic year, WMUx offers a variety of ongoing programming to support and grow our teaching and learning efforts for the WMU community.   

Learning communities enable participants to explore a topic in-depth, generate ideas for further exploration, and provide WMUx with advice on future programming and scholarship of teaching and learning opportunities. Each group is facilitated or co-facilitated by a WMUx instructional designer or WMUx Office of Faculty Development staff member. 

Learning cohorts operate similarly, though they are often created to continue work based on an initial group learning experience or opportunity such as New Faculty Orientation, grant recipients, and the like.  

To learn more about our communities and cohorts, read below or contact us for more information.

Learning Communities

In today’s chaotic world, helping one another succeed requires intentionally cultivating human-centered connections. We’ll brainstorm what concrete actions we as instructors can take to foster active, accessible, and inclusive student engagement while also navigating the external challenges that we all face as they present themselves both in and out of the classroom.

Discover what flexible learning can look like at WMU and in your own area of focus. Collaborate and converse with those who are testing out different ideas and doing research to improve practice and our student outcomes. This group gives participants the opportunity to discuss the definition, purpose, design, and facilitation of HyFlex learning experiences.

The rapid development and widespread use of Generative AI, such as GPT-4 and Claude 2, has raised many questions regarding ethical and bias issues. We’ll address, discuss, and analyze the impact of these tools on higher education and develop recommendations for their responsible use here at WMU.

Connect with other instructors who are exploring the use of AI in higher education. Participants will have a chance to share their experiences incorporating AI in the class and in Elearning, to learn from each other, and to make recommendations to WMUx as it develops teaching materials and advice for the rest of the university community.

Designed for new faculty, as well as faculty who are approaching their fourth year review, this community of inquiry will focus on several activities to prepare for tenure and promotion review. Sessions will follow the semester cadence so that participants can engage in conversations and activities that are immediately applicable.

Learn more and sign up

You’ve come a long way on your teaching and learning journey – so, what’s next? This post-tenure development opportunity utilizes NCFDD resources to help mid-career faculty who have achieved tenure and promotion assess their future goals, develop strategies to achieve them, and discover ways to cultivate a better work/life balance.

Cohorts

Recipients of the WMU Experience-Driven Learning Venture grants continue to meet to share experiences, build and strengthen networks, and provide a solid foundation of support so that the university community can continue to “inspire, accelerate and scale experience-driven learning opportunities that support students in their pursuit of meaningful careers and a life well lived.”

In August of 2024, WMUx, PBL Works, and a group of WMU faculty met for a transformative four-day workshop designed to equip faculty with strategies for implementing engaging, student-centered project-based learning (PBL) experiences.  

This cohort continues to meet to discuss how Gold Standard PBL serves students and their communities, discuss strategies for engaging students in learner-centered practices driven by sustained inquiry throughout the project, how to balance structure and flexibility in the project facilitation, and how to share this learning with the campus community.