Faculty Interest Groups
Facilitated spaces for faculty and teaching staff to learn with colleagues on topics related to teaching and learning.
On this page
What are faculty interest groups?
Faculty interest groups are faculty groups that meet regularly, usually once a month, to learn together. In contrast to a working group, these are spaces primarily focused on professional development, mobilizing expertise, multi-disciplinary knowledge sharing or creation, mutual support, and peer validation (Mihai, 2022; Wenger et al., 2002).
Our faculty interest groups attempt to follow the good design practices from Wenger, McDermott, and Snyder (2002) and Wright & Lambert (n.d.):
- Bring participants together regularly.
- Ensure that the group can evolve and shift in focus.
- Encourage the introduction and discussion of new perspectives that come or are brought in from outside.
- Accept different levels of participation: core members, observers, occasionally active members, and so on.
- Encourage individual or group activities, public or private.
- Explicitly identify and value contributions.
The Centre for Teaching and Learning is available to support the initiation and facilitation of faculty interest groups on topics related to teaching and learning. Unless the group is in a team-forming stage, you can join any time—kindly email us.
Active faculty interest groups
Faculty interest group on Education for Sustainability
Facilitated by Florence Gruter. Meets monthly to infuse sustainability in courses and identify opportunities to facilitate this process across all faculties.
ChatGPT in teaching and learning
Led by Mike Barcomb. Meets monthly to discuss the role of generative AI in the university classroom. New members are welcome.
Contemplative Pedagogy practices
Co-facilitated by Cristina Galofre Gomez and Prof. Rosemary C. Reilly, Dr. The purpose of this interest group is to support faculty in applying or improving their application of contemplative practices in their classroom to promote well-being and a compassionate classroom, to further course goals, and to support learning. Meets regularly for discussion, exploration and guided practice to get first-hand experience with different practices; experimenting to receive peer feedback; inviting members to lead thematic sessions; and potentially co-creating resources to support our practices. New members are welcome.
Upcoming scheduled sessions
Starting a new faculty interest group
If you would like to start a faculty interest group on a topic related to teaching and learning, kindly contact us to set up a meeting. The CTL will be pleased to help find interested members and facilitate the group’s success.
What might happen during the meetings?
There is no single, correct approach to faculty interest group meetings and it will depend upon the interests and needs of the members. Some possibilities include:
- Structured storytelling around specific challenges / topics
- Member spotlight: a member presents their practice or challenge to gather feedback and learn together.
- Guided discussion around members-selected materials (video/readings)
- Inviting a guest speaker
- Sharing resources and developing a collective/curated knowledge bank
References
Mihai, A. (2022). Growing together: What's the key to a successful learning community? The Educationalist. Retrieved January 31, 2022, from https://educationalist.substack.com/p/growing-together-whats-the-key-to
Wenger, E., McDermott, R. A., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice: A guide to managing knowledge. Harvard business press.
Wright, L., & Lambert, K. (n.d.). Working Group Guide. BCcampus. Retrieved December 22, 2022, from https://opentextbc.ca/workinggroupguide/chapter/communities-of-practice/