Faculty Inquiry Groups

Do you want to be a part of (or organize) a Faculty Inquiry Group, or  –wait– maybe a Faculty Learning Community? Or is it called a Community of Practice? What’s the difference?

In a word, none — assuming our goal is to get together a group of people who share a concern or passion for something they do,  and for them to learn how to do it (or do it better) as they meet regularly. Research suggests that groups that meet together such as these can  foster growth in innovative and scholarly teaching (Furco & Moely, 2012; Richlin & Cox, 2004), increase faculty confidence in teaching (Cox, 2004), and lead to increased student learning and retention, as well as higher rates of tenure (Cox, 2004).

The 4 Connections

A community of practice dedicated to implementing four connections to create a sense of belonging in the classroom. These practices have improved equitable outcomes for students.

STEM Communities of Practice

The STEM Communities of Practice  are faculty-driven learning collectives designed to support STEM educators as they create significant and equitable learning environments for students during COVID-19 that, in the spirit of the SBCTC Vision, lead with racial equity.

Anti-Racist CoPx

A collaborative learning community focused on racial healing, action research and antiracist praxis.

Climate Justice

Incorporating climate justice curriculum into classes, addressing topics that directly impact Black and Brown students (urban flooding, gentrification, food deserts, food and housing insecurity due to climate change, etc.).

Universal Design for Teaching & Learning

Explore and apply frameworks such as Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigms (MALP), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Reading Apprenticeship (RA), genre-based teaching, and more. This CoP will be for any instructor interested in promoting equity for all students, including multilingual learners, first-generation students, those navigating new educational landscapes, individuals with historical equity gaps, and neurodiverse learners.

I-BEST

For instructors of I-BEST courses, learning best practices for collaborative teaching and serving transitioning students.

Planning Your Own Group

Interested in forming a faculty inquiry group? Find helpful resources as you begin visualizing your inquiry group here at Highline. Also included is a checklist of sorts to keep you on track as you move toward scheduling and launching your inquiry group.