Communities and Groups

    Communities of Practice, Learning Communities, and Other Groups

    Joins groups of graduate students in virtual spaces to improve your practice, learn, and socialize!

     

    About Communities of Practice and Learning Communities 

    At the University of Louisville, Graduate students have unique opportunities to learn and grow in areas of interest across disciplinary lines. These communities of practice and learning communities allow graduate students to learn, grown, and develop in specific topic areas by engaging virtually with other graduate students and experts. For our purposes, we distinguish these two communities in this way: learning communities may include all graduate students interested in a particular topic area who are committed to learning more about that topic through engagement with research and shared meaning-making. Communities of practice typically may include all graduate students who are actively involved in, or practicing, a particular topic area who are committed to learning and growing in that area through social problem solving, information sharing, seeking experience, coordination, and engagement with research. 

    These are loose guidelines and ultimately, it is up to the participating graduate students to determine what might be the best group for their learning experience. 


    Participation in Communities of Practice and Learning Communities

    • Communities of practice and learning communities are established as "Teams" in Microsoft Teams. Teams for the semester will be announced and shared at the beginning of each semester and graduate students are invited to participate. An initial deadline will be set for participation, and if that community has enough interest for the semester, students will be invited to the Team. 
    • Once a Team is established for the semester, one meeting will be put together to get all members together where the group will establish goals, expectations, and operations for that semester. Depending upon the work of the team, the group may be more or less formal or informal, may or may not meet regularly, etc. The group will determine what outcomes they hope share at the end of the semester. The Director of Professional Development, Retention, and Success will serve as facilitator and depending upon the interest of the group may be more or less involved or active. 
    • Graduate students may join a community after the initial deadline, but will have to agree to the established goals, expectations, and operations for that group. 
    • All graduate students participating in the community will be asked to complete a brief survey and reflection at the conclusion of the semester. 
    • Communities may continue from one semester to the next, but will be re-opened, and should revisit goals, expectations, and operations with potentially new members. 

     

    Benefits to Participating in Communities of Practice and Learning Communities

    There are a number of potential benefits to participating in a community of practice or learning community. Just a few of the potential benefits:

    • Opportunity to interact with, learn from, and network with graduate students outside your disciplinary bubble
    • Opportunity to consider through a new lens, and thus add depth and richness to, your interests, research, and experiences
    • Learning, accountability, and growth in your graduate education
    • Community, offering support, validation, and normalizing
    • Various tangible outcomes, from increased progress in your research, better teaching, clearer career path, collaborative work, etc. 
    • Development of skills valuable on the job market for all career paths: administration, project management, negotiation, collaboration, interpersonal skills, content knowledge, etc.


    Fall 2020 Communities of Practice and Learning Communities

    Register for all groups here by September 11. After September 11, please contact to learn how to join a community. 

    Teaching Community of Practice

    Whether you're teaching online or in person, with little teaching experience or significant experience, this is a group to bring ideas, challenges, and experiences to talk through, explore, and better understand as we learn and grow together.

     

    Career Exploration Learning Community

    This group is designed for individuals who want to learn more about the career exploration process, various career fields for graduate students, tips, tools, and strategies. 


    Productivity Community of Practice

    If you're looking for a space to provide some accountability, structure, support for your goal-setting and forward movement, and like learning new tips and strategies, this group might be for you.