What is a Learning Circle?
Learning circles are a new addition to our suite of CATL programming!
These circles offer you a way to bring together instructors, staff, and/or students who have a shared interest in an issue that affects the landscape of higher education to build collective knowledge and support your professional development.
We hope these learning circles gather people from different areas or disciplines to engage in conversations around shared issues.
How do we get started?
If you and a few of your colleagues have been kicking around ideas about topics in higher-ed for which you would like to learn more, you should consider starting a Learning Circle. Once you have a few people already on board, then submit a proposal to open the circle to the rest of the UWGB community. Once you apply and hear back from a CATL member, CATL will handle signups and then hand over a full participant list so that your group can coordinate meetings.
Call for Proposals:
Facilitator(s) will need to organize the following information for their proposal:
- Facilitator contact information,
- Learning circle topic/issue and brief description,
- Information about the expected number of meetings and when those meetings will take place,
- A plan for meeting with your participants: remotely, in-person, asynchronously or synchronously; this plan should account for participants joining remotely in all scenarios.
- A description of a deliverable or product this learning circle’s members might produce,
- A list of learning materials and their approximate cost (e.g. subscription to an e-book or journal, a physical book, printed materials, etc.),
- After you submit your proposal, CATL will reach out about a budget proposal for up to $330 in supplies and expenses.
To start a learning circle:
Learning Circle Criteria
- Learning Circles can be a semester long commitment or an academic year.
- Learning Circles can be open to the UWGB campus community, but topics may split membership depending upon interest (faculty, instructional academic staff, non-instructional academic staff, graduate students, teaching assistants, and students).
- Should be between 5-15 individuals (if there aren’t at least 5 people interested in participating, we’ll keep the proposal for upcoming semesters in case there may be renewed interest; if there are more than 15, then we may split the group into two).
- The group must generate a product to share with the rest of the UWGB Campus via the CATL website or blog.
Circle Members
Each circle will have a facilitator (the person who applies!) who will be the liaison to CATL, but the facilitator doesn’t need to have specialist knowledge in the learning circle topic. The facilitator will also be responsible for any awarded budget. Learning Circles are intended to be non-hierarchical and all members play an equal role in their success. Members decide as a group on the specific format of the circle in order to best meet the learning needs of the group, so as people apply to participate, CATL will remain in contact with the Learning Circle facilitator to firm up details and plans.
Deliverables/Products
Products and deliverables for learning circles are not extensive: a book or literature review; a shared annotated bibliography; a checklist informed by your learning materials; a recommended statement to propose to the UC or Faculty Senate; a playlist of relevant media for others who wish to learn more.