Explore Inclusive Teaching

Fall 2023 Fellowship Opportunity for USM Faculty:

Virtual Teaching Circles Focused on Belonging & Inclusive Teaching Fundamentals

Contact/Questions: circles@lumenlearning.com

Lumen Learning's Lumen Circles Fellowship program provides opportunities for faculty cohorts to connect virtually, explore effective instructional practices that support student success, and apply them in their teaching. Through this Fellowship program, you can learn, share ideas, and develop a strong foundation for inclusive teaching.

This Fall, the USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation is offering the opportunity for a limited number of full-time and adjunct faculty to apply to participate in a Lumen Circles Fellowship focused on Belonging & Inclusive Teaching Fundamentals. Full-time and adjunct faculty from within USM are invited to apply to participate at no cost to them or their institution - all fees are covered by the USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation. To be eligible, faculty should be full-time or adjunct status, and must be teaching a class in Fall 2023 during all or part of the time the Fellowship is running.

The Belonging & Inclusive Teaching Fundamentals Fellowship draws on Lumen Circles' nationally recognized framework of effective teaching practices to support faculty in developing foundational knowledge and skills related to inclusive teaching and fostering students' sense of belonging. The Fellowship curriculum is designed with a particular focus on race and ethnicity as salient dimensions of social identity for faculty and students.

Read on to learn more and apply for this Lumen Circles Fellowship.

Fellowship Focus: Belonging & Inclusive Teaching Fundamentals

Program Description

The Belonging & Inclusive Teaching Fundamentals Fellowship invites you to explore evidence-based teaching practices that support student success by facilitating learning environments where all students feel they belong and can thrive personally and academically. The Fellowship cultivates practices that recognize diversity, explore intersectionality, and address power and bias in the learning environment.

As a member of this virtual community of practice, you’ll share ideas and feedback with peers as you practice inclusive teaching strategies and reflect on their impact. Through applied learning and experience-sharing, you’ll develop your teaching capabilities with techniques that engage students and help them to feel seen, respected, and included as capable partners in the learning process. Expert community facilitators will guide you to identify your strengths and discover additional areas to develop.

The Fellowship experience includes:

A 9-week virtual community of practice with faculty peers, focused on foundational principles of inclusive teaching,
Weekly activities to explore, apply, and reflect on inclusive teaching practices (~2 hours/week),
Opportunities to build on your strengths and develop skills to expand your teaching repertory,
A community of interested faculty to share ideas and feedback,
A flexible program where you'll work asynchronously in a virtual platform (website) as fits your own schedule, and
The chance to earn a Lumen Circles Fellowship Certificate in Effective Teaching Practice with successful completion of Fellowship activities.

Who Should Apply?

Fall 2023 Lumen Belonging Circles are specially designated for full-time and adjunct faculty, at any stage of career. Faculty participants must be actively teaching students for at least some portion of the Fellowship, so that you can expand your capabilities through cycles of practice, reflection, and feedback as you teach.

Timing

Fellowship circles run for nine weeks from the start date. You'll select your preferred start date as part of your application below.

Interested? Apply for a Lumen Circles Fellowship - Belonging & Inclusive Teaching Fundamentals

Complete the form below if you're interested in this Lumen Circles Fellowship program focused on Belonging & Inclusive Teaching. A limited number of seats are available, so apply now!

The information you provide in this form will be shared with our point of contact at USM and names of accepted faculty will be shared with our point of contact at your institution. From time to time, we may also send you information, invitations to webinars and other events related to Lumen Circles.

How do Lumen Circles Support Faculty?

How Circles Support Faculty

FAQs: What is the Lumen Circles experience like for faculty?

How does the virtual learning circle work?

Lumen Circles use a purpose-built platform for professional development through communities of practice. Members of your circle will log into a website. On that site you'll see the members of your circle and participate in activities designed to help you explore evidence-based teaching strategies, share what you're learning, and provide feedback to your peers. A facilitator helps guide circle members, or fellows, through the process.

How much time does it take?

Lumen Circles Fellowships take place over nine weeks. When your professional development program is under way, you'll spend on average about 2 hours per week with Fellowship-related activities. You'll work asynchronously, fitting the Fellowship activities into your own schedule. On a week where circumstances prevent faculty fellows from participating fully, there is an option to “take a break.”

Who's in my Lumen Circle and how will we interact?

You'll join a virtual circle of 10-12 professors who have selected the same circle theme, along with an expert facilitator. Where possible we work to align similar disciplines within the circle. Together you reflect on your classroom work, connect it to evidence-based instructional practices, and provide feedback to each other. This supportive community becomes your sounding board, thought partners, and cheerleaders as you make gains in your teaching.

What do I need to participate?

You need to be teaching a class during the Fellowship. You'll also need a computer or mobile device with internet access.

Who are the facilitators?

Lumen Circles facilitators are current and former college or university faculty members who have a strong interest and expertise in evidence-based instruction. They are trained through a rigorous, community-of-practice based regimen similar to the Fellowship experience. Their purpose is to guide the circle through learning and reflection processes as you explore and apply evidence-based teaching practices.