Communities of Practice
Communities of Practice
Each academic year, the Center for Faculty Excellence partners with Faculty Associates and campus partners to create and lead Communities of Practice—small, focused groups where you work with others to explore a topic in depth over the course of a semester or the academic year.
A Community of Practice is an ongoing learning experience where you connect with peers who share your interest in a specific topic, exchange ideas and strategies, and apply what you learn to your own work. CFE Communities of Practice include book clubs, writing groups, podcast listening clubs, learning communities, and other semester and year-long learning opportunities. CFE Communities of Practice are open to all BGSU faculty members, adjunct instructors, graduate students, and administrative and classified staff members, unless noted otherwise.
The Center for Faculty Excellence is excited to be hosting the following Communities of Practice starting in the Fall 2025 semester:
- Beyond the Grade: Rethinking Grading Practices for Student Success (Fall 2025-Spring 2026)
- Braiding Sweetgrass Book Club (Fall 2025-Spring 2026)
- The Burnout Book Club: Fostering a Return to Well-Being (Fall 2025)
- Experiential Learning: Engaging Students through Active Practices (Fall 2025)
- Focus Fridays Writing Accountability Group (Fall 2025)
- Fostering Critical Thinking through AI Literacy (Fall 2025)
- Graduate Teaching Community: Helping You Prepare for University Level Teaching (Fall 2025)
- Industry Engagement in Action: A Community of Practice (Fall 2025, optional Spring 2026)
- Playful Praxis Learning Community (Fall 2025-Spring 2026)
- Service-Learning Community of Practice (Fall 2025)
- Using Institutional Data to Support Student Success (Fall 2025, optional Spring 2026)
Community Participant Expectations
As a member of a CFE Community of Practice, you are expected to:
- Meet the community learning outcomes.
- Actively participate in and attend at least 80% of all scheduled community meetings (or meet the participation requirement determined by the facilitator).
- Complete any assignments and/or asynchronous tasks.
- Complete any necessary deliverable activities or projects as determined by the facilitator.
Community Registration
Registration for communities of practice starting in the fall is currently closed. Registration for communities starting in the spring will open at the start of the spring semester.
Community Participant Recognition
If you successfully meet the participant expectations for the community of practice, you will receive the following forms of recognition:
- A digital certificate at the end of the semester or academic year that you participated in the community; this certificate can be uploaded to Faculty180 (if applicable).
- A digital email signature stamp at the end of the semester or the academic year that you participated in the community; this stamp can be added to your email signature and shared on social media.
- Acknowledgement at the annual BGSU Teaching & Learning Summit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Participant eligibility varies based on the focus of each community of practice. Eligibility details are outlined on each community’s page.
Yes, you do not need to be located on the Main Campus to participate in a community of practice. Modality is determined by the facilitator, and many communities are offered virtually or in a hybrid format. This makes them accessible to members of the BGSU community at the Firelands campus as well as those working remotely or on a hybrid schedule.
No, community participation does not count towards the eligibility requirements for the Professional Engagement Certificate Program.
Yes, if you are a full-time faculty member, you may upload the PDF of your CFE Community of Practice Certificate of Participation to Faculty180, BGSU’s faculty activity reporting system.
Yes, you may register for more than one community of practice per semester. However, registration may be limited for some communities, and we may place participants on a waitlist if they are registered for multiple communities. Before registering for more than one community, please carefully consider the time commitment required for each community to ensure you can fully participate.
In the past, participants who met the requirements for their community of practice received a $100 honorarium. This honorarium is no longer offered so that we can direct resources towards other programming. However, participants continue to benefit from the professional growth, networking, and shared learning that communities of practice provide.
Updated: 09/15/2025 11:11AM