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Communities formed by and for educators play a vital role in shaping and enhancing our educational practices. By bringing together individuals with shared interests and goals, communities can foster collaboration, the sharing of knowledge and practices, and the development of new approaches that improve teaching and learning outcomes. They can offer space for educators to share experiences, engage in critical discussion, explore challenges, gain mutual support, and develop a sense of belonging.

Communities of Practice (CoP) bring together groups of partitioners with a common interest or goal, and through shared resources on what they do, they learn how to improve in their own practice. CoPs may form around specific disciplines, cross-disciplinary themes, or institutional priorities and are a resource that anyone supporting teaching and learning can engage in.

If you are interested in finding out more about a CoP at Dal or you want to join one that aligns with your interest, you can read more about Communities of Practice at 9 1免费版下 using the resources provided on this page.

If you know of a group that is not listed here, we would love to hear from you. Please reach out to us at聽clt@dal.ca.

Join a Community of Practice

Animal Welfare Education CoP (AWECoP)

This animal welfare education community of practice (AWECoP) is for anyone teaching animal welfare science, applied ethology, and/or animal ethics. The objectives for the

community are to create a space for members to network with each other and build a sense of community; to exchange knowledge and take inspiration from each other鈥檚 teaching practice; and to share educational materials with each other so that we were not all reinventing the wheel nor working in isolation. Contact Dr. Katy Proudfoot听补苍诲 Beth A Ventura聽for more information.聽.

Book Club (STEM)

Experienced faculty who are looking for a more in-depth dive into educational literature may enjoy this dedicated group. We take a thought-provoking look at current educational themes. The next book will be Talk Like TED: the 9 public-speaking secrets, by Carmine Gallo.聽Open to faculty members in STEM. Contact Sarah Chisholm聽for more information.

Broad Interest (CoPSci)

The Broad Interest CoPSci group is just that - varied topics throughout the semester, where we let our Educator Hearts lead us! Each meeting will be every two weeks, and will involve a SHORT, easily digestible article or website blog following a theme that we often decide on after discussions from the current conversations.聽Open to faculty members in STEM. Contact Jennifer Frail-Gauthier听补苍诲 Deborah Granthom聽for more information.

9 1免费版下 Libraries AI Community of Practice

The AI CoP for Dal Libraries aims to create a collaborative space to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and academic library services. It serves as a forum to share news, insights, and ideas related to the impact of AI on library work. The intended audience is primarily 9 1免费版下 Libraries team members but is open to others interested in AI in libraries. Contact Jaclyn Chambers Page聽for more information.

Early Career Faculty (STEM)

Are you just starting out, or in your first 2-3 years of teaching? This is your opportunity to engage in discussions with other members in the same situation, while also working with an experienced faculty member. We will focus on current issues that arise at different times in the year, and look at strategies, approaches, and balancing workloads. Open to faculty members in STEM. Contact Susan Gass for more information.聽

Faculty of Computer Science Teaching & Learning CoP

The FCS Teaching and Learning CoP is a collaborative group where FCS instructors come together to share knowledge, experiences, and best practices in teaching computer science. The CoP focuses on enhancing pedagogical strategies, discussing educational technologies and best-use scenarios, addressing common challenges, and fostering innovation in computer science education. Through regular meetings, workshops, and focused Teams subgroups, members exchange ideas, develop teaching resources, and build a supportive network to improve student learning outcomes and advance professional development in CS Education. Open to FCS Instructors, contact Stephanie Bernier聽for more information.

Faculty of Medicine Teaching Community of Practice

The Faculty of Medicine Teaching Community of Practice has been formed to (i) discuss how to integrate evidence-based teaching strategies into teaching, (ii) provide a group of experts to provide peer evaluation of teaching and to give feedback on the faculty-level holistic evaluation of teaching policy, (iii) provide a space for instructors/faculty to bring course materials for review and feedback. The group is largely composed of instructors in the Faculty of Medicine. Please contact Sarah.Wells@dal.ca for mor information.

Gen A.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice

A space for cautious, critical, and open discussion and sharing around using (or聽not聽using) generative artificial intelligence in the classroom or in teaching and learning. More information is available on the CLT website. Anyone is welcome to join the GenA.I. CoP, including 9 1免费版下 instructors, graduate students, staff, and faculty. Contact Les T. Johnson聽for more information.

Growing the Garden of Teaching & Learning in the Faculty of Health

The聽Growing the Garden of Teaching & Learning in the Faculty of Health is intended as a space to nurture relationships and engage in dialogue among staff and faculty in the Faculty of Health, where we share ideas, questions, concerns, and resources on how to create and sustain in-person and virtual classrooms which help us live up to our collective commitments as written in our聽. Please visit our聽聽site and/or email聽Marion Brown for more information. Open to faculty and staff in the Faculty of Health.

Halifax Developers Group

A cross-institutional Halifax-based group of educational developers and those working in higher education whose primary role is to support teaching and learning. The group is open to anyone working in educational development or a related field in and around the Halifax, NS region. Contact Suzanne Le-May Sheffield聽for more information.

Inclusive STEM CoP

The Inclusive STEM Teaching Project is a聽concurrent opportunity聽beginning March 2025: a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with remote learning communities.聽 The six-week MOOC is designed to advance the awareness, self-efficacy, and ability of STEM educators to cultivate inclusive learning environments for their students. Participants will engage in deep reflection and discussion around topics of equity and inclusion across a variety of institutional contexts. Open to faculty members in STEM. Contact Susan Gass听补苍诲 Sarah Chisholm聽for more information.

Lab-Based Teaching

A聽Lab-Based Teaching Community of Practice聽is a collaborative group of educators, researchers, and practitioners dedicated to enhancing teaching & learning in laboratory settings. This community focuses on acquiring best practices in teaching & learning, developing innovative instructional strategies, and supporting professional growth through discussions, workshops, and resource-sharing. Open to faculty members in STEM. Contact Shawn Xiong听补苍诲 Lois Murray聽for more information.

NS Technology Enabled Learning

The NS Technology Enabled Learning group is a comprised of people from IHEs across Nova Scotia whose roles and interests are centred around academic technology, instructional design, tech-forward pedagogies, and related topics. Open to those working at NS HE institutions to support technology-enabled learning. Contact Les T. Johnson聽for more information.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Community of Practice

The SoTL CoP is for anyone at Dal who is interested in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER), and other evidence-based teaching research activities. Meetings could involve journal club-like discussions of SoTL literature, group brainstorming sessions, and/or opportunities to collaborate on SoTL projects. Contact Kate Thompson听补苍诲 Shawn Xiong聽for more information.

Science Communication

This community will bring together interested faculty, staff, students, and post-docs to explore and discuss current issues, practices, and research in communicating science to non-experts. Contact Kerrianne Ryan聽for more information.

Teaching and Well-being CoP

This CoP is a space for educators to come together in a collaborative space dedicated to exploring wellbeing in teaching and learning, including both opportunities and challenges. Currently open to faculty across 9 1免费版下, contact Laurel Schut听辞谤 Jennifer Frail-Gauthier聽for more information.

Teaching CoP for the Faculty of Management

The Teaching CoP cultivates a culture of teaching excellence by fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange, peer learning through events, speakers, and presentations. Additionally, it supports and promotes faculty development opportunities in partnership with聽the associate dean academic, while encouraging scholarship in teaching and learning whenever possible. Open to faculty and staff in the Faculty of Management. Contact Kathleen Wooden聽for more information.

Starting a Community of Practice

If you are interested in starting a community of practice related to teaching and learning or are facilitating one and looking for additional resources, please reach out to clt@dal.ca for support. You may also find the following resources helpful:

• (link to PDF opens in new window)
• (2015)听
• McDonald, J., & Cater-Steel, A. (Eds.). (2016).聽Communities of practice: Facilitating social learning in higher education. Springer.
• Gray, B. (2005). Informal Learning in an Online Community of Practice.聽International Journal of E-Learning & Distance Education Revue Internationale Du E-Learning Et La Formation 脿 Distance,聽19聽(1). Retrieved from

9 1免费版下 Leading in Teaching Excellence (D-LITE)

In addition to the above communities of practice, 9 1免费版下 has formal clusters of educators focused on more specific interest areas. Link to read more about the D-Lite clusters.

For Graduate Students in Certificate in University Teaching & Learning

If any of the Communities of Teaching and Learning interest you, please contact the designated faculty member for more information. Your engagement can be counted towards credit hours for CUTL. For more information, go to Program Requirements (Professional Development)