Learning communities can be built around both institutional and inter-institutional goals and target populations. Within institutions, current voices can be supplemented by purposive expansions through cohort hires and other strategies to foster inclusive, and usually, interdisciplinary conversations. In addition to multiple disciplines, multiple institutional roles are often usefully present in the learning communities that effect institutional change. The dialogue across, rather than among, supposed interests also encourages plain speaking and a focus on “facts” of the situation.
Strategies for avoiding the reproduction of inequities in learning communities include: intentionally bring in a variety of experiences and views; make sure there’s a seat for everyone, open dialogue, identify and address barriers to participation (e.g., provide financial or in-kind compensation like time off work or course release time).
Possibilities for impacting change include: creating new policies and recommendations, creating low-commitment opportunities for participation, hosting public events, encouraging both top-down and bottom-up participation. Participants said they thought avoiding inequity and impacting change kind of blended together in our discussion.
For allyship, one strategy is to attract hesitant participants (who might be precisely who needs to be involved in these discussions) by targeting role models, mentors and distinguished professionals who can demonstrate that this work is valuable and needed.
To leverage power, learning communities can ally with students and collect data from them as well as all employee categories at the institution (don’t leave anyone out). Be strategic about process; e.g., provide a narrower vision at first to focus the group, then expand the vision as the group learns more. The nature of the community may change from more homogenous membership for affinity to a more heterogeneous membership for bridging. Use scaffolding: start at one level of the institution, then move up to the next level, and so on.
Learning communities are a broad and flexible category — they don’t have to be formally convened to be effective. Their subject matter can be varied and can evolve over time. They can be about learning new things (ex., teaching online, teaching graduate courses; discovering new research methodologies, etc.) or about building community (creating a sense of belonging; providing support, etc.).
At the Privileged Logics 2024 Conference, successful outcomes of some learning communities were shared and included: creating resources for student success; leading to a discussion of how to treat the issue of sex/gender in a bio class; including updating lab manuals; changing the way a forensic scientist classified gender as “with or without a Y chromosome”; helping international students become more competitive for summer teaching assignments; and helping folks understand the need for professional development around how to talk with and listen to underrepresented students struggling with recent hate crimes.
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