Michigan State University is a big place. Literally. The campus itself is 5,192 acres (just over 8 square miles). Over 900 registered student organizations exist, along with over 60 greek organizations, 275+ study abroad opportunities, and a student-run organic farm; and that’s just co-curriculars! MSU offers more than 200 programs of undergraduate, graduate and professional study across 17 degree-granting colleges. It takes A LOT of human capacity to support Spartans. MSU has over 13,000 employees - many of whom are educators of some kind!
In such a large organization, it can be difficult to find others with common interests, share ideas and reflections, and ultimately elevate small successful approaches to larger audiences. Here on the #iteachmsu Commons, you can join or create an informal learning community through the site’s Group function! Groups can be public where anyone with a MSU netID can op-in to joining, or private where members have to be invited to join. Already there are groups related to topics like online and remote teaching, accessible course design, and new technologies.
Were you looking for a group but didn’t find one that matched your interests? Any logged in user can start their own group; the only required information is a group name, brief description, image, and which category most represents the group. In a group, the feed can be used for group-specific dialogue, where users can post and respond to one another. Additionally, once a public group is created, any member can share content (articles, posts, playlists) specifically to that group! For step-by-step instructions on building a group, visit the Creating a Group article in the Getting Started resources.
If you’re looking for a more structured Learning Community experience look no further than our colleagues at the Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development (formerly Academic Advancement Network)! According to their website, “Learning Communities provide safe and supportive spaces for complicated conversations about curriculum and pedagogy. Michigan State University has supported these initiatives since 2004 and continues to do so through a funding program administered by the Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development.
All communities, however, share three things in common: they meet monthly across the academic year, explore important educational themes, and welcome all members of MSU’s instructional staff, regardless of rank or discipline.” To access a current list of the Learning Communities supported by the Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development, check out this Learning Community webpage! (Some of the 2021-2022 Learning Communities have even created #iteachmsu Groups! Check out the "Reading Group for Student Engagement and Success" as one example.)
