What are Learning Communities?
Learning Communities are virtual directed professional development series that allow small groups of leaders to learn new ideas, challenge existing practices, and support each other to make change in their organizations. Learning communities are developed and led by RIOS Leadership Team members and/or mentor(s) expert in the topic. Time commitment ranges between 10 - 20 synchronous hours distributed over 2-3 months, providing a low threshold for engagement, but sustained to encourage peer community building and continued reflection.
We are interested in your suggestions for new Learning Communities; please contact us with your ideas!
Current Learning Communities
“Opening Ourselves to Open Science, Equity, and Social Justice” Learning Community (Spring 2024)
In this Learning Community, we will explore core concepts in open science and open data through an equity and social justice lens. Each week will consist of a curated set of readings to explore and a discussion to share your ideas in a comfortable (albeit virtual) setting. This 6-week Learning Community series will be facilitated by Dr. Nate Emery and Dr. Camila Vargas Poulson. Visit the Learning Community page for more information and to join the conversation.
“Alternative Grading” Learning Community (Spring 2024)
In this Learning Community, participants will be introduced to various implementations of alternative grading such as standards-based grading, specifications grading, and ungrading that are used in different contexts to ensure a course’s assessment supports student learning and promotes equity. This 6-week Learning Community series will be facilitated by Dr. Drew Lewis and Dr. Melanie Lenahan. Visit the Learning Community page for more information and to join the conversation.
“Difficult dialogues in STEM classrooms - Level 2” Learning Community (Spring 2024)
In this Learning Community, participants will engage in discussions, short readings, and mini-workshops to explore difficult dialogues of social inequities in STEM classrooms through the topics of gender and sex, sexuality, race and ethnicity, disability, and intersections of these identities. We encourage individuals that participated in Difficult Dialogues Level 1 or who have had exposure to learning opportunities on inequities in STEM to participate. This 5-week Learning Community series will be facilitated by Dr. Desiree Forsythe and Dr. Meg Jones. Visit the Learning Community page for more information and to join the conversation.
Previous Learning Communities
"Exploring Implementation and Impacts of Open Pedagogy in STEM" Learning Community (Fall 2022)
In this Learning Community, participants explored and discussed the benefits, actionable strategies, and challenges to implementing Open Pedagogy, including socially-just pedagogical approaches. This 6-week Learning Community series was facilitated by Dr. Carlos Goller and Dr. Melanie Lenahan and supported by Dr. Kaitlin Bonner (on behalf of RIOS Institute). Learn more about this Learning Community, see the full announcement here.
"Social Justice Dialogues in STEM" Learning Community (Fall 2022)
In this Learning Community, participants engaged in discussions, short readings and mini-workshops to explore difficult dialogues of social inequities in STEM classrooms. Desiree Forsythe and Meg Jones designed and ran this community for instructors to be comfortable with scholarship around marginalization, so they can have the tools and language necessary to facilitate the usage of diverse STEM content. Learn more about this Learning Community, see the full announcement here.
"Open Education Grounded in Social Justice" Learning Community (Spring 2022)
In this Learning Community, we explored how Open Education practices and pedagogy grounded in Social Justice can empower instructors and students in the learning environment. This learning community was designed for anyone interested in exploring, creating, and/or implementing a STEM curriculum through Open Science and Open Pedagogy. It ran for 6 sessions. Learn more about this Learning Community, see the full announcement here.
"Difficult Dialogues of Social Inequities in STEM Classrooms" Learning Community (Spring 2022)
In this Learning Community, we explored the need and successful strategies for students and instructors to discuss scholarship about marginalization within STEM courses. This project was designed for anyone interested in exploring, creating, and/or implementing a STEM course. To learn more about this Learning Community, see the full announcement here.
"Open Practices" Learning Community (April - May 2021)
In this Learning Community, participants engaged in discussions, short readings and mini-workshops to explore basic tools for Open Education Practices. The experience was designed for project and organizational leaders who are working with instructors who develop and/or implement STEM curriculum, as well as policy makers and funders who want to learn more about the connections between open science and open education. Dr. Karen Cangialosi, part of the our Leadership Team, designed and ran this Learning Community via SCORE-UBE, the predecessor and affiliate organization of RIOS. This Learning Community was run within the SCORE-UBE group.
"Social Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (S-JEDI) in STEM OER" Learning Community (Summer 2020)
The S-JEDI Learning Community recruited members from the SCORE network and members affiliated across OER organizations to explore how goals of open-education resource organizations might center social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion ("S-JEDI") in their missions as they seek to improve STEM post-secondary education. Participants explored a curated collection of readings and videos, activities, and discussion prompts across 6 weeks. This curriculum was designed as part of SCORE-UBE by several of our Leadership Team, Dr. Carrie Diaz-Eaton and Jasmine Roberts-Crews, a former member, Dr. Maggie Diamon-Stanic, as well as Dr. Pat Marstellar. The full curriculum needed to run this Learning Community is freely available, as is an evaluation of its first implementation. The curriculum was specifically geared to organizational leaders in open education, but is applicable and adaptable to a broader audience as well.
Version: 1.0 Version: 1.0 Findings from S-JEDI Learning Community Post-Survey
S-JEDI Learning Group Resource