University of Wisconsin Stout | Wisconsin's Polytechnic University

What is a Community of Practice?

A NTLC Community of Practice (CoP) is a collaborative, year-long program which focuses on a topic or issue related to enhancing teaching, learning and related research. The CoP creates a supportive environment and conducts focused work that leads to results that other university professionals can use. 

How often will we meet?

Participants meet at least twice a month to develop and implement a research project. 

Are there additional incentives?

Members who successfully complete the program receive a financial incentive.

Collaborative Grant Writing: Engaged Faculty and Productive Outcomes

Facilitator: Jennifer Grant

NTLC, in joint cooperation with Research Services, will offer Collaborative Grant Writing: Engaged Faculty and Productive Outcomes, a CoP that supports instructors as they explore various aspects of collaborative grant seeking. The program will incorporate speakers, discussion, identification of granting agencies, and submission of one or more jointly written grant proposals. Conversations will be structured around information and examples contained in the book "Collaborative Grant Seeking" by Jeremy Miner, Lynn Miner, and Jerry Griffith.

Learning Objectives Based Assessment (LOBA)

Facilitator: Todd Zimmerman

LOBA, sometimes called Standards Based Grading, is a paradigm shift for grading that changes student focus from acquiring points to becoming proficient in the learning objectives of the course. For faculty tired of students coming to them in the 15th week of class and asking what they can do to earn extra points, or not wanting to have to give students extra points to get them to read assignments, or come to class prepared, LOBA may be an effective solution.

LOBA Philosophy

The philosophy behind LOBA is two-fold, 1) students must be given multiple opportunities to demonstrate whether they have mastered a particular concept or skill and 2) assessment should be part of the learning process and not just a summative result. Assessments can take many forms such as traditional tests, quizzes, or other things like papers, oral exams, or video presentations. A key component is that students are allowed to reassess on learning objectives at a later time. This gives students an incentive to learn the material they might not have mastered earlier in the course. At UW-Stout, several of the faculty in the Physics Department have already adopted LOBA and have been sincerely impressed with the improvement in student learning and study habits exhibited in their courses.