Communities of Practice

Adjunct Faculty Community of Practice

Adjunct faculty play a major role in the success of colleges and universities in the United States, bringing a plethora of professional experience from business and industry into the classroom. Many adjunct faculty experience challenges with accessing professional development opportunities associated with teaching responsibilities secondary to unique schedules and/or geographical locations in relation to the university. This community of practice (CoP) is designed to provide a platform to connect with other Virginia Tech faculty members who share similar experiences. 

Attend any, or all, of the meetings based on your schedule. All meetings will be held on Fridays via Zoom. Sign up for the Adjunct Faculty CoP by completing the registration form below and you will receive the Zoom link for the first meeting. The potential for recording of each session be dependent upon live participants’ agreement.  

• September 5, 12:00–1:00 p.m. Canvas Tips and Tricks with Danielle Thacker, Senior Learning Technologies Specialist
• October 3, 12:00–1:00 p.m. UDL Principles for Assessment and Assignment Design with Pearl Xie, Director of Universal Design for Learning and Accessibility Services
• November 7, 12:00–1:00 p.m. Prepping for the End of the Semester: Grading Tips, Last Day of Class Plans, and Reflection

Global Learning and Engagement Community of Practice  

Are you interested in learning more about how to integrate global learning and engagement into your teaching, research, and professional practice? Are you currently incorporating global learning into your students’ experiences but want to explore new ideas and strategies? Would you like to join a community of educators and professionals at Virginia Tech interested in preparing students to engage in an interconnected, global context? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, this Community of Practice (CoP) is for you! 

Co-hosted by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) and the Global Education Office (GEO), the Global in the Classroom CoP will bring together colleagues from across the university for discussions focused on integrating global learning into the student experience at Virginia Tech. This CoP is open to educators across the university, including faculty members integrating global learning into their courses at home or abroad, academic advisors connecting students to global learning opportunities, and those supporting global engagement initiatives at the college or program level.

Each CoP meeting will focus on a different topic, and CoP members will have the opportunity to learn from guest speakers and/or each other as they discuss opportunities and strategies for engaging students in global learning experiences – whether abroad or on campus.

Sign up for Global Learning and Engagement CoP and you will receive the meeting location/link before the next CoP meeting. You are welcome to attend all meetings or as many that your schedule allows.  

• Friday, September 19, 2025, 12-1:30 p.m.; In-Person and Online; Topic: Virtual Global Collaboration
• Monday, November 17, 2025, 10-11 a.m.; Online; Topic: Global Teaching Scholars Program
  
• Monday, February 16, 2026, 10-11 a.m.; Online; Topic: Study Abroad and College-Level Global Strategy
• Friday, April 17, 2026, 12-1:30 p.m.; In-Person and Online; Topic TBD

GTA Instructor of Record Community of Practice

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) who serve as instructors of record play an important role in the teaching mission at Virginia Tech and have a unique position in their simultaneous roles as students and instructors at the university.

The GTA Instructor of Record Community of Practice (CoP) is co-hosted by the Graduate School and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning to provide time to connect with other GTA instructors of record from across campus. If you are a GTA instructor of record with full teaching responsibility for a course and would like to engage in discussions about effective teaching and shared experiences with your colleagues in a university-wide community, this CoP is for you! If you are a GTA with significant course responsibilities under the supervision of a faculty member instructor of record, you are also welcome to join.

Each CoP meeting will focus on a different topic, and CoP members will have the opportunity to learn from guest speakers and/or each other while discussing best practices, opportunities, and challenges related to effective teaching as a GTA instructor of record. 

Sign up for the GTA Instructor of Record CoP, and you will receive the meeting link before the next CoP meeting. All meetings will be held on Fridays via Zoom. You are welcome to attend all meetings or as many as your schedule allows.   

• September 5, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
• October 10, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
• November 14, 1:00–2:00 p.m.

Large Course Community of Practice

Virginia Tech is known for excellent teaching and learning in large classes. The large course community of practice (CoP) invites all faculty to engage in a faculty community focused on concerns and passions for student learning in large courses. The structure of the community reflects the fundamental social nature of human learning and the teaching excellence that exists in the Virginia Tech community. 

The community meets monthly and addresses a topic of concern with faculty discussion and faculty demonstrations of how they address these concerns in their courses. Community meetings are open to the Virginia Tech campus community. If you teach, you are welcome!  

Sign-up for the Large Course CoP and you will receive the meeting link before the first CoP meeting. All meetings will be held Fridays on Zoom. You are welcome to attend all meetings or as many as your schedule allows. 

• September 12, 1:00–2:00 p.m. 
• October 10, 1:00–2:00 p.m. 
• November 14, 1:00–2:00 p.m. 
• December 5, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.