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Center for Integrated Professional Development

Learning Communities Events

If you need a special accommodation to fully participate in a Center event or service, please contact the Center at ProDev@ilstu.edu.

Early Career Learning Community

The Center for Integrated Professional Development’s Early Career Learning Community offers course instructors in their first through third years of service at ISU a combination of professional development and peer support. Join us for a series of engaging conversations on teaching, learning, and thriving in academia.

For fall 2025, our focus will be on the book A Pedagogy of Kindness, by Catherine Denial. This book presents a fresh perspective on teaching that focuses on ensuring justice, believing in our students and colleagues, and contributing to both student and faculty success. Denial offers practical techniques for creating syllabi, developing student assessments, and creating trust and belonging in the classroom.

Copies of A Pedagogy of Kindness are available to attendees. An electronic version is accessible through Milner Library, and the audiobook is available through Normal Public Library (for those with a library card). To request a copy, please email Dr. Dana Karraker.

Registration is not required to attend these sessions. Details about each session will be sent through the Early Career listserv and posted on the Early Career Teams site. If you would like to be added to either of these, please contact Dr. Dana Karraker.

Fall 2025

Session 2

Wednesday, September 17 or Thursday, September 18.

We'll discuss the Introduction and Chapter 1: Kindness Towards Self. This chapter emphasizes the importance of self-care as we navigate environments that often promote overwork, perfectionism, and self-sacrifice.

Session 2

Wednesday, October 22 or Thursday, October 23.

This session will focus on Chapter 2: Kindness in the Syllabus and Chapter 3: Kindness in Assessment. Denial asks us to challenge authoritarian teaching methods that are commonplace in educational settings. We’ll explore how the language we use in syllabi, our positionalities, and identities in the classroom, shape our relationships with students. She offers suggestions for creating classrooms where students feel seen, supported, and empowered to learn.

Session 3

Wednesday, December 3 or Thursday, December 4.

We'll wrap up the book with Chapter 4: Kindness in the Classroom. As we look toward the end of the semester, we’ll reflect on intentional practices we’ve implemented and how we saw our students and ourselves grow. We’ll also look ahead to the spring semester, discussing practices we’ll stop, start, and continue as we work to create learning spaces where both educators and students thrive.

Event Information

Synchronous Sessions: All meetings are from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on their respective days.

Location: Williams 326 with the option to attend via Zoom.

Facilitator: Dana Karraker, Center for Integrated Professional Development.

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Civic Engagement Book Discussion: Democracy in Retrograde

Join the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) and the Center for Integrated Professional Development (CIPD) for a community reading of Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives by Sami Sage and Emily Amick. In today’s political climate, it’s easy to feel discouraged and overwhelmed by the state of our democracy. This book reframes civic engagement as a form of self-care, offering guidance to help you define your values and take meaningful, sustainable steps toward the changes that matter most to you.

Intended Audience: Tenure-Track Faculty, Non-Tenure Track Faculty and Course Instructors, Graduate Students, Staff (AP and Civil Service).

Once registered, request a copy by contacting Dana Karraker at dmkarra@ilstu.edu or Paige Buschman at pebusc2@IllinoisState.edu. We'll coordinate getting a copy to you.  Registration is required.

A limited number of copies are available on a first-come, first-served basis through the CCE. You can also borrow copies from Milner Library or I-Share, or access the electronic version.  [Read more about the book online].

Session 2

Introduction and Democracy in Retrograde - Tuesday, September 23.

Session 2

What can We Do? and Your Civic Personality - Tuesday, October 14.

Session 3

An Action Plan to Get Started; The Future is Written by Us Not in the Stars; Additional Resources - Tuesday, November 4.

Outcomes:

  • Discuss social issues that impact classroom and work environments.
  • Discuss strategies that promote student, faculty, and staff success.

Event Information

Synchronous Sessions: All meetings are from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on their respective days.

Location: Online - Zoom.

Facilitators:
Paige Buschman, Center for Civic Engagement
Dana Karraker, Center for Integrated Professional Development.

Register by Sept 22

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Online Education Learning Community

The Center for Integrated Professional Development’s Online Education Learning Community is designed for instructors who teach fully online or hybrid courses at ISU. Whether you're new to online teaching or have years of experience, this community will focus on sharing experiences, co-learning, and navigating together the ever-evolving landscape of teaching online.

For Fall 2025, we’ll be reading Bringing the Neuroscience of Learning to Online Teaching by Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa. This handbook unpacks the science of learning and provides practical, grounded guidance for supporting students in online environments. By discussing valuable design considerations, tools that can be leveraged in a course, the importance of mind, body, and education science, and much more, Tokuhama-Espinosa helps us ask the right questions to grow as online instructors. Registration is required.

Intended Audience: Tenure-Track Faculty, Non-Tenure Track Faculty and Course Instructors, Graduate Students

Once registered, you may request a physical copy of the book by emailing Allison Hauser at ahauser@ilstu.edu. We will coordinate getting a copy to you. Physical copies are available on a first-come, first-served basis. A digital version is also available through the Milner Library.

Event Information

Synchronous Sessions: All meetings are from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on their respective days.
Thursday, September 11
Thursday, October 9
Thursday, November 13

Location: Williams 325 with the option to attend via Zoom.

Facilitators:
Allison Hauser, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Courtney Cox, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Addison Lamb, Center for Integrated Professional Development.

Register by Sept 10

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Small Changes Learning Community

Teaching can be an isolating experience. This reading group, intended for faculty who have been teaching at Illinois State for over four years, provides a chance for faculty to discuss peer support, networking, and mentorship. Experience new confidence in yourself and your ability to teach!

Our read for Fall is Smart Teaching Stronger Learning: Practical Tips From 10 Cognitive Scientists by Pooja Agarwal. As the book cover describes, it’s an “approachable resource that distills key principles from the science of learning, with concise chapters and real-world examples for busy educators” with “down-to-earth tips.” We'll use the text as a springboard for our conversations. We will use it to find ideas for small changes we can make in our teaching to see changes in our student learning and motivation. Reading is encouraged and kept to reasonable amounts between our biweekly meetings but not required to participate. We’ll meet six times throughout the semester to discuss and support each other in our teaching across disciplines, and you’re always welcome to bring your lunch!

Intended Audience: Mid- and Later- Career Faculty and Course Instructors, those who have been teaching for 4 or more years.

Outcomes

Discuss innovative teaching strategies

To join this group, contact Dr. Sarah Boesdorfer.

Event Information

Synchronous Sessions: All meetings are from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on their respective days.
Wednesday, September 10
Wednesday, September 24
Wednesday, October 8
Wednesday, October 22
Wednesday, November 5

Location: Williams 326 with the option to attend via Zoom.

Facilitator: Sarah Boesdorfer, Chemistry.

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Teaching with Presence Learning Community

Are you feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or simply stretched too thin? In today’s higher education landscape, many instructors are navigating an increasingly dynamic environment marked by political pressures, shrinking budgets, rising workloads, and shifting expectations from students and institutions. Now more than ever, we need spaces that support our well-being and remind us we’re not alone in this work.

The Teaching with Presence Learning Community offers a space to slow down, reconnect with your purpose, and find support among colleagues. This hour-long learning community meets every three weeks and is designed to encourage reflection, meaningful connection, support your well-being, and examine how intentional practices can bring more clarity and calm to our teaching.

Each Session 2ncludes:

  • A 10-minute contemplative practice to ground us in the present moment, such as guided meditation, intentional eating, and reflective journaling.
  • A 10-minute check-in to share how we’re doing and what’s on our minds in a supportive, low-pressure environment.
  • A 30-minute book discussion based on The Present Professor, looking at how presence and awareness can enhance our teaching and our lives.
  • A 10-minute unstructured time to connect with others or leave if you need to go to your next place.

Eligible Participants: Tenure-Track Faculty, Non-Tenure Track Faculty and Course Instructors, Graduate Students, Staff (AP and Civil Service).

Outcomes

  • Engage in reflection and meaningful connection with colleagues.
  • Explore how intentional practices can bring more clarity and calm to our teaching.

Event Information

Synchronous Sessions: All meetings are from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on their respective days.
Wednesday, September 10
Wednesday, October 1
Wednesday, October 22
Wednesday, November 12

Location: TBA

Facilitators:
Sue Hilderbrandt, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Mayuko Nakamura, Center for Integrated Professional Development.

Register by Sept 9

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Framework for Inclusive Teaching Excellence logo

Framework for Inclusive Teaching Excellence (FITE)

The Framework for Inclusive Teaching Excellence (FITE) guides CIPD’s approach to advancing inclusive teaching at Illinois State University. Designed to support instructors at all career stages, the FITE promotes growth in six dimensions: Science of Learning, Impact of Course Design, Evidence-based Pedagogy, Classroom Climate and Culture, Feedback and Assessment Loop, and Data-Informed Reflection. CIPD has built a robust suite of programming and services around this framework, offering a dynamic lineup of events and learning opportunities to meet the evolving needs of educators across the university.

Explore FITE