Signature Work and Activities

Resource Sharing and Repositories 

• Interest in creating a repository of resources, programs, and models to avoid "reinventing the wheel."

• A database or shared directory for new and existing CTC members, including templates, tools, and best practices.

• Suggestions for sharing effective programs and faculty development resources across institutions.

Equity and Inclusion 

• Strong focus on equity, particularly in how CTCs can lead in serving diverse, historically marginalized student populations.

• Support for adapting findings from four-year institutions to community college contexts.

• Interest in navigating the DEI landscape specific to technical and community colleges.

Professional Development and Support 

• Emphasis on mentorship for new members, particularly those in single-person centers.

• Ideas for skill-based development, focusing on leadership, advocacy, and running Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTLs).

• Peer support through accountability partners and reflective practice groups.

Leadership and Structural Guidance 

• Guidance on leadership structures and roles within CTLs, with examples from other institutions.

• Discussion on how to support transient leadership roles in small centers and how to "calibrate expectations" for resource-limited centers.

• Ideas on different models for CTL funding and operational structures.

Collaboration and Networking 

• Emphasis on forming a community of practice to share strategies, hold discussions, and collaborate across colleges.

• Proposals for geographic or interest-based subgroups, including options for regular meetings and optional sessions similar to other SIGs.

• Interest in sharing expertise within the SIG by inviting members to lead workshops, present on topics of strength, or partner on joint events.

Advocacy and Institutional Support 

• Suggestions for creating benchmarking and data collection tools to help centers justify their existence to administrators.

• Shared advocacy strategies, particularly for securing funding and enhancing faculty participation.

• Questions around faculty unionization and unique challenges specific to the CTC environment.

Addressing Technical College Needs 

• Requests for more resources tailored to vocational and technical faculty, such as specific assessment methods for trades.

• Strategies to support faculty who teach across technical, workplace readiness, and healthcare fields, which are often "othered" in broader higher education contexts.

Starting a CTC-focused Article or Publication

• Discussion on creating a publication specifically for the SIG to highlight CTC work and share best practices widely.