The International Dialogue for Excellence in Academia (IDEA)

The IDEA learning community’s goal is to establish an open and respectful international exchange of professional development and effective teaching practices with an emphasis on1) instructional technology and 2) improving success rates for underserved students.  

By the end of the academic year, learning community participants will be able to:

• Identify collaboration points with faculty and faculty professional development partners outside of own institutions
• Identify best practices for including critical multicultural education and instructional technology focus in higher education teaching
• Enhance teaching in higher education through innovation in instructional professional development

Two important driving factors for educational innovation and change in today’s educational landscape are:

1. The mission of education to contribute to social justice through critical multicultural education
2. The adoption of instructional technology for student engagement and success.

Education to close the equity gaps in student achievement has gained a prominent place in the mission of Montgomery College (MC). With one of the most diverse student bodies in continental United States higher education, and with our recent designation as Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI), it is of utmost importance for MC to provide a student experience that results in closing the opportunity and achievement gaps as measured by grades and graduation rates. Collaborating in the IDEA Community of Practice will contribute to the exploration of characteristics of college teaching that will increase student success across the board, yet with a focus on underserved students in particular.  

With only limited examples of curricula and instruction for equity, diversity and social justice in higher education (May & Sleeter, 2010), this CoP will foster a partnership in a collegial and informal environment, supporting the members through problem-solving, mentoring, and coaching.

Research indicates that instructional technology is underutilized and, at times, ineffectively incorporated into instruction to support student learning (Abdul-Jabbar & Kurshan, 2015; Birks et al., 2013, Clarke & Zagarell, 2012; Greenhow, Walker, & Kim, 2009; Lim, 2009). While technology has become a mainstay of our lives, there is a distinct divide between its use in and outside of education to aid the learning process (Lenhart, 2015; Li, 2007; Lim et al., 2013).).

Despite how far we have come, institutes of Higher Education are challenged to find ways to adapt instructional best practices to incorporate technology into their courses so that lessons are meaningful, relevant, and engaging for students (Englund, Olofsson, & Price, 2016; Williamson & Hogan, 2021).

While concurrently combating the “Digital Divide”, i.e. working towards equal access to computer technology (Grant & Sleeter, 2010), this CoP will strive for equal distribution of the benefits of learning using technology. The CoP members will exchange and co-create best practices in instructional technology, resulting in a repository of instructional techniques that leverage technology in order to level the playing field for underserved students.

Institutions of higher education have an obligation to fulfill their stated mission to successfully educate all students. The achievement gap in grades and graduation between students of minority and majority backgrounds indicates that this mission is long from being fulfilled.

College instructors play an important role in closing this opportunity gap. There is a need for instructors to enhance their content area knowledge with innovative teaching techniques and technology.  

Through the sharing, creation, and management of knowledge around best multicultural & instructional-technology teaching practices, the community enables individuals to:

• Continue learning and developing professionally
• Access expertise
• Network to keep current in the field

The community benefits all member organizations by:

• Improving knowledge sharing and distribution
• Reducing rework and reinvention
• Enabling innovation
• Building alliances

• Nov 16 at 8:30am-10:00am EST (Washington, DC): Introductions, learning community guidelines, and Chickering and Gamson’s Seven Principles of Good Undergraduate Education (Part 1)
• Dec 14 at 8:30am-10:00am EST: Collaborative and Active Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (Part 1) 
• Jan 11 8:30am -10:00am EST: Collaborative and Active Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (Part 2) 
• Feb 1 at 8:30am -10:00am EST: Instructional Technology for Effective Teaching (Part 1)
• Mar 14 at 9:30am-11:00am EDT (note time change due to daylight savings time in US): Instructional Technology for Effective Teaching (Part 2)
• Apr 4 at 9:30am -11:00am EDT: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Part 1) 
• May 2 at 9:30am -11:00am EDT: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Part 2) 
• Jun 13 at 9:30am -11:00am EDT: Member Presentations 

We are happy you are interested! Please complete the application formnew window and we will reach out with more details. 

Reach out to the community leaders, Dr. Carolien Annink and Megan Calvert.

The IDEA community of practice is open to all those who teach in higher education or who provide higher education instructional professional development. We also expect all participants will be able to speak and write in English comfortably at an advanced level.

Joining is free! There is no charge for membership for individuals or institutions.

We anticipate having members from Ethiopia, Indonesia, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Pakistan, Aruba, Canada, the Netherlands, and more.

The presentations at the initial meetings will be given by the group leaders, Dr. Carolien Annink and Megan Calvert, instructional designers at Montgomery College. However, it is our expectation that members will contribute presentations and lead group discussions in subsequent meetings so that knowledge can be shared equitably.

Montgomery College is a community-based higher education institution located just outside of Washington, DC. It offers two-year degrees for students who have completed high school. Additionally, it offers career and technical classes and other adult education.

In the US system, “college” generally refers to two-year and four-year higher education institutions. “University” refers to schools that provide four-year degrees, matters degrees, and doctorates.

Absolutely! Networking with colleagues around the world is one of the goals of the program.

The application for the 2023-2024 cohort is currently closed. Please complete our interest formnew window if you would like to be contacted for future cohorts.

With all the different time zones and countries involved, it can be challenging to find a time that works for everyone. However, the times and dates were chosen to accommodate as many potential members as possible, and members are expected to commit to attending the sessions that are listed. If you are interested but unavailable this year, please reach out to us and let us know what times you would prefer in the future. We can include you on our contact list.

Carolien Annink is an Instructional Designer at Montgomery College. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership and has over 25 years of work experience in the field of multicultural and comparative education, and higher education teaching and learning. Born and raised in Amsterdam, Carolien is a dual citizen of The Netherlands and of the USA.

Megan Calvert is an Instructional Designer at Montgomery College. She holds a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and has over 20 years of experience working in education. She is from the greater Washington, DC area but has previously lived and worked in France, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey.

This program is not a webinar. The program uses a workshop format with active and collaborative participation. During each session, participants are introduced to an instructional principle through a mini lecture. Subsequently, participants are expected to actively engage with the topic. Participants will individually, in pairs, and in small groups reflect on, and discuss the significance of the instructional topic for their particular educational setting.

The sessions will not be recorded.

The facilitators will begin each session with a short introduction to an instructional principle. After a mini lecture, participants work in small groups to engage with the session’s topic. Between sessions, participants are expected to reflect upon and experiment with the discussed instructional principle. There will be time allocated to exchange homework experiences at the beginning of each session.

It is preferable that participants are teaching or facilitating while the program is running. This will enable them to experiment with and implement ideas and techniques that emerge from the program sessions.

Participants are expected to attend the monthly 1.5-hour sessions. An average of one hour per week in between sessions will give participants a chance for continued engagement with the program content. Thus approximately 5.5 hours a month is an average time commitment expected for meaningful learning.