Teaching and Learning Innovation (TLI)

CTLE

Welcome!

The Division of Teaching and Learning Innovation supports faculty in designing active, engaging, student-centered and equitable learning experiences at Berkshire Community College. The Division provides professional development and consultation, as well as offering a catalog of online resources and reflective activities.

Our mission:

To foster risk-taking and creativity in pedagogical and technological choices in learning experiences designed for students
To ensure professional development offerings that provide diverse perspectives from scholars and activists
To foster a spirit of continual reflection of one's own teaching practices
To engage faculty teaching expertise and experience; as well as celebrate their disciplinary scholarship
To deepen a culture of community and peer exchange of ideas and practices that center students' learning and experiences
To collaborate within the BCC college community in designing professional development offerings

Contact Us

tli@berkshirecc.edu
Hawthorne Building, H-431A

TLI: Programs and Services

The Division of Teaching and Learning Innovation is home to the following programs and services. The Divisions provides coordination, administrative support; as well as facilitates space for professional development and discussions for campus stakeholders involved in the following BCC programs and initiatives.

Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation (CTLI)

The CTLI provides academic technology and instructional design support to all faculty at BCC. Offering 1-1 and group professional development opportunities on how the use of Moodle, we support teaching and learning and student success across BCC's modalities, and in how technology can advance instruction and course structure. The CTLI welcomes faculty curiosity and innovation. For more information, reach out to Matt Martin, Coordinator of Instructional Technology and Design and Lori DuBois, LMS Administrator.
Writing Across the Curriculum

The WAC program supports divisions, departments, and individual faculty with the integration of and appreciation for meaningful reading and writing coursework. As an integral aspect of the learning process, writing empowers students to engage with complexity, reflect on significance, discover new avenues of agency, and communicate effectively. For more information, reach out to Liesl Schwabe, Coordinator of Writing Across the Curriculum.
Real Talk Program

The Faculty Academy: Real Talk program works with faculty to design classes that address the learning needs of community college students that engage with all the students from the place they start by hearing from them who they are. This approach allows faculty to build a deeper understanding of the students in their class and to adapt, as much as possible, to their academic needs rather than making assumptions based on expected or typical characteristics. BCC Faculty make a three-year commitment to join the Faculty Academy, where they learn Real Talk strategies and in a cohort model work together each year to more deeply revise and apply Real Talk strategies within their classes. For more information, reach out to Stacy Evans, Real Talk Faculty Project Lead.
New Faculty Seminar

The New Faculty Seminar provides newly hired full-time faculty the opportunity to come together as a cohort in a year-long program. Meetings focus on exploring teaching and learning strategies and the application of these ideas within the classroom and course design, connecting faculty campus resources and services and building relationships and making connections among the BCC community. For more information, reach out to Meghan Callaghan, Dean for Teaching and Learning Innovation.
Open Education Resources (OER)

BCC's OER program seeks to better support faculty in their use of no-cost and low-cost ($50 or less) instructional materials with students. In particular, the use of open educational resources, or OER, helps to reduce costs and barriers to access for all students, but is especially beneficial for historically underserved learners. Faculty who utilize OER often find that freely licensed materials open new possibilities for learning activities, allowing students to engage more authentically with the subject matter, and to create, display and distribute their work more freely. To support instructors in their use of OER and other no-cost and low-cost materials, the Division of Teaching and Learning Innovation and the Jonathan Edwards Library created the OER Awards Program. For more information, reach out to Matt Martin and Andrea Robare, Reference Librarian.
Learning Communities

BCC's Learning Communities' mission is to recruit and engage students with a collaborative team of faculty, staff, and administrators related to their academic & career interests. The Learning Community structure creates a safe and participatory environment where students can celebrate a common purpose with equity, civility, and integrity across both Academic and Student Affairs. Our Learning communities invoke a sense of inclusivity and pride as a BCC Falcon! Learning Communities tie two courses together in a structured cross disciplinary collaboration to address the annual theme. For more information, reach out to Meghan Callaghan.

Division of Teaching and Learning Staff

Meghan Callaghan, Dean for Teaching and Learning Innovation (mcallaghan@berkshirecc.edu)
Lori DuBois, LMS Administrator (ldubois@berkshirecc.edu)
Matt Martin, Coordinator of Instructional Technology and Design (msmartin@berkshirecc.edu)
Erin Milne, Coordinator of Integrative Learning (emilne@berkshirecc.edu)
Liesl Schwabe, Coordinator of Writing Across the Curriculum (lschwabe@berkshirecc.edu)

For Faculty

Professional Development Application

Professional Development funding is currently closed for academic year 2025! More funding will be available soon! Questions email tli@berkshirecc.edu

Berkshire Community College is committed to ongoing professional development. This application is for members within Academic Affairs who wish to request funding to support professional development activities. Funding requests can range from attending a conference, to attending a workshop or class, to immersive field experiences. The professional development activity needs to have application within your current work and must be discussed with your Academic Dean.

To start, please discuss your idea with your Academic Dean. If you have not done this, you will be routed out of the application. Once you have talked with them, come back to the application and respond to the application questions. The questions seek to make sure you have thought through and have the key details of the activity, as well as ask how you hope to apply and share the experience with your BCC colleagues. If your application is approved, you will be asked to share your experience with the campus community.

Once you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation, and your Academic Dean will receive a copy. The Dean for Teaching and Learning will then follow up with next steps once the application has been approved. Our goal is to fund as many applications as we can, and at this time there is not a funding limit on an application. But we do ask that each member within Academic Affairs only applies once for funding per fiscal year.

Preview application questions

Start your application

Questions? Please reach out to the Dean for Teaching and Learning at tli@berkshirecc.edu.
TLI Resources Hub

The TLI Resources Hub contains information about our divisional offerings and a catalog of online resources and reflective activities. BCC login required.
CTLI Suggestion and Idea Form