Spring quarter, TLA seeks creative ways to enact change at Western

The Teaching-Learning Academy at Western Washington University, part of Western Libraries, invites anyone from the WWU community to participate in this university-wide dialog to study and enhance Western's learning environment. In addition to faculty and staff, TLA includes students (who volunteer or earn communication practicum credit), as well as a number of participants from the Bellingham community.

This year, the TLA has been studying creativity and learning and already has generated some important insights, forwarding some exciting suggestions regarding the library's creation of a Learning Commons and enhancements to the general education program. The goal for spring is to identify and build partnerships for creative institutional change.

Participants can choose from four dialog group meeting times: Wednesdays at noon or 2 p.m. in Canada House, and Thursdays at noon or 2 p.m. in the Center for Educational Equity and Diversity, located in Miller Hall Room 5. Each session officially lasts 80 minutes, but faculty and staff participants are welcome to leave early if needed and also to sit in on different groups as schedules permit.

Spring TLA dates are April 6/7, April 20/21, May 4/5, and May 18/19, plus a closing celebration (the "Academy Awards") on June 1. To find out more, visit http://www.wwu.edu/depts/tla/. To sign up for a regular group and be on the TLA listserv, email Heather Dalzell at heather.dalzell@wwu.edu.

Despite, and perhaps even inspired by, the budget restraints, the TLA collectively seeks to make Western an even better place to teach and learn.