Students participate in the TLA in a number of different ways. Most students enroll in one of several courses and participate in the TLA as part of their coursework, including through Communication 322, Communication 339, Education 109, and other courses as well. Students can also participate in the TLA through the new A.S. Student Voices Club. Additionally, many students participate on a volunteer basis. Communication 322: Civil Discourse As Interactive Learning This course explores the nature of civil discourse and provides instruction and practice in writing and speaking across differences for a range of public audiences in an effort to enhance the collective good. By focusing on the theory and practice of civil discourse as a means for accomplishing effective dialogue, students will develop concepts, attitudes, and skills needed to be engaged learners and citizens in the campus community and beyond. Course requires two practicum experiences including participation in Western's Teaching-Learning Academy (TLA), a campus-wide dialogue forum on teaching and learning which includes students, faculty, and staff who are working collectively to enhance the University learning environment. For more information, contact instructor Carmen Werder. Communication 339: Practicum in Applied Communications In response to the request by a number of graduates of Communication 322 who have participated in the Teaching-Learning Academy and want to continue, as well as to accommodate students who want to participate in the TLA for credit, students may earn practicum credit through Communication 339.  In addition to joining the TLA dialogue for five hours each quarter, practicum students also engage in oral and written communication tasks related to action projects that originate in the TLA.  For example, a group of practicum students have worked on a project to map activities involving students in community-based learning experiences through the Center for Service-Learning.  Other practicum students have worked to advance upper-class student mentoring opportunities, as well as to create a virtual teaching and learning commons, both action items that have emerged frequently in TLA dialogue.  For more information about current practicum opportunites, contact instructor Carmen Werder. Education 109: Explorations in the Scholarship of Teaching This course is a survey of concepts foundational to effective teaching and learning from various academic disciplines: history, natural science, sociology, psychology, political theory, communication arts and law. It explores the interdependent and synergistic relationship between these various disciplines and the scholarship of teaching and learning. During the 2007-2008 academic year, learners enrolled in the class will engage in a collaborative research project exploring student perceptions on the presence and importance of effective teaching and learning traits in Western's GUR classes. For more information, contact instructor William Lay. Student Voices Club Student Voices for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is a new AS club at Western. The club was inspired by the Teaching-Learning Academy (TLA) and its promotion of a non-hierarchal atmosphere encouraging open dialogue. As a club they will integrate student voices into all levels of Western's community through engaged learning, lively dialogue and supported leadership roles throughout campus. Among their activities they will attend the TLA meetings held every other week and co-host the Festival of Scholarship conference at Western in the spring of 2008. If you would like more information about this club and/or you are interested in joining please contact Whitney Dunbar.

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