Western Washington University will host its annual Showcase Learning Event this Friday, May 29, from 3 to 4:30 PM in the TLC Studio, located in College Hall 310 on the Bellingham campus. This year's theme -- "Fostering Agency in Learning" -- honors faculty members who have built genuine choice, purpose, and challenge into how their students learn, moving beyond passive instruction toward experiences that stick.
Western Washington University, with about 16,000 students on its Bellingham campus, has long placed an emphasis on innovative teaching, and the annual showcase is one of the most visible ways that commitment gets recognized. The event, organized through the Center for Community Learning, brings together faculty presenters, students, and colleagues to share what is actually working in the classroom and why.
Travis Tennessen, director of the Center for Community Learning, described the showcase's core aim: helping instructors build "real-world opportunities" for students and engage with them about their learning journeys. The goal, in his framing, is not just good course design but helping students internalize that they are capable of making a difference -- a sense of efficacy that extends well beyond the credits on their transcript.
Three faculty members are highlighted this year as featured instructors. Lauren Dudley from the Chemistry department has transformed Organic Chemistry -- widely considered one of the most daunting undergraduate courses -- through active learning, flipped instruction, metacognitive reflection, and problem-based approaches. Her work has focused on building student confidence and a sense of belonging in the sciences, fields where many students disengage when the coursework gets hard.
Christine Johnston of the History department has woven active learning, authentic research projects, bundled grading, student choice, and renewable WikiEducation assignments into her courses. The WikiEducation component is particularly notable: students contribute to publicly accessible Wikipedia articles, creating something of real-world value rather than work that disappears into a gradebook. The approach builds connections between academic inquiry and contemporary civic, ethical, and cultural questions.
Matthew Miller of the Elementary Education program has focused on what he calls structured rehearsal -- giving future teachers repeated cycles of microteaching, feedback, analysis, and revision. The goal is developing professional agency and instructional judgment, especially around culturally responsive teaching practices. Students in his courses don't just learn about how to teach; they practice being teachers in a supported environment before entering their own classrooms.
The showcase website, set to launch alongside Friday's event, includes additional faculty profiles and a broader library of teaching strategy ideas that colleagues across the university can draw from. The event is open and free to attend. For anyone working in education -- or studying to -- the afternoon is a rare chance to see teaching itself treated as a craft worth examining and improving.
More information is available through WWU News. The TLC Studio is in College Hall 310 on the main Bellingham campus. The event runs from 3 to 4:30 PM Friday, May 29.
