Success Accelerator: Fast Track to Student Success using Lumen Courseware

Community of Practice for Faculty Using Lumen Waymaker & OHM

Contact/Questions: most@usmd.edu

As you use Lumen's Waymaker or OHM courseware, you have access to a variety of unique tools to support effective teaching, learning, and student engagement. The Success Accelerator program connects you with faculty peers to share ideas and explore how to apply teaching practices that increase student success, using your courseware tools.

Through the M.O.S.T. Initiative and OnTrack, Lumen Circles Success Accelerator may be available AT NO COST to selected Maryland faculty members who are using Lumen Waymaker or OHM courseware.

Apply to participate in Success Accelerator for Spring 2021 by completing the form below.

What is Success Accelerator?

Term 1: A faster path to teaching effectively and supporting your students' success using Lumen courseware

Success Accelerator creates a virtual communities of faculty who are exploring evidence-based teaching practices using Lumen courseware to increase student success. It includes:

6-week virtual learning circle to build skills and expand your teaching practice in areas you'd like to grow
Skill-building to help you apply courseware best practices to support effective teaching in areas such as course design,
assessment, student engagement, use of data, etc.
Lumen Circles platform access to a virtual professional development community
Mentoring and support around pedagogy, learning design, effective teaching practice
Two-terms of professional education: Continue with 6-week Success Accelerator or
opt in to a 9-week Lumen Circle Fellowship the following term (see more information below)
Lumen Circles Certificate in Effective Teaching Practice

What is the Lumen Circles Experience Like for Faculty?

Here's what M.O.S.T. faculty had to say about Lumen Circles and the Success Accelerator fellowship program:

How Circles Support Faculty

Continue Developing as a Teacher

Term 2: Multiple Options to Learn and Grow

Success Accelerator provides two terms of support and professional development with a virtual community of practice. After you complete the first term Success Accelerator program, you can continue for the following term or opt into a nine-week Lumen Circles Fellowship.

Lumen Circle Fellowships extend opportunities to build and apply new teaching skills with support and feedback from a virtual peer community. Circle themes offered to Maryland faculty member through the M.O.S.T. Initiative include:

OER & Open Pedagogy
Evidence-based Teaching with Lumen Courseware

Visit this page for brief descriptions of Lumen Fellowship options.

Interested? Apply here.

Complete the form below if you're interested in Success Accelerator. We'll follow up to share more information about getting started. A limited number of seats are available, so apply now!

Lumen Circles Success Accelerator FAQ

How does the virtual learning circle work?

Lumen Circles use a purpose-built platform for professional development and community connections. Members of your circle will log into a website. On that site you'll see the members of your circle and participate in activities designed to help you explore your teaching practice, share what you're learning, and provide feedback to your peers. A facilitator helps guide circle members, or fellows, through the process.

Through weekly activities, you'll build skills, expand your understanding, apply new skills in your teaching, and reflect on how it's working for your teaching and for your students' learning. You'll also give and receive feedback from members of your virtual learning circle.

How much time does it take?

Success Accelerator sessions extend for six weeks. Lumen Circles Fellowships take place over nine weeks. When your professional development program is under way, you'll spend on average 1-2 hours per week with fellowship-related activities. Most of the time you'll work asynchronously, fitting the fellowship activities into your own schedule.

Who's in my Success Accelerator circle and how will we interact?

You'll join a virtual circle of 10-15 faculty members teaching similar disciplines, often at other institutions, along with a peer facilitator. Together you will reflect on your classroom work, connect it to evidence-based instructional practices, and provide feedback to each other. This supportive community becomes your sounding board, thought partners, and cheerleaders as you make gains in your teaching.

What do I need to participate?

You need to be teaching a class during the fellowship. You'll also need a computer or mobile device with internet access.

Who are the facilitators?

Lumen Circles facilitators are educators with a strong interest and expertise in evidence-based instruction and the circle theme - in this case, Lumen courseware. Their purpose is to guide the circle through learning and reflection as you explore, plan, and apply effective teaching practices to support your students' success.