Welcome to the Lab and Design Community of Practice!
We are a community of educators who teach lab, design, studio, and project-based courses in STEM.
Our goal is simple: to improve experiential learning through collaboration, shared resources, and practical ideas you can use right away.
Whether you are trying something new or refining an established course, this is a space to connect, learn, and grow with others who share your interests.
What We Do
We bring educators together to:
- Share teaching strategies that work in real classrooms
- Exchange course materials and tools
- Discuss challenges and explore solutions
- Learn from diverse perspectives across institutions
Our conversations are informal, practical, and focused on what you can take back and use immediately.
Current Topics
- Digital Accessibility
- Team contracts and accountability
- KEEN’s 3Cs (Curiosity, Connections, Creating Value)
- Fostering inclusive learning environments
- Reflection and metacognition
- Emerging tools (including AI in teaching)
- And new ideas from our members
Why Join
By participating, you can:
- Gain ready-to-use ideas and templates
- Get feedback on your teaching challenges
- Connect with colleagues across institutions
- Stay engaged with evolving practices in experiential learning
Join our CoP
Since we formed in 2020, we have noticed a growing interest in joining our Community of Practice. We currently have two options: on-campus at the University of Illinois and Virtual. The on-campus CoP is for educators at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and events are primarily in-person on or near campus. The virtual CoP is open ot educators at colleges and universities across the United States.
