CII Seeking Nominations for “Fostering Agency in Learning” Innovative Teaching Showcase

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CII Seeking Nominations for "Fostering Agency in Learning" Innovative Teaching Showcase

April 1, 2026

Do you or a colleague use teaching strategies that give students meaningful ownership of their learning?

The Center for Instructional Innovation (CII) is now accepting submissions for instructors whose teaching reflects this year's Innovative Teaching Showcasetheme, Fostering Agency in Learning. Anyone can nominate an instructor or faculty can submit your own work. Visit the Showcase Nomination Detailspage to learn more.

The Innovative Teaching Showcaseis an online series publication highlighting effective teaching practices. In the past 27 years, the CII has featured over 80 (and profiled nearly an additional 100) of Western's most dynamic instructors in the Showcase.

Share "Fostering Agency in Learning" Strategies

Agency complements the accessibility work faculty have advanced since the Department of Justice's final ruling on digital accessibilityand aligns with Universal Design for Learning(CAST.org) by proactively supporting student ownership of the learning process and designing multiple means of engagement, representation, and action/expression.

We are looking for faculty who are willing to share their strategies for fostering student agency in a variety of ways, such as:

• creating flexible curricula that balance student choice and instructor guidance
• designing collaborative, authentic projects or groupwork
• offering options for exploration, deliverables, and assessment methods
• developing human skills and thinking processes beyond-or alongside-AI capabilities
• using renewable/non-disposable assignments and transferable learning activities
• integrating reflection and self-assessment into coursework
• connecting student work to future professional practice

Options and Due Dates

The Nomination Formoffers the following options:

Nominate a professor

Accepting through Monday, April 13, 2026

• Anyone at Western can nominate a current faculty member.
• The CII will reach out to nominees for more information.

Self-nominate to be featured

Final due date: Monday, April 13, 2026

• Any current faculty member is eligible.
• Submission requires a full description of the strategy relating to the themeand a syllabus.
• Selected instructors will be asked to expand their materials and do an interview. See Portfolio example. Note that this year the interviews will be audio-only.

Contribute a profile

Due: no later than April 30, 2026

• Any current faculty member can alternatively submit a shorter contribution to be included in the Profiles section. See Profiles example.

Timeline

• Mid-April- selection of three featured instructors
• Mid-May- completion of features, profiles, and supporting materials
• Late May/Early June- publication of new issue

Please let us know who should be featured in this year's publication. If you are interested but unable to participate this year, we would still welcome hearing about strategies you use to foster student agency.

For more information or to discuss participation, please contact [email protected].

"Designing learning environments that support learner agency requires continually examining the relationship between educators and students and creating space for learners to make sense of content individually and collectively through interaction and reflection. Further, supporting learner agency requires recognizing dimensions of culture and identity, and examining where bias may be a barrier to learners being able to fully exercise their agency."

-Goal of UDL: Learner Agency, CAST.org