Creating Belonging and Community in Large Classes  

Teaching large-enrollment classes comes with many benefits and also poses particular challenges: managing attendance and engagement, scaffolding to meet a variety of needs, and curating a sense of belonging that promotes support, trust, and persistence. With more students comes more responsibility, as well as more opportunity to shape student success.   

The Center for Faculty Excellence is excited to offer a Summer Institute designed for instructors teaching large-enrollment courses (50+ students), with a particular focus on supporting both non-tenure track and tenure-track faculty.  

In this three-part workshop series, selected faculty members will refine practical strategies to improve student engagement, support learning across varied levels of preparation, and make your classroom a place where students feel they belong. Participants will leave with concrete active learning and metacognition strategies that they can implement in the fall semester, knowledge of campus resources to maintain student persistence, and a community of fellow large-enrollment instructors to connect with moving forward. This institute is ideal for instructors teaching large lecture or high-enrollment courses who want to improve student engagement, belonging and success; we highly encourage NTT faculty to apply and participate. 

teaching large classes

What you’ll gain by participating:

  • Learn and apply strategies that improve student learning through the development of self-reflection (metacognitive) skill
  • Improve student success and persistence at MSU by fostering a sense of belonging tofor your students 
  • Implement active learning strategies in your courses 
  • Refine or add student engagement strategies—and clearly communicate these to your students 
  • Revise assignments to better scaffold for students with different levels of preparation 
  • Build a supportive community with colleagues who understand the realities of teaching large classes 

This is a working institute through which you’ll develop concrete changes to implement in your fall 2026/spring 2027 courses. Whether you're looking to improve student engagement and participation, address concerns about persistence, or bring belonging back to the large-enrollment classroom to improve student learning, this institute will provide practical tools to rethink your teaching.   

Requirements:

Who should apply: Instructors (NTT and TT) who will be teaching courses with 50+ students. 

Time Commitment: 3 weekly workshops, ~3 hours each. Outside of workshop time, expect to spend about 2-3 hours each week on outside readings and applying what you learned to an implementation plan. Faculty will enhance their teaching practice and student success by fostering a peer community of support, implementing active learning and metacognitive strategies, promoting student belonging, and refining course engagement and assignment scaffolding. 

Dates: In-person Tuesdays, June 2nd, 9th, 16th (9:00 – 1:00 pm with lunch) and two midsemester lunches (fall 2026 & spring 2027) to check in and share progress. 

Compensation: $1,500 participant stipend, paid in two installments – one at the end of the summer and one at the end of the fall or spring. Participation in all face-to-face meetings is required for full compensation. Once participants are selected, CFE will work with Human Resources and the individual's department to determine the best structure for payment of the stipend depending on their position and in compliance with MSU’s Additional Compensation Policy. 

Credit: 6 credits towards membership in the Center and 6 credits towards the Teaching Enhancement Certificate 

How to apply: Those interested should submit an application here. 

*The use of AI is permitted in this application with transparency; if you use AI tools at any stage of your application, please include a brief disclosure of the tools used and how they contributed to your submission. Your disclosure does not impact your eligibility.  

Applications are due by May 15, 2026 

Will Institute be offered at any other time?

This is a new offering for the Center, so we cannot say whether it will be repeated or become a regular part of our programming. 

What if I have taught large classes before; Is this for new teachers?

No. Teachers at all experience levels may apply. Our hope is to develop a cohort of participants that might become an ongoing resource for one another. Prior experience with large-enrollment classes is welcome.

Is this for tenured/tenure-track or non-tenure track instructors?

This Summer Institute is intended for any faculty teaching large-enrollment courses. Tenured/tenure-track and non-tenure-track are welcome to apply.

What if I can’t attend all the sessions? Can I still apply?

Because the Institute hopes to develop a cohort of faculty who will remain a resource for one another, preference will be given to those who can participate fully in all the sessions.  Applicants who are unable to attend every meeting may still apply. Depending on the number of applications, accommodations for schedule conflicts may be possible.

What if I don’t teach classes with over 50 students? Can I still apply?

This institute is designed for instructors who teach large-enrollment classes (50+ students). All instructors are welcome to apply but priority will be given to those who teach large-enrollment classes.

What if I don't usually get my appointment until the summer? Should I call the Department Head and inquire now? 

Yes. If this Summer Institute would benefit you, your department, and the students enrolled in your large classes, please inquire of the Department Head as to your 2026-2027 appointment.

If I teach in the spring, when would I get the second half of the stipend?

The second half of the stipend will be provided to instructors after the luncheon in the semester that they have made the changes in their course.

How will the stipends be paid?

Once participants are selected, CFE will work with Human Resources and the individual's department to determine the best structure for payment of the stipend depending on their position and in compliance with MSU's Additional Compensation Policy.

If I am an instructor in a team-taught course or teaching coordinated sections, should we all apply?

You can choose to have one person represent the class or submit a team application that, if chosen, would split the $1,500 between individuals in the team. If you submit multiple individual applications, we cannot guarantee that all of them will be chosen.

We invite you to apply and join a community of instructors committed to making their classrooms more interactive, more inclusive, and more effective.  

Apply Now