aerial view of Western's campus at night facing northwest, with golden lights surrounded by dark trees

'Fostering Agency in Learning' showcase learning event set for May 29

From left, Lauren Dudley (Chemistry), Christine Johnston (History), and Matthew Miller (Elementary Education) are featured in 2026's Fostering Agency in Learning-themed Showcase.

This year's Fostering Agency in Learning-themed Showcase seeks to honor faculty who create opportunities for students to exercise choice, purpose, and challenge in their paths toward engaged, meaningful learning. These practices also reduce barriers, introduce authentic experiences, and strengthen students' capacity to learn how to learn. 

While interviewing with Travis Tennessen (director of the Center for Community Learning) about the Showcase theme, Travis described how essential it is for instructors to incorporate strategies that support student agency: 

“I think faculty come with a passion for fostering agency and learning for their students. [They are] building real-world opportunities for them… dialoging with them about what kind of learning journey they're on… trying to shape the class activities and the projects that they're doing to meet that journey. … That's the core of what we're trying to do: help people learn how to make a difference and experience that in themselves and know that they're capable of doing that in the future.”

The new Showcase web publication is set to release in time for the Showcase Learning Event. Join us on Fri., May 29, any time between 3-4:30 PM, in the TLC Studio (College Hall 310) to learn from and celebrate the work of this year’s featured instructors:

  • Lauren Dudley (Chemistry) transforms Organic Chemistry through active learning, flipped instruction, metacognitive reflection, and problem-based learning to build student confidence and belonging in science.
  • Christine Johnston (History) examines how active learning, authentic research projects, bundled grading, student choice, and renewable WikiEducation assignments foster deep engagement, critical thinking, and connections to contemporary ethical, cultural, and civic questions.
  • Matthew Miller (Elementary Education) explores how structured rehearsal, microteaching, collaborative projects, reflective practice, and student choice help future educators develop professional agency, instructional judgment, and culturally responsive teaching through cycles of teaching, analysis, feedback, and revision.

The event and the website include many more teaching strategy ideas, including “profiles” of strategies from additional WWU instructors, podcast-style interviews, books, and more. For more information, visit http://www.wwu.edu/showcase or contact Justina Brown at (360) 650-7210 or via e-mail at Justina.Brown@wwu.edu.