What are High-Impact Communities of Practice?
High-Impact Communities of Practice at RISE are collaborative groups of faculty who share a common interest or focus in specific educational approaches or subject areas. These communities serve as a platform for faculty to engage in meaningful dialogue, share resources, and collaborate on projects that enhance the educational experience at Bellevue College.
Some of These Programs Include:
The Bellevue UnderGraduate Research Group (BUGR)
That’s right: it’s pronounced “booger.” And its motto is “learning that sticks.” This community of practice is being revived after a short hiatus.
Statewide HIP-Related Communities of Practice (CoP)
The Washington Consortium for Undergraduate Research and Equity (WA CURE) is a statewide consortium funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF IUSE 2336652) that operates across the 34 community and technical colleges in Washington State (WA).
Their approach integrates undergraduate research within a regular course format, which they call Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). CUREs are considered high-impact practices for student success and provide community and technical colleges with the ability to overcome many of the institutional and structural barriers to implementing undergraduate research at primarily undergraduate and under-resourced colleges.
Starting in September 2025, WA CURE is hosting a CoP so faculty can informally explore best practices, share curriculum, connect to research opportunities, build community, and connect across WA State CTCs.
The WA CURE “Get Involved” page has more information about their CoP, how to join the WA CURE Academy, and how to contribute to their repository of open access materials.