Circles Learning

How Circles works

Every course is taken in a circle of 2 to 5 colleagues. You choose who with: join a circle or start your own.

Watch the tutorialBrowse courses

Circles at a glance

Circle size
2 to 5 people
Meetings
Live, in person or online
Each session
Designed for about 90 minutes
How it forms
Start a circle or ask to join one

What is a circle

A circle is a group of 2 to 5 colleagues who take the course together. They meet regularly, in person or online, for sessions of about 90 minutes.

At each meeting they work through a structured session together. Afterward, tutors review the group’s assignment and support it whenever it needs help.

Colored-pencil illustration of four teachers talking around a laptop

How you join a circle

Browse the circles

In the course lobby you see circles by the time they meet. Open one to see who hosts it and who is already in.

Find a colleague

Already agreed to take the course with someone? Type their name in “Search”. Or turn on “My institution only” to see circles with colleagues from your institution.

Request to join

Click “Request to Join”. The host reviews your request and accepts or declines it. You get a notification with the answer.

Start your circle

If no circle fits, start your own. Open it to anyone to get requests, or mark it “friends only” and agree on a time later.

Two ways to
run the course

Colored-pencil illustration of teachers in front of a shared wall calendar

Cohort-paced

Everyone shares the same start and end dates and the same course calendar.

  • The calendar is the same for every circle.
  • Your circle picks its meeting time.
Colored-pencil illustration of two teachers choosing a date and time with a calendar and a clock

Circle-paced

Each circle can start on a different date and follow one of the paces the course offers.

  • The host picks the start date when creating the circle.
  • The host also picks the pace, from the course’s options, and the meeting time.

See how to start
or join a circle

How your institution rolls it out

Your leadership team decides which courses each group takes, and when. Participants form their circles as usual, and can filter by “My institution only” to learn with colleagues.

  • Pass. The whole catalog with one annual contract, from 40 people.
  • Per-course licenses. Per person and per course, with volume-based pricing.
  • Your own dates. A cohort just for your institution, on the dates you set.
  • Custom course. We design a course from scratch around your goals.
  • Compass. Real-time institutional tracking, included with every plan.
See pricingBook a meeting
Three teachers working together over a sheet of paper covered in sticky notes

Frequently asked questions

Who accepts my request to join a circle?
The host, the person who started the circle. They review each request and accept or decline it. You get a notification with the answer.
Can I form a circle with just my friends?
Yes. When you start your circle, mark it “friends only”. You can agree on a meeting time later; meanwhile the circle shows up under “No time set”.
What if I can’t find a circle?
Start your own and leave it open to anyone, so other people can find it and request to join. If you still need help finding a group, write to our support team.
What does the host choose when starting a circle?
The meeting time, and whether the circle is open to anyone or friends only. In a circle-paced course, the host also picks the start date and one of the paces the course offers.
Does a tutor attend every circle meeting?
At each meeting, the circle works through a structured session together. Afterward, tutors review the group’s assignment and support it whenever it needs help.
Where can I see the status of my request?
On the web, under “Pending applications”. In the app, on the circle’s page, where you can also cancel it while you wait for an answer.

Let's talk faculty development
at your institution

We want to understand your goals. Together we'll design a program tailored to your needs.

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