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Announcing FLC Initative for 2012-2013!!

 

Fostering Student Engagement with Reading Course Materials

LGBTQ Issues

Service Learning

Story Telling in Teaching

Using Mobile Technology to Engage Students

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2011-2012 Faculty and Professional Learning Communities (FLCs) Announced!

1. Increasing Student Success through Early Exposure to Undergraduate Research

Facilitator: Marina Cetkovic-Cvrlje

Participants: Marina Cetkovic-Cvrlje (Biological Sciences), Latha Ramakrishnan (Chemistry and Physics), Kelly M. Branam, and Shumona Dasgupta

Meeting Dates:

FALL CONVOCATION MEETINGS:

• Thursday, August 18, 2011: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
• Friday, August 19, 2011: 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

FALL and SPRING MEETINGS: Tuesdays, 5:30 to 7:30 once every three weeks

• FALL: August 30, September 20, October 11, November 8, 29, and if needed, December 13.
• SPRING: January 17, February 14, 28, March 13, April 3, 24, more if needed for preparation for national conference or publication, etc.

Objectives:  Inquiry is the basis of scientific knowledge and engaged learning involves a process of inquiry. However undergraduate research tends to be included in the curriculum typically at the senior or junior level. Early (freshmen/sophomore) exposure to hand-on research activities can be transformative, and this is especially true for women and minorities. The objective of this FLC is to investigate how faculty can expose students early in their undergraduate experience to hands on research activities and assess their academic success in a variety of disciplines.

2. Using Collaborative Learning to Advance Critical Thinking in Students

Co-Facilitators: Cath Stilwell, Ajaykumar Panicker

Participants: Cath Stilwell, Ajaykumar Panicker, Susan H. Motin (LRTS), Jane E. Minnema, Patricia Hauslein, Garth Harris, Diana Rehling, Cindy Gruwell, Rachel Wexelbaum, Matthew S. Vorell, Steven Ratliff

Meeting Dates:

FALL CONVOCATION TRAININGS:

• Thursday, August 18, 2011: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.,                                     
• Friday, August 19, 2011: 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

FALL and SPRING MEETINGS:  Mondays, 5:30 to 7:30 once every three weeks

• FALL: August 29, September 19, October 10, November 7, 28, December 12, if needed.
• SPRING: January 23, February 20, March 12, April 2, 23, and more if needed for publication or preparation for national conference

Objectives:    Critical thinking may be defined as asking questions and questioning the answers. It can effectively enhance pedagogical practice particularly when applied in the context of collaborative learning. Collaborative learning is an educational approach to teaching and learning that involves groups of learners working together to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product. The objectives of this FLC are:

• to explore ways to advance critical thinking processes among students by drawing on tools of collaborative learning, and
• to investigate ways of promoting self-reflection among students particularly regarding their roles as active agents in collaborative learning.

3. Online Learning

Facilitator: William Cook

Participants: William Cook, Kristin Gulrud, Jan Kircher, Cath Stilwell April Rapp, David Switzer, Tracy l. Anderson, Janet Salk,

Meeting Dates:

FALL CONVOCATION MEETINGS:

• Thursday, August 18, 2011: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.,
• Friday, August 19, 2011: 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. During the Friday workshop each of the FLCs will begin the process of community building and goal setting to prepare for the upcoming meetings. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

FALL and SPRING MEETINGS: Tuesdays, 5:30 to 7:30 once every three weeks

• FALL: August 30, September 20, October 11, November 8, 29, and if needed, December 13.
• SPRING: January 17, February 14, 28, March 13, April 3, 24, more if needed for preparation for national conference or publication, etc.

Objectives: Development of online curricula is a current emphasis in higher education.  Online courses offer flexibility to students to progress in university degree programs and simultaneously support themselves outside of class.  This is especially needed today when there is an increasing number of non-traditional students who are balancing jobs, families and school, and traditional students who are increasingly experiencing the economic necessity of maintaining significant job responsibilities beyond coursework.  Additionally online instruction serves an increasing population of current professionals includes those who need to enroll in courses for job retraining or licensing.  The objective of this FLC is to develop pedagogy and assessment practices for online learning

4. Infusing service learning at a course and program level

Facilitator:   Isolde Mueller

Participants:    Isolde Mueller Mitch Bender, Gretchen Huwe, Adam Klepetar, Ann Finan

Meeting Dates:

FALL CONVOCATION MEETINGS:

• Thursday, August 18, 2011: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.,
• Friday, August 19, 2011: 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. During the Friday workshop each of the FLCs will begin the process of community building and goal setting to prepare for the upcoming meetings. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

FALL and SPRING MEETINGS: To be announced.

Objectives: To look at service learning at a course level, as well as review existing service learning components in courses, refine and develop service components with regard to usage of service learning and community engagement throughout the program. Research best practices of service learning and community engagement in respective academic areas, also research use of various community based learning forms such as ( volunteering, service learning, activism) with regard to the role in a program, matching them to cognitive and social development of students in their college career.

5. Learning and the Brain

For more details, go to Learning and the Brain

For details on 2010-2011 Faculty and Professional Learning Communities, please click on

FLC 2010-2011

Background Information

 

Definition of FLC

Milton Cox (2004) defined Faculty and Professional Learning Communities (FLCs) as “ cross disciplinary faculty and staff groups of six to fifteen members (eight to twelve is the recommended size) who engage in an active, collaborative, yearlong program with a curriculum about enhancing teaching and learning with frequent seminars and activities that provide learning, development, the scholarship of teaching, and community building” (pp. 8).

Expectations for Faculty and Professional Learning Communities

The most important thing to remember is that FLCs are intended to provide a supportive structure for whatever faculty currently do in relation to their professional development plans, not in addition to it. For instance, if a faculty member’s goal is to investigate the impact of an instructional strategy on the students taking a course, the FLC is expected to provide a supportive community of colleagues who have a similar goal.

True to their definition,

• FLCs must meet on a regular schedule throughout the school year. 
• Every FLC has a facilitator who is also a participant.  FLC Facilitators meet regularly with other FLC facilitators and the CETL director to keep in contact, share ideas, and work through challenges as they arrive.
• FLCs must have a strong sense of community.  Without that an FLC is no different than a series of independent faculty workshops.
• FLCs must create a well-defined goal or goals culminating in a final project, completed within one academic year after which the group may continue to meet informally or formally.

Ideally projects are:

• Interdisciplinary, related to teaching and learning.
• Publish-able in an appropriate public platform:  a scholarly journal, a conference at a national, regional or local level, or even at SCSU as a technical report.
• Reflective of qualitative and quantitative inquiry – anchored in existing research, rigorous, peer reviewed, etc.

Support from CETL for FLC projects:

We are very committed to supporting the FLCs in their work.  Here are some things we could do for you:

• Help with locating mentors from among faculty to work with you.
• Provide refreshments during FLC meetings
• Provide or find funds in the university for supplies and resources such as software, books, speakers, etc.
• Provide or help you find funds for travel to a teaching/learning workshop or conference.
• Work with supervisors to ensure faculty get credit for this work in their retention, tenure, promotion process.