FACULTY LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) bring faculty together to work on projects of mutual interest1. This coming year, we offer several new FLC opportunities. Each FLC consists of a facilitator and a group of 8-12 faculty. The groups meet over the course of a semester or year, working on either collaborative or parallel projects. At the conclusion of an FLC, a product that can be publicly shared typically results. Most communities are cross-disciplinary and utilize technological means of communication to enhance face-to-face gatherings.

Facilitators receive a professional development allocation of $250 per semester. Participants receive $100 in professional development funds per semester. The FLC also enjoys a budget of up to $250 per semester for supplies, books, meals, etc. The FLCs are supported by the staff of the Pew FTLC as described in the application materials. Each FLC has its own application deadline, so read below for additional details.
 

Fall 2011 - Winter 2012 Learning Communities

New Faculty

Facilitators: Christine Rener, Patty Bolea, Pew FTLC

Description: Small groups of new faculty meet every other week with a Pew FTLC staff member. Articles on a variety of teaching and learning topics serve as the basis for the discussions. Topics include:

Learner-centered teaching
Creating significant learning experiences and curriculum design
Student motivation
Active learning strategies
Academic integrity and academic standards
Helping students assess their learning
Liberal education and the mission of GVSU
Leading class discussions: in-class and online
Rubrics and providing feedback to students
Navigating academic culture, goal-setting, and overload avoidance
Interpretation of student course evaluations

For additional details, or to register, please contact Christine Rener at renerc@gvsu.edu.
 

Every Fourth Friday: Mid-Career Women Faculty

Facilitator: Dana Munk, Pew FTLC

Description: This Learning Community is designed to bring together tenured female faculty from multiple disciplines,who are at the rank of associate or full professor, to exchange ideas and explore experiences as university faculty. Discussions will focus on issues related to scholarship, teaching, and service for women faculty who are mid-career and seeking camaraderie and support as they navigate their futures in higher education. This community will draw upon the experiences of participants in addition to research on gender, teaching, and women in academe.  Participants will work together to write the next “chapter’ in their careers.
 
This opportunity is limited to 15 participants. Please contact ftlc@gvsu.edu or 616-331-3498 to reserve a spot by September 9, 2011.
 
Meetings will be held on the following Fridays 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (schedule is tentative and could change as agreed on by participants). Location TBA
 
September 23, 2011
October 21, 2011
November 18, 2011
December 16. 2011
January 13. 2012
February 10. 2012
March 16, 2012
April 13, 2012
 

Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Facilitator: Christine Rener, Pew FTLC

Description: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is methodologically rigorous, evidence-based research about student learning in higher education. The methods and results, often transferable to other disciplines, are distinguished from scholarly teaching by virtue of being subject to peer review and disseminated to the Academy. Whether you are at the beginning stages of moving from scholarly teaching into SoTL or are seeking support for an existing SoTL project, this learning community will connect you with practice and practitioners at GVSU and beyond.

To apply, submit via email to Christine Rener (renerc@gvsu.edu) answers to the following questions:

  1. What do you believe you can gain from participating in this FLC?
  2. What do you think you can contribute to the group?
  3. What are the questions or issues you are most interested in learning about?

Application deadline: Monday, December 19.

 

Social Justice in the Curriculum

Facilitator: Regina McClinton, Director, Intercultural Competence and Experience Certificate Program

Description:What do we value in education?  So often in creating one’s curriculum one considers the information that students must learn, without considering the characteristics of the people being taught, what we are teaching about people, and how what we are teaching affects and influences those being taught. By intentionally evaluating one’s curriculum, one can create a course that is inclusive in its content, dialogue, and interactions, both short and long term. This Learning Community is a one-year commitment to creating and implementing curricula that fuses the moral aspects of teaching with the intellectual. The first half of the year will be devoted to learning about social justice, its role in education and how to revise one’s curriculum.  The second half is focused on implementation of the revised curriculum with support from the learning community.  Participants will work in small and large groups, with both in-seat and online components, and will produce a scholarly work on the process.

To apply, submit the following to renerc@gvsu.edu:

  1. Name, department, contact information
  2. Career stage: non-tenure track, pre-tenure, tenured (mid-career) or tenured (late-career)
  3. Number of years teaching at GVSU
  4. Number of years teaching previous to GVSU
  5. Why do you which to participate in this FLC?
  6. How do you see your participation benefiting you or your students?
  7. We are considering two formats for this FLC: Winter-Summer-Fall [with summer being used for curriculum development at one’s own pace], and Fall-Winter.  Which semester would you be interested in starting were you to participate in this FLC: Winter 2012, Fall 2012, or Winter 2013?

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Regina McClinton at mcclintr@gvsu.edu ,or Christine Rener at renerc@gvsu.edu.

Application deadline: Monday, December 19.

 

Critical Thinking

Facilitator: TBD

Description: Join a group of faculty interested in crafting classroom experiences, assignments, and assessments that help students develop critical thinking. A text provided to each participant will be "Teaching for Critical Thinking: Tools and Techniques to Help Students Question Their Assumptions," a brand new book by Stephen Brookfield. Research findings from a range of fields will be reviewed and experiences shared. Participants will benefit from peer review of and support over the course of the Winter 2012 and Spring/Summer 2012 or Fall 2012 semesters.

To apply, submit via email to Christine Rener (renerc@gvsu.edu) answers to the following questions:

  1. What do you believe you can gain from participating in this FLC?
  2. What do you think you can contribute to the group?
  3. What are the questions or issues you are most interested in learning about?

Application deadline: Monday, December 19.
 

Collaborative Learning

Facilitator: TBD
 
Description: Join a group of faculty interested in crafting classroom experiences, assignments, and assessments related to collaborative learning. Questions the group may tackle include: How best to structure collaborative learning activities? In what ways do students need assistance in navigating the collaborative learning environment? What does teaching and learning literature suggest regarding instructor-, peer-, and self-assessments? What are best practices in balancing individual student accountability, group processes, and group products?
 

To apply, submit via email to Christine Rener (renerc@gvsu.edu) answers to the following questions:

  1. What do you believe you can gain from participating in this FLC?

  2. What do you think you can contribute to the group?

  3. What are the questions or issues you are most interested in learning about?

Application deadline: Monday, December 19.

 

Gender Identity and Expression in the Classroom

Facilitator: Danielle DeMuth, Women and Gender Studies

Description: This faculty learning community (FLC) will be comprised of a group of faculty working over the course of the Winter 2012 semester to consider best practices in creating inclusive and supportive classroom environments for students in line with GVSU’s policy of non-discrimination based on gender-expression and identity. 

Faculty will (a) review scholarship on best practices for supporting transgender and gender non-conforming students in learning environments; (b) use data from the myGVSU Climate Study and consult with current students to determine areas of concern in the GVSU classroom and (c) create supporting materials for dissemination aimed at helping faculty create an inclusive classroom climate for students of all gender identities and expression.

We are especially interested in working with faculty from across the university in multiple disciplines working in a range of classroom formats—from large lecture to small discussion to lab courses, introductory level surveys to capstone courses, etc.

Tentative meeting dates are the following Fridays from 11a.m.-1 p.m.:  Jan. 27, Feb. 24, March 23, and April 20.

To apply, submit the following via email to Dana Munk, munkd@gvsu.edu:

1. Name, department, contact information
2. Career stage: non-tenured, tenured (mid-career) or tenured (late career)
3. Why do you wish to participate in this FLC?

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Danielle DeMuth at demuthd@gvsu.edu or Dana Munk at munkd@gvsu.edu. Participants will be paid a stipend of $100.

Application deadline is Friday, January 6, 2012.

 

2012 - 2013 Learning Communities

Service Learning

Facilitator: Patty Bolea, Pew FTLC

Description: Faculty interested in developing service learning projects in their courses, or developing new courses can come together to review pedagogical foundations of service learning as well as practical issues. Faculty will have the opportunity to examine literature related to civic engagement, high impact learning experiences, and transformative learning theory to inform their work.

Application information will be available in May, 2012.

 

 
 
1Want to learn more about Faculty Learning Communities? Consider these sources:
 
(1) Merlot video series on FLCs
 
(2) "What is a Faculty and Professional Learning Community," Miami University
 
(3) "Exploring Faculty Learning Communities: Building Connections among Teaching, Learning, and Technology," International Journal of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, 20(1): 51-58, 2008.