Past Faculty Learning Communities (2018-2019)


Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) bring faculty together to foster a 1-2 semester-long conversation on a topic of mutual interest and encourage an application of the knowledge gained.  Each FLC consists of a facilitator and a group of at least four faculty.  If you are interested in registering for an FLC, simply apply for an Faculty Learning Community Participation Grant in the Grant System.  All faculty are eligible to apply, unless otherwise noted.  Visit our Faculty Learning Community Grant Webpage for more information.  

If you are interested in forming or leading a Faculty Learning Community for the current or upcoming academic year, complete a Faculty Learning Community Letter of Intent Form.  Looking for inspiration?  Visit our Past Faculty Learning Communities webpage to see a complete list (with descriptions) of FLCs from past academic years.

Don't take our word for it.  Watch this short video in which GVSU faculty are interviewed about the impact participating in a Pew FTLC Faculty Learning Community had on them.  We couldn't ask for better ambassadors for this fantastic program!

Why join an FLC?--Highlights and interviews with GVSU faculty who have participated in an FLC previously


2018 - 2019 Faculty Learning Community (FLC) List

Click on the title of any Faculty Learning Community listed below to be brought to specific information about that particular FLC.

*Indicates the Faculty Learning Community is a Sponsored Project.


FLC FACILITATOR  RESOURCES

Are you facilitating an FLC this term?  A multitude of FLC Facilitator Resources can be found here!


SPONSORED PROJECT FLCs


First Year Learning Community

Fall 2018—Winter 2019 (Year-long) 

How can we design and deliver paired courses for first-year students as part of the First Year Learning Community Pilot program?

A Faculty Learning Community for faculty teaching paired courses as part of the First Year Learning Community (1YLC) in the Holton-Hooker Learning and Living Center (HHLLC). This FLC brings together faculty from a range of disciplines with a common goal of creating a unique learning environment for first-year students at GVSU.  The integrative learning that is possible by virtue of teaching connected courses in HHLLC takes intentionality and planning; support and resources will focus faculty attention on literature best practices and allow time for advance planning of course-course as well as curriculum-co-curriculum connections. Data about the student and faculty perceptions of these unique linked courses will be collected to inform future work in this area. The First-year Learning Community Connected Courses are described further on the Admissions website

***As this is a pilot program, participation in this FLC is by invitation only.***

Digital Badge:  To earn a badge associated with this Faculty Learning Community and for more information about the FacultyBadges@GVSU Initiative, visit the First-Year Learning Community site.

Meeting Time/Dates: TBD

Location/Campus: Allendale Campus

Facilitator: Thomas Pentecost, Pew FTLC Faculty Fellow, p[email protected], (616) 331-3498

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.

Please note that as this is a pilot program, participation in this FLC is by invitation only.


Inclusive Excellence Next

Fall 2018—Winter 2019 (Year-long)

What comes next in creating an inclusive learning environment?

The purpose of this learning community is to foster strategic, collaborative and creative inquiry in an interdisciplinary group of faculty as a means of advancing Inclusive Excellence at the unit, college, and/or university level.  Faculty will identify "what is next" relevant to their role(s) on campus, then collectively explore strategies, solutions, and best practices which fortify current inclusive excellence efforts.  Projects could include (but are not limited to) curricular change, inclusive climate strategies (mentoring, personnel, collegiality, etc.), strategic vision and action planning, community engagement, civic learning, global education, and integration of scholarship of teaching and learning.  Participants will develop resource materials which can be disseminated both internally and externally via the Pew FTLC website, workshops, conferences, and/or publication.

Digital Badge:  To earn a badge associated with this Faculty Learning Community and for more information about the FacultyBadges@GVSU Initiative, visit the Inclusive Excellence Next site.

Meeting Time/Dates: TBD

Location/Campus:  Allendale Campus

Facilitator: Dana Munk, Pew FTLC Faculty Fellow and Professor Movement Science, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.


New Faculty Teaching Institute

Fall 2018

This learning community is a continuation of the two-day New Faculty Teaching Institute in August and will focus on both face-to-face and online course strategies.  Participants will continue to develop their teaching by participating in a Mid-Semester Interview about Teaching (MIT) and/or peer classroom observation, and attending one group meeting during the semester.  Upon completion of the semester, faculty will be asked to submit a brief written reflection/evaluation of their experience. 

Meeting Time/Dates/Location: TBA

Facilitator: Dana Munk, [email protected], 331-8539

Note: All faculty participants will have attended the 2018 New Faculty Teaching Institute.

Digital Badge:  To earn a badge associated with this Faculty Learning Community and for more information about the FacultyBadges@GVSU Initiative, visit our FacultyBadges@GVSU website.


STEM-Health

Fall 2018—Winter 2019 (Year-long)

How can faculty teaching gateway courses for STEM and Health students incorporate research-based active learning strategies in their classrooms?

A faculty learning community for faculty teaching gateway courses in the STEM-Health fields.  This FLC will provide faculty with the necessary background and implementation support necessary to incorporate more active learning strategies in their lecture meetings.  Faculty that are focused on student success and that regularly teach gateway courses for STEM-Health majors will be invited to participate.  During the fall semester the faculty will participate in a biweekly discussion of readings about research-based active learning techniques, with the goal of selecting and planning for the use of at least one technique in their winter course.  During the winter the FLC will evaluate the use of the active learning strategies for their impact on student understanding and the classroom climate.

Digital Badge:  To earn a badge associated with this Faculty Learning Community and for more information about the FacultyBadges@GVSU Initiative, visit our FacultyBadges@GVSU website.

Meeting Time/Dates:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Allendale Campus

Facilitator: Thomas Pentecost, Pew FTLC Faculty Fellow, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.


FACULTY LEARNING COMMUNITIES


Active Learning Classrooms in Nursing Education

Fall 2018—Winter 2019 (Year-long)

How might the use of more active learning strategies enhance the learning of nursing students in the classroom?

The complex and dynamic health care system and practice environments require equally profound changes in the education of nursing students.  According to the research, few educational interventions can match the power of active learning when it comes to improving student academic outcomes, as measured by achievement and engagement.  Although active learning is generally defined as any instructional method that engages students in the learning process, there is no universally accepted definition.  Active learning has received considerable attention over the past years.  Various instructional methods and strategies effect various learning outcomes and assessments. All are difficult to measure as we clarify what is being studied and how outcomes are measured and interpreted.  The literature and research are complicated and should stimulate faculty to think about teaching and learning in nontraditional ways.

Active learning requires students to do meaningful learning activities and thinking about what they are doing, metacognitively.  Active learning encompasses learning styles, teaching strategies, and formative assessments.  By design, flipped and active learning environments offer continuous opportunities to assess learning.  These are the topics that will be discussed, researched, and analyzed in this FLC.

Learning Objectives:

  • Nursing faculty in the FLC will learn about and try 2-4 new teaching strategies during the year 2018-19.
  • Nursing faculty will share teaching strategies that have worked or have not worked and gain support from each other to continue making their classrooms more active.

 

NOTE:  This FLC is limited to faculty in the Kirkhof College of Nursing

Meeting Dates/Times:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Health Campus

Facilitator:  Nancy Schoofs, Nursing, [email protected]

Co-facilitator:  Susan Harrington, Nursing, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.

NOTE:  This FLC is limited to faculty in the Kirkhof College of Nursing


Addressing Equity through High- Leverage Teaching Practices

Winter 2019

How might the enactment of a specific high-leverage teaching practice create a more equitable learning experience for all students?

Grounded in research about the effectiveness of high-leverage practices (Ball& Forzani, 2009; McDonald, Kazemi, & Kavanagh, 2013), and based on the premise that little that happens in the teaching and learning cycle is equity neutral, this community will explore the complexity of specific teaching practices and the extent to which these practices can facilitate equity or inequity in the classroom depending on the way they are enacted. Practices such as leading a classroom discussion, eliciting and interpreting student thinking, setting up and managing small group work, setting up norms and routines for discourse, or other practices as selected by the community will be analyzed through an equity lens. Additionally, participants will consider how they will, in turn, teach these practices to novice teacher candidates through the use of pedagogies such as rehearsals and huddles and support their equitable implementation with children and youth. Participants in this FLC will:

  • Demonstrate how the intentional use of particular high-leverage teaching practices can provide equitable or inequitable opportunities for learners.
  • Analyze and decompose common high-leverage teaching practices for the sake of teaching novice teacher candidates.
  • Explore preparation pedagogies such as rehearsals and huddles and create shared resources for teaching particular high-leverage teaching practices to novice teachers and with a focus on equity issues  

 

NOTE: This FLC is limited to faculty in the College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences who teach teacher preparation courses.

Meeting Dates/Times:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Allendale and Pew Grand Rapids Campuses

Facilitator:  Paula Lancaster, Education- Teaching and Learning, [email protected]

Co-facilitator:  Lisa Perhamus, Education - Educational Foundations, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.

NOTE:  This FLC is limited to faculty in the College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences who teach teacher preparation courses.


Beautiful Questions: How Powerful Questions Help You Decide, Create, Connect and Lead

Winter 2019

How can the act of questioning help guide us to smart decisions in the face of uncertainty?

Questioning helps us identify and solve problems, discover new ideas, and facilitate learning.  Participants in this learning community will read the book: The Book of Beautiful Questions: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, Create, Connect, and Lead.  This book is a follow-up to the book, A More Beautiful Question, and provides concrete strategies and scenarios to help us incorporate more beautiful questions into our daily work and teaching.  Through discussions on shared readings and personal examples, we will grow together as we develop questioning habits that allow us to better communicate and connect with our colleagues and students.

Participants in this FLC will:

  • develop a questioning habit through reading the book and working through practice scenarios and questions
  • be able to identify the five "enemies of questioning" and learn strategies to combat them

Meeting Dates/Times:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Allendale and Pew Grand Rapids Campuses

Facilitator:  Ashley Rosener, University Libraries, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.

 


Beginning with Mindfulness - a New Way of Being

Spring/Summer 2019

How can mindfulness meditation reduce stress and anxiety and help you to be happier at work?

Experiencing burnout and stress? Mindfulness meditation is a valuable stress management techniques, that has been shown to improve both physical and emotional well-being. In this FLC, participants will have the opportunity to learn about and participate in mindfulness meditation practice. Through reading and discussion, simple tools and techniques will be introduced that can help provide greater satisfaction, focus, and peace of mind. Participants will read Real Happiness at Work (Sharon Salzberg, 2014) and The Healing Power of Mindfulness (Jon Kabat-Zinn, 2018).

Participants will:

  • Learn about and explore the benefits of mindfulness meditation practice
  • Develop and deepen their personal mindfulness meditation practice
  • Practice applying mindfulness methods to every aspect of work life
  • Share ideas and form connections with other  professional colleagues who share an interest in exploring mindfulness meditation practice

Meeting Dates//Times: TBD

Location/Campus: Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Facilitator: Martina Reinhold, Physician Assistant Studies, [email protected]

Interested? You can register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.


Classroom Engagement Through Gameful Thinking

Winter 2019

How might gamification of classroom activities and semester-long gameful design increase engagement of students and that of the instructor?

The FLC will facilitate faculty collaboration to gain insight about immersive feedback environments and redirecting failure into a progress indicator.  Juul submits that we play games to seek out failure (Juul, 2013).  Humans desire the feeling of competence and success, but only when it feels deserved. Games create the environment, where grunt work, or skill practice, allow the player to have a good relationship with failure.  Games create the feeling that we are escaping failure, escaping inadequacy, by continually trying to get better at the task.  This behavior is fundamental to learning, so it is of no surprise that playing games has been found beneficial to learning (Granic, Lobel, & Engels, 2014).  Structuring assignments and other course activities into gamified environments further promotes student and faculty engagement.  Active learning techniques are a short game approach, which can be complemented by long game mechanics such as grades, Blackboard digital badges, and experience points.  This FLC will review current gamification peer-reviewed research as well as evaluate tools to facilitate adoption of gameful design for college courses.  Adoption of specific digital tools allows for gamification of large enrollment introductory courses (Machajewski, 2017). 

FLC Participants will:

  • Compare current research on gamification in education
  • Evaluate digital and analog tools for facilitation of learning games
  • Experience gamified learning activities

Meeting Time/Dates: TBD

Location/Campus:  Allendale Campus

Facilitator:   Szymon Machajewski, Computing and Information Systems, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.


A Design Thinking Approach to Well-Being

Winter 2019

How might we use Design Thinking to create a culture that minimizes stress and burnout for our students?

Design thinking is often described as creative, collaborative and problem-solving. In this Faculty Learning Community, we will use the methods and mindsets associated with design thinking to consider ways to mitigate student stress that occurs in college and the workplace. In particular, we will use the book, Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-lived, Joyful Life by Burnett and Evans. Using our own life as a testing ground, we will work through the exercises in the book and in the last sessions discuss how we might invite our students to design their life in order to relax, reinvigorate, and study what they love. Participants will apply design thinking methods and mindsets to improve their academic life and in turn improve the lives of their students.

 

Digital Badge:  To earn a badge associated with this Faculty Learning Community and for more information about the FacultyBadges@GVSU Initiative, visit our FacultyBadges@GVSU website.

Meeting Dates/Times:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Allendale Campus Group/Section

Location/Campus: Health Campus Group/Section

Interested?  You register for either section of this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.


Early Reading Research

Winter 2019

As we embark on developing a new PK-3 Grade band Major for Teaching, what should the early literacy classes encompass?

This FLC engages English Education and Literacy Studies faculty in preparation for the new Grade Band Curriculum.  We will begin with a focus on the "science of reading," for emergent readers by engaging in a close study of the most recent neuroscience research on reading.  We will adopt a critical perspective to assure not to develop a dichotomous program of hard/soft science of reading.

Participants in this FLC will:

  • Collectively read and analyze 2 books and related articles on the latest research into the neuroscience of reading instruction for young children
  • Collaboratively agree upon some shared values about the research in the context of children's literature.  In other words, we will work to come to some agreement on how we can integrate the science of reading with the art of literature to best prepare.
  • Consider the neuroscience research in upper elementary and even adolescent readers, and to evaluate if our upper-level courses need to change.

NOTE: This FLC is open to faculty in the English and Literacy Studies programs only.

Meeting Time/Dates: TBD

Location/Campus:  Allendale Campus

Facilitator:   Amy Masko, English, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.

NOTE: This FLC is open to faculty in the English and Literacy Studies programs only.


Expansion of Pedagogy Using Design Thinking in a Simulation Setting

Fall 2018

How might we create medically based vignettes and case studies using the problem-solving process of design thinking and implement them in the simulation lab?

Buoyed by the success in writing a medical related case study using the design thinking process in the Winter of 2018, this group is looking to expand the design thinking problem solving process with a case in the simulation lab.  Using standardized patients (SP) to build empathy, the case will disclose attitudes and values of the end user as the case develops. The case will continue to develop using design, iteration, and prototyping.  The actual case will be tested with an interdisciplinary group of students in the simulation lab.

FLC participants will:

  • Adapt the Design Thinking Process to a new pedagogy: Simulation
  • Collaborate as an interdisciplinary FLC in development of the medical case study, answer key, and teaching notes (including SP instructions)
  • Submit the final project for publication and presentation

 

NOTE:  This FLC is limited to participants of the Winter 2018 Using the Power of Design Thinking in the Classroom: Universal Methods of Design Faculty Learning Community

Meeting Days/Times:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Health Campus

Facilitator: Jody Vogelzang, Allied Health Sciences, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.

NOTE:  This FLC is limited to participants of the Winter 2018 Using the Power of Design Thinking in the Classroom: Universal Methods of Design Faculty Learning Community


Improving Faculty Advising for Undergraduate Students

Fall 2018—Winter 2019 (Year-long)

What are the best practices for faculty advising undergraduate students?

All faculty are expected to advise undergraduate students, but the level of training faculty receive to become effective advisors varies greatly.  Effective advising likely contributes to better student outcomes, improved student perception of their home department and GVSU, and higher student retention.  This Learning Community will meet monthly in the coming academic year to discuss recent and seminal papers on topic pertaining to effective advising.  It will be instructive to learn about advising practices in different departments, we all likely have something to learn from one another.

Participants will:

  • Understand the various roles of a faculty advisor and that of their advisees
  • Understand the best practices of good faculty advisors
  • Become aware of the advising resources available at GVSU
  • Have actionable items to improve their advising and for other members of their home department

Meeting Days/Times:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Allendale Campus

Facilitator: Joe Jacquot, Biology, [email protected], (616) 331-3523

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.


Internships: Approaches, Strategies, and Best Practices

Winter 2019

How can we help students get the most out of their internship?

Internships serve different purposes for different students.  For some students, an internship can serve as a starting point for their academic and professional aspirations.  For others who have a clearer vision, an internship can help them apply their knowledge and skills in a "real world" setting.  Much of the responsibility for helping students understand the purpose and value of an internship falls on the shoulders of internship directors.  Therefore, this FLC will center on helping GVSU internship directors explore:

  • best practices for advising and evaluating student internship experiences
  • strategies for outreach, networking, and student preparation
  • approaches for building and strengthening relationships with employers and community partners

Meeting Days/Times:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Allendale Campus

Facilitator: Dauvan Mulally, Writing, [email protected]

Co-facilitator:  Denise Goerisch, Liberal Studies, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.


Language Pedagogy and Practice

Winter 2019

What strategies and practices do professors of language and culture at Grand Valley State University use successfully in their classrooms?

This FLC is envisioned as a space in which faculty share materials, exchange ideas, and discuss topics pertinent to the teaching of language and culture. Each session will be organized around a theme related to pedagogy, proposed, selected, and presented by members of the FLC. Faculty will be invited to share classroom materials that are relevant to that topic, as well as any questions or discussion points related to the topic in the context of the language classroom. The objective of this FLC is to provide a forum for language teaching faculty seeking to share their tried-and-true pedagogical practices; to acquire new ideas for classroom teaching and management, and to discuss concrete strategies for issues that can and do arise in language classrooms.

Participants in this FLC will:

  • Share pedagogical practices
  • Acquire new ideas for classroom teaching and management
  • Discuss strategies for issues that arise in language teaching

 

NOTE: This FLC is limited to language teaching faculty

Meeting Dates/Times:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Allendale and Pew Grand Rapids Campuses

Facilitator:  Meghan Cai, Modern Languages and Literatures, [email protected]

Co-facilitator:  Elizabeth Gansen, Modern Languages and Literatures, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.

NOTE:  This FLC is limited to language teaching faculty.


The Mindful Prof: Contemplative Pedagogical Theory and Techniques

Fall 2018 & Winter 2019 (Year-long)—Accepting new members in Winter 2019

How can mindful, contemplative approach enhance learning and teaching?

Studies show that contemplative practices in teaching can enhance students’ learning outcomes. In this FLC, participants will read and discuss some of the leading scholarship, learn mindful pedagogical techniques to incorporate in their classrooms, and share experiences and insights.

Participants will read (and receive free copies of):

  • Dalton, Dorman and Byrnes, eds. The Teaching Self (2018)
  • Barbezat and Bush. Contemplative Practices in Higher Education: Powerful Methods to Transform Teaching and Learning (2013)
  • David and Sheth. Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness: A Guide for Anyone Who Teaches Anything (2009)

 

Digital Badge:  To earn a badge associated with this Faculty Learning Community and for more information about the FacultyBadges@GVSU Initiative, visit our FacultyBadges@GVSU website.

Meetings Times/Dates:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Facilitator:  David Eick, Pew FTLC Faculty Fellow, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.

 


Mentorship Development Group: In Support of the Student Success Network

Fall 2018—Winter 2019 (Year-long)

How do we further develop faculty mentors to meet the needs of the first-year student?

The Student Success Network (SSN) is a new initiative that connects faculty members with incoming 1st year students.  The goal of this group will be to explore best practices in training and developing current Faculty members as mentors for 1st year students.  This group will be charged with creating the training curriculum for the SSN and its Faculty mentors.  In addition to creating the training curriculum, this group will explore the key messages to be shared with students through the year, review assessment surveys to explore the SSN's success and help prioritize action items for the program moving forward.  Faculty members interested in further supporting the 1st year student are encouraged to apply; preference will be given to faculty serving as SSN mentors in 2018-2019.

Participants will:

  • Become familiar with the literature encompassing student mentorship programs
  • Identify the essential components to a faculty mentor curriculum
  • Understand the current SSPN and offer suggestions for improvement for the future

 

Digital Badge:  To earn a badge associated with this Faculty Learning Community and for more information about the FacultyBadges@GVSU Initiative, visit our FacultyBadges@GVSU website.

Meeting Time/Dates:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Allendale Campus

Facilitator: Brian Hatzel, Professor of Movement Science, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.


O3: Open Access Publishing, Open Educational Resources, and Open Data

Winter 2019

What are strategies for encouraging and supporting open practices (i.e., open access publishing, open educational resources, and open data) throughout Grand Valley?

As Grand Valley State University continues to promote open access, we can, as educators, further democratize education by adopting and creating open educational resources to broaden knowledge access throughout the connected world while substantially decreasing costs for students.  This FLC will discuss "openness" while developing and promoting strategies to reduce textbook costs throughout GVSU.  Participants will develop "open strategies as it pertains to individual faculty members, departments, colleges, and/or the university.  Participants will identify and record potential strategies for promoting open access and open educational resources at GVSU.

 

Digital Badge:  To earn a badge associated with this Faculty Learning Community and for more information about the FacultyBadges@GVSU Initiative, visit our FacultyBadges@GVSU website.

Meeting Time/Dates:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Facilitator: Brandon Youker, School of Social Work, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.


Online/Hybrid Language Learning

Fall 2018—Winter 2019 (Year-long)Accepting new members in Winter 2019

How can the tools and strategies associated with online and/or hybrid education be applied to language learning?

Last year MLL was awarded a Distance Learning Innovation Grant to develop strategies for applying the methodology of online/hybrid learning to the language classroom. While a large number of faculty from MLL and Classics joined the group, due to a general lack of past experience with the issues involved our focus was necessarily on developing the basic familiarity with the state of the field. The goal of this group is to continue that work with a focus more on active application. Concretely, this will involve proposing and teaching new online/hybrid language courses, converting existing language courses to online/hybrid formats, and applying online/hybrid strategies to current language programs in order to enhance learning outcomes and overcome obstacles such as time and classroom space.

Learning Objectives

  • Increase familiarity with the methodologies associated with online/hybrid education
  • Explore ways of adapting the existing language curriculum to include online/hybrid learning
  • Collaborate on the creation of new online/hybrid courses to enhance the language curriculum

Meeting Times/Dates: TBD

Location/Campus:  Allendale Campus

Facilitator:  Jeremy Robinson, [email protected], 1-8907

Co-facilitator:  Meghan Cai, [email protected], 1-2870

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.


Open GV

Fall 2018 Only

How might we encourage and support open practices (i.e., open access publishing, open educational resources, and open data) throughout Grand Valley?

We believe that education is a human right yet still too many lack access and resources. The internet has been a game changer. As educators, we can further democratize education by adopting and creating open educational resources to broaden knowledge access throughout the connected world while decreasing cost for our own students. As scholars, we have the ability to share our scholarship and creative works affecting exponentially more people and in the remotest of locations. Moreover, through sharing our project data, we can accelerate the rate of scientific progress by allowing scholars and the public alike to build on our work. How can we champion "openness" and propel GV to the forefront of this inevitable transition? Join this FLC for:

  • dialog on the pros and cons of and strategies for opening GV.
  • discussion on the word "open" as it pertains to individual faculty members, departments, colleges, the university, and West Michigan. 

Meeting Times/Dates: 9/20, 10/18, and 11/15

Facilitator:  Brandon W. Youker, Social Work, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.


Reading Program Review: Reflecting, Rethinking, and Revising

Fall 2018-Winter 2019 (Year-long)

How can we collaboratively reflect on our current program in hopes of providing students with a cohesive and comprehensive learning experience?

This FLC creates a collaborative space for the Literacy Studies faculty in the College of Education to build a cohesive literacy program for graduate candidates in our master’s degree program.

Participant outcomes:

  1. Incorporate the new 2017 International Literacy Association standards into our courses/rubrics.
  2. Reflect (and perhaps rethink) on the standards we have decided to assess in each course within the program.
  3. Revisit the key assignments for each course, specifically looking at how we are building the candidates’ experiences through the program.

Meeting Times/Dates:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Facilitator:  Elizabeth Stolle, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.


Small Teaching

Winter 2019

How can faculty incorporate simple, high-impact changes to foster student learning?

What do you do when you've designed the class and distributed the syllabus, but things aren't working? James M. Lang's book, "Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning," offers strategies for incorporating simple changes in classroom practices to foster student engagement and deepen learning. Some of these strategies may influence course design, but this learning community will pay particular attention tot he "small" moments in an already established class that could lead to a big impact on student learning. 

Participants in this FLC will:

  • Become familiar with "small teaching" strategies to improve student learning.
  • Identify areas in your course design or classroom practice that could benefit from "small teaching" strategies.
  • By the end of the semester, incorporate at least one "small teaching" strategy into at least one course.

Meeting Times/Dates:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Allendale Campus

Facilitator:  Corinna McLeod, English Department, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.


Telling Tales: Using Stories to Construct Professional Identity

Fall 2018—Winter 2019 (Year-long)

How can we use storytelling as a tool to clarify and construct our professional identities and those of our students?

The construction of professional identity is a fundamental aim of teacher education. The objective of this FLC is to explore the use of storytelling as a pedagogical tool to clarify and construct professional identity. For the purpose of this FLC, identity is conceptualized as how one explains oneself as a particular kind of person, in a particular context, at a particular time (Beauchamp & Thomas, 2009; Gee, 2000). Professional identity is created by comparing and differentiating oneself from other professionals (Marin, Tur & Chaillinor, 2018). According to positioning theory (Bamburg & Georgakopoulou, 2008), identities are constructed by the dynamic and reciprocal interaction between personal and contextual factors.

Stories play an important role in the process of identity construction. In fact, identity may be seen as a personal narrative, the building blocks of which are the stories we tell about ourselves; stories which help us understand and articulate a sense of self, give structure and meaning to our lives, and communicate who we are. At the same time, storytelling is a collaborative experience, a relational activity that can promote empathy and connect people.

In this FLC, participants will brainstorm, craft, and share a true personal story which is central to their professional identity. They will also reflect on the role of storytelling in clarifying and constructing professional identity. Finally, participants will identify ways in which they might use storytelling as a pedagogical tool to help their students construct their professional identities.

Note: This FLC is limited to faculty in the College of Education.

Meeting Time/Dates: TBD

Location/Campus: Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Facilitator: Mary Bair, College of Education, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.

 


What is Effective Teaching?--Building a Shared Understanding

Winter 2019

What do we understand as effective teaching?  And with that, how do we identify effective teaching practices, as well as demonstrate these effective teaching practices?

Currently, faculty in the College of Education are working to unpack our understandings around teaching effectiveness.  To do this, we must build shared understandings for what teaching effectiveness is and how one demonstrates teaching effectiveness.  Therefore, we will use Ken Bain's book, "What the Best College Teachers Do," to stimulate ideas and prompt discussion and reflection around teaching effectiveness.  This Faculty Learning Community will directly impact faculty teaching and student learning as faculty seek to understand: (1) how to identify effective teaching practices, and (2) how to demonstrate these effective teaching practices.

NOTE: This FLC is open to faculty in the College of Education only.

Meeting Time/Dates: TBD

Location/Campus: Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Facilitator:  Elizabeth Stolle, College of Education, [email protected]

Co-facilitator: Mary Bair, College of Education, [email protected]

Interested?  You register for this FLC by applying for an FLC Participation Grant.

NOTE: This FLC is open to faculty in the College of Education only.


What the Best College Teachers Do

Fall 2018—Winter 2019 (Year-long)

What makes a college teacher a "best teacher?" 

The purpose of this learning community is to discuss Ken Bain's What The Best College Teachers Do. Having studied nearly 100 highly successful instructors, in this book he limns the practices and techniques they used in order to challenge, engage and inspire students. We will discuss Bain’s recommendations and consider their applicability, with a view toward broad/major rethinking of courses and how to teach them. 

NOTE: Registration fo this FLC is now closed.  Please contact us at [email protected] with questions.

Meeting Time/Dates:  TBD

Location/Campus:  Allendale and Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Facilitator:  Majd Al-Mallah, Modern Languages and Literature, [email protected]

NOTE: Registration for this FLC is closed.  Please contact us at [email protected] with questions.




Page last modified January 9, 2023