Faculty Learning Communities Program, 2008 - 2009The Faculty Learning Community (FLC) program was initiated by the CET in the 2006 – 2007 academic year. The response of Georgia Southern faculty to this collegial, peer-based, academic year-long experience of faculty development and inquiry has been very good. We are looking for over 100 faculty to join FLCs for 2008-2009. "Extensive documentary evidence suggests that effective learning communities have important benefits for students and faculty Faculty benefits include diminished isolation, a shared purpose and cooperation among faculty colleagues, increased curricular integration, a fresh approach to one’s discipline, and increased satisfaction with their students’ learning." _Lenning & Ebbers What Is A Faculty Learning Community (FLC)?Faculty Learning Communities (FLC) are usually composed of approximately 6 - 12 faculty and requires a collegial commitment to meet, work, collaborate with colleagues on the FLC, and disseminate the outcomes of the FLC’s work to Georgia Southern faculty. Each FCL is lead by a facilitator selected by the FLC from among its own members, determines its own goals and objectives, and how it will disseminate the results of its research, application, and work to campus colleagues. Membership in a FLC is for the entire academic year. "A faculty learning community (FLC) is a cross-disciplinary
faculty group engaging in an active, collaborative, yearlong program about
enhancing teaching and learning and activities that provide learning,
development, interdisciplinarity, the scholarship of teaching and learning,
and community building. A faculty participant in a faculty learning community
selects a focus course to try out innovations, assess resulting student
learning(etc) and presents project results to the campus... Evidence shows
that FLCs increase faculty interest in teaching and learning and provide
safety and support for faculty to investigate, attempt, assess, and adopt
new (to them) methods."
_ Miami University FLC web site (http://www.units.muohio.edu/flc/what.shtml) Goals of FLCs at Georgia SouthernA faculty learning community is a special kind of "community of practice" (Wenger). The goals of FLCs at Georgia Southern are as follows:
FLCs for 2008 - 2009FLCs continuing from 2007-2008 (“open” = accepting new members for 08-09)
Possible New FLCs (need at least 6 members to form)
Operation and OutcomesThe Center for Excellence in Teaching (CET) will facilitate and coordinate the formation and the logistics of the FLCs. Each FLC is responsible for its ongoing schedule, work, and for how it will disseminate the outcomes of that work to colleagues and the campus. The facilitator of the FLC is to submit to the FLC Coordinator a one-page mid-year report (December) and a one-page final report (May) that summarizes and analyzes the work and outcomes of the FLC. The FLC as a whole, or individual members, are also encouraged to consider disseminating their work in additional ways as, but not limited to, the following:
Guidelines for Individual FLC MembersEach member of an FLC agrees to the following:
Joining an FLCIn order to join a FLC, a faculty member registers to be a member of a specific FLC for the academic year by submitting a registration form to Alan Altany, Center for Excellence in Teaching. Registration form as MS Word (Fill out, email to Alan Altany or print, fill out, mail to CET Box 8143, or fax: 478-0099) To request a paper registration form, phone 478-0049, email Alan Altany, or stop by CET, room 1313, in the College of Information Technology building. Member's semester schedules will be requested so that the initial meeting of the FLC can be planned. |
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