There are a lot of demands on the average USF faculty member’s time. With research,
service commitments, and of course, teaching, how do you carve out any space to investigate
new practices or dive deeper into a topic that interests you? When it comes to focus
areas related to pedagogy, the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL)
offers a program that seeks to give instructors that space: Faculty Learning Communities.
A Faculty Learning Community (FLC) is a group of engaged faculty who work together
in a year-long program geared toward integrating new approaches to learning or exploring
an issue related to teaching and learning. This type of community is unique within
the university context, in that it provides a dedicated place for study and application,
across disciplines and away from other obligations. Each community consists of 6-12
faculty, GTAs, and/or staff with the goal of the program to support a network of faculty
focused on innovation and change in pedagogy across USF. To help realize the potential
of these ideas, communities are given a budget to be used for things such as purchasing
materials, funding travel, and paying for speakers.
CITL’s FLC program is currently supporting its third cohort of communities, with work
and projects set to wrap up this summer. Beginning in the 2021-22 academic year, a
total of 22 communities have been facilitated, with members coming from all three
USF campuses and a variety of different disciplines. These communities have each used
this opportunity to explore a specific topic, work on developing or acquiring a new
skillset, or even to embark on a journey to create new knowledge through research.
The outcomes and insights gained from many faculty learning communities have been
shared out to wider audiences through other mediums, as well. These include conference
presentations (such as “Critical (&Creative) Thinking” led by Dr. Morgan Gresham and
Dr. Alaina Tackitt, presented at the AAC&U Gen Ed Conference in February 2022), open
educational resources (like the published by the “Developing Open-Access Media to Support Florida Interdisciplinary
Climate Justice Education” FLC led by Dr. Alexandra Panos), posters presented at the, Canvas course shell resources to be shared among a department (“Professionalization
in the English Major,” led by Dr. Cynthia Patterson), and an upcoming faculty writing
retreat (“Writing Pedagogy in Praxis,” led by three-time FLC facilitator Dr. Heather
O’Leary).
One such example of an FLC that has resulted in published research is that of the
2021-22 community “Language Teachers for Technology Literacy and Innovation,” led
by Dr. Matt Kessler. Dr. Kessler and members of the group investigated various technologies
for second language acquisition and hosted guest speakers in publicly accessible virtual
meetings and interactive sessions. As a result of this work, Dr. Kessler published
an empirical study in the journal E-Learning and Digital Media titled “Do we know
our language learners? Investigating students’ and teachers’ technology ownership,
access, literacy, and interest in online education.” The full article can be viewed
.
And, sometimes, the process of conducting the community itself is the outcome, as
was the case with “Taking the Stress Out of Teaching Classes with International Students,”
led by Dr. Meghan Bratkovich and Dr. Jane Harvey. Drs. Bratkovich and Harvey presented
findings from the experience of facilitating their FLC at several international conferences
in spring 2024, including the TESOL conference held in Tampa (see photo).
The possibilities an FLC offers for collaboration, creation, and sharing of knowledge
are endless. Is there an idea that you’ve been hoping to take a closer look at? CITL
is now accepting proposals for the next cohort of FLCs through Friday, May 3rd, 2024!
To learn more about previous FLCs and discover how you can propose your own community,
visit CITL’s website: /citl/programs/flc/index.aspx