Welcome back to the new semester at IU Bloomington! As you settle into the new academic year, we hope that you will consider ways we can partner with you to meet your teaching goals. One of our favorite and most transformative offerings is the Faculty Learning Community (FLC), a cohort of 8-12 faculty members who meet regularly over the course of a year to engage in collaboration and discussion about teaching and learning. Our FLCs provide an opportunity for you to explore a teaching topic with colleagues from across campus, usually working on an individual project for your own class and a group project that shares back with the larger IUB community what you have learned.
This year’s topics include:
Students as Partners in SoTL: You may have done Scholarship of Teaching and Learning research on your students, but have you considered doing SoTL research with your students as co-investigators? This FLC will explore ways of involving students in research about your teaching and their learning—a great way to expand your perspectives and engage students in meaningful research experiences.
Gender Diversity in STEM: Participants in this FLC will work to create equitable and inclusive classrooms that support the learning of each student, especially those who may not typically be equally represented in our STEM fields. We are proud to be co-sponsoring the FLC with the Center of Excellence for Women in Technology (CEWiT).
Providing Students Feedback through the Student Engagement Roster: Providing early and frequent feedback helps improve students’ chances of success, and the Student Engagement Roster (SER) is a tool IU uses to provide that feedback. Participants in this group will work with colleagues—both instructors and academic advisors—to explore ways of using the new SER to give students the most valuable feedback about their performance in your classes.
Developing Local Pedagogy Leaders: Do you help guide teaching initiatives in your department? Participants in this FLC will work to develop the knowledge and skills needed to successfully develop and lead such efforts—assessing departmental needs, developing programming, engaging colleagues, serving as a coach or mentor, and more.
Professional Development for Non-Tenure Track Faculty: Are you a lecturer or clinical faculty member looking for career development opportunities? This FLC will focus on identifying and exploring paths for professional development for NTT faculty in the areas of teaching, research, and service. Participants will create a plan for their own professional development by articulating strategies to address areas in their professional lives that they would like to develop further.
Our FLCs are open to all full-time IUB faculty members, and all participants receive $750 in their research accounts for use on travel, equipment, books, or other professional development needs. (Note: The NTT FLC is unfunded this year. Sorry, we ran out of money but still want to offer this opportunity.)
If any of these topics look interesting to you, visit our Faculty Learning Community page to learn more and apply.
Best wishes for a great semester, and we hope you’ll consider joining an FLC or other CITL event this fall.
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